Canucks Prospect Of The Month: How Riley Patterson Fits In With The Niagara IceDogs
After an eventful offseason which saw him sign an entry-level contract with the Canucks and request a trade from the Barrie Colts, prospect Riley Patterson is off to a hot start for the Niagara IceDogs. In nine OHL games so far this season, Patterson has three goals and five assists for a total of eight points, just shy of a point-per-game. This also includes three multi-point efforts in Niagara wins on the road, as Patterson earned two assists against the Saginaw Spirit and the Flint Firebirds on the IceDogs’ season-opening back-to-back, along with notching his first goal for the IceDogs paired with an assist in the October 3rd win over the Sarnia Sting.
Patterson scored his second of the season in a 6-5 shootout loss against his former team in the Barrie Colts, and would go scoreless for three before netting the overtime winner for the IceDogs on October 18th against the Erie Otters. The 6-foot, 194-pound right-shot center has spent the early season alternating between the first and second line for Niagara, though he did spend the second game of the season on the right wing. Overall, he has a 46.9% faceoff win percentage, winning 75 of 160 attempts. He seems to have developed some chemistry with second line left winger Ryan Roobroeck, as two of his five assists have come on Roobroeck’s goals. Roobroeck is slated to be a top-10 prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft as per TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button last fall.
The 2006-born forward is skating in his third OHL season, and his second as a Canucks prospect after being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He was named the OHL Rookie of the Month in January 2024, when he had five goals and ten assists across 12 games. Patterson had 62 points (29 goals, 33 assists) his rookie season with Barrie, along with three points (two goals, one assist) in six postseason games. Last season, Patterson had 59 points (25 goals, 34 assists) in 64 games for Barrie and 12 points (six goals, six assists) in the postseason.
Despite the lucrative scoring in Barrie, Patterson requested a trade late in the OHL offseason, and opted out of the Colts training camp waiting for the deal to be made in late August. Patterson was traded to the IceDogs in exchange for five Niagara picks in upcoming OHL drafts: a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 third-round pick, a 2027 sixth-round pick, a 2029 third-round pick, and a 2029 fourth-round pick. Patterson now joins former Canuck Darren Archibald and 2010 sixth-round pick Alex Friesen as Niagara IceDogs alumni that look to make the NHL roster in Vancouver, and is the second IceDogs-related member within the organization, along with former Niagara player and current Canucks amateur scout Luca Caputi.
Seemingly now making the most of his fresh start with the IceDogs, Patterson looks to continue on in strong form in Niagara. The IceDogs are facing the Brampton Steelheads three times in one week shortly, where Patterson will play against fellow Canucks prospect Gabriel Chiarot for the first time being within the same NHL system. In between two of those games, Niagara takes on the Kingston Frontenacs, where another Canucks center prospect Kieren Dervin leads the team in points.
Patterson's 2025-26 Season Stats As Of October 20, 2026:
9 G: 3 G, 5 A, 8 P, 29 SOG, 1 GWG, 46.9 FO%
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