Ranking the top 31 Prospects in the 2020 NHL Draft: 28. Ridly Greig

The tenacious forward out of Brandon will be a locker room favourite

Ridly Greig (LW), Brandon (WHL)

H: 5’11” W: 159 lbs

A competitive forward with some bite, Greig compares to the new age “pesk”, a skilled forward who gets under the opposing team’s skin, much like Brad Marchand and Brendan Gallagher.

Greig does all the little things that matter throughout the game, he’s a player you love when he’s on your team but hate if he’s on an opponent.

2019-2020 Recap

GP: 56 G: 26 A: 34 P: 60 +/-: 11

Starting the season off with an appearance for Team Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, Greig was solid logging 3 points in 5 games on a star-studded Canadian squad. A solid start to his hockey season, Greig would take his good play to the Wheat Kings.

Finishing the season at over a point/game and a gaudy 83 penalty minutes, Greig always plays on the edge and sometimes he happens to cross it. Despite being 159 pounds it’s amazing the fight in Greig, his compete is infectious. A versatile forward, Greig produced 26 power-play points and added 2 shorthanded goals, he was trusted on both sides of the ice for Brandon.

Similar to many prospects so far in the rankings, Greig finished the season off strong with 16 points in his final 12 games, adding that the Brandon forward is one of the younger in the draft (born Aug. 8) the development is enticing.

Play Style

A two-way competitive forward who thrives when he irritates his opponents, Greig is a player any team would love to draft. He’s not a player who will shy away from contact, it seems when he gets physical early he can break into the game.

It’s not all about grit in Greig’s game, he excels in the offensive zone, he has a nice scoring touch and also thrives at feeding his teammates. A crafty playmaker, Greig can find his teammates a variety of ways:

Here’s a nice shot-pass from Greig to his teammate for the pretty goal, the tenacious winger thrives all over the ice. His defensive ability backs that up, never cheating with his effort, Greig is great defensively because of his intense and fearless nature.

He won’t beat a ton of players strictly on speed but Greig uses great body position and balance to make life difficult on opposing teams. TSN’s Craig Button had this to say about Greig:

"“Ridly is a combination of sense, skill and edge. He has the ability to understand what’s needed at any moment in the game and he gets focused on delivering it. Can play in any type of game.”"

Button also graded Greig’s hockey sense and competitiveness a 4.5/5, the young prospects highest-graded areas of his game.

Ideal Pick at 28?

Greig would be a great selection with the Senators 3rd first-round pick, their young team needs an infliction of energy and compete that they’re missing in their lineup, which would be essential when they become a playoff team. Scouts are all over the place on Greig, he’s been ranked at 24 by scouting services and as low as 83 by another, he’s one of the most polarizing players in this draft. Chances are he gets picked just prior to the Senators or he’s there for the taking.

The Senators usually don’t shy away from undersized players, especially with Greig’s tenacity, the Senators may have another Jean-Gabriel Pageau on their hands. With Marchand and Gallagher in the division, Pierre Dorion could leave himself excited to reap the rewards of Ridly Greig.