You might be shocked to know that I'm very high on Ivan Ryabkin as a prospect, and I have been since before last June's draft. Despite being a first-round talent in many circles, Ryabkin fell down the board because of concerns surrounding his work ethic, fitness level, and poor interviews at the combine. This resulted in him landing in the Carolina Hurricanes' laps at 62nd overall.
He's the exact type of prospect that the Hurricanes have taken risks on over the last few seasons, and it's looking like a good bet thus far. I was very surprised when the team signed Ryabkin to his entry-level deal just two months after selecting him, but he looked good enough at training camp last September, showing he possessed the skill to be an offensive threat.
The Canes had a decision to make coming out of camp. They had the option to send Ryabkin back to juniors, where he'd land with the QMJHL's Charlottetown Islanders, or keep him in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves. The team opted for the latter. He started in Chicago, but the production didn't come with him. In 25 games, Ryabkin posted a goal and six assists.
In early January, the organization made the right decision to reassign Ryabkin to Charlottetown, giving him a chance to play more minutes and find his scoring touch once more, and that's exactly what he did. Ryabkin had more 4+-point contests (5) than scoreless ones (4). In total, he had 11 multi-point efforts, anchored by a pair of five-point performances.
On Wednesday, the QMJHL named Ryabkin as March's Rookie of the Month. In eight games, he scored seven goals and 20 points. He finished the year fifth on his team in scoring with 42 points despite only playing in 20 games. Ryabkin's 2.10 points-per-game rate was the best in the league, albeit in a small sample size. The league's leading scorer, Maxim Masse, had 102 points in 63 games (1.62 per game).
Ryabkin plays with a visible and ever-present edge, but it gets him in trouble constantly. During his stint with the Wolves, he was called for 56 penalty minutes. Those issues followed him to the QMJHL. In 20 games, Ryabkin amassed 44 more penalty minutes. There's playing with an edge, and then there's playing recklessly. Ryabkin doesn't even toe the line. He kicks past it.
It's frustrating because he possesses an insane amount of skill and potential. Taking himself off the ice and out of the lineup will stunt his development. That's not something that will fly if he makes it to the NHL. Rod Brind'Amour will try to squeeze every ounce of potential out of him, but there are very few things that drive him up the wall more than bad penalties.
When Ryabkin was in the lineup, the Islanders went 14-6-0 and cruised into the postseason by finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference. Charlottetown will host the Quebec Remparts for the first two contests in a best-of-five series on Friday and Saturday. Ryabkin will search for championships in back-to-back seasons after winning the Clark Cup in the USHL last year.