Riley Patterson capped off a successful Young Stars Invitational with a goal in the finale and is excited for the next step in his journey as a Vancouver Canuck.

“I was happy with it,” said Patterson about his weekend at Young Stars. “Coming in, you’re just trying to play your game and be confident out there. It’s the first day. It’s my first taste of pro hockey, and it was definitely different from junior. I’m kind of just being a sponge, taking everything in and trying to learn as much as possible. And I just was happy with my weekend.”

Patterson mentioned the veterans of the tournament being helpful as he navigated through his first games as a Canuck. From arriving in Vancouver to vocal players at the intermissions or on the bench, he leaned on the older guys to help him feel comfortable at the Penticton tournament.

Power play Patterson pic.twitter.com/SrFdl25E5v

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 16, 2024

Last season, Patterson accomplished one of the more difficult tasks as a young hockey player.

Making a jump in leagues and being able to find success.

Whether it’s the WHL to the AHL, the NCAA to the NHL, or in Patterson’s case; the OJHL to the OHL.

Patterson was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fourth round of the most recent NHL Entry Draft after leading the OHL in goals from a rookie with 29 goals in 68 games with the Barrie Colts.

“I was in the OJHL, and I had a big season there. Some OHL opportunities opened up for me, and Barrie was a great spot. It started off slower than I hoped. I had high expectations for myself coming off a strong OJHL season and I believed I could carry it into the OHL, but it took some time to adjust and get used to the lifestyle and the speed and all that to the OHL.”

After leading all U17 scorers in the OJHL during the 2022-23 season, Patterson made the jump to the OHL, and it took a mental reset during the Christmas break for Patterson to feel more comfortable and increase his production for the second half of the season.

“The Christmas break really helped me,” said Patterson. “That was where I was able to take the turn and make the jump and be the player I want to be in this league. I got more opportunity in the lineup and more ice time helped me develop and gain more confidence in my game out there.”

Patterson has always had a heavy focus on the mental side of the game. It’s a trait that was passed down to him from his mom, who works as a guidance counsellor and has experience as a sports psychologist.

“She always talks to me about staying patient and gives me different ways to approach the game with my confidence levels or deal with things going wrong. It’s about identifying those challenges and knowing how to change them. She’s always helping my brother and I with whatever she can,” Patterson said.

During the Christmas break, Patterson’s mom spoke to him about beginning to journal his days and how that would help him stay present in the moment and be able to keep his confidence up. The ups and downs of a season can make it difficult to keep a level head, but Patterson found balance with his journalling throughout the year.

“I started writing down phrases or planning out my days and writing all that stuff down. It helped release some stress or look at different worries. I can have it all written down and understand what is coming up,” said Patterson.

“I’m definitely proud of those learning moments. Looking back on it, I was able to commit and put my best foot forward each day. I took a serious and competitive approach to each day, each practice, and each game. I see those things as a new opportunity for me to develop and improve. That’s all I want to do; continue to develop and get better. Each day I see as an opportunity, and it just goes on from there.”

At Canucks’ development camp and the Young Stars Tournament, Patterson enjoyed picking the brains of the former pros. Patterson has such a heavy focus on the mental side of the game and he wanted to know about how to develop habits from coaches like Mikael Samuelsson and Manny Malhotra.

The Sedins were also extremely helpful to Patterson. He enjoyed one of the speeches that the Sedins gave about patience. It resonated with the journalling that he has been doing throughout the 2024 calendar year.

Understanding that improvements are not going to show daily and how consistency is crucial to development hit home with Patterson.

Riley Patterson with the breakaway goal. pic.twitter.com/f6ZzJDDDKX

— Canucks Insider (@CanucksInsider) July 4, 2024

As for the upcoming Canucks training camp, Patterson’s goal is to simply be a sponge and take away anything and everything that he can learn from the pros.

“I’ll just be asking as many questions as I can and observing their everyday habits,” said Patterson. “I think the biggest thing for me is taking away what their habits are and what details they focus on. I like seeing how they show up to the rink and how they do what they do to prepare.”

Patterson will be back in Barrie for his second OHL season and wants to continue building on his success last season. He is raising expectations for himself with the added support from the Canucks’ development team, and the experience of a development camp, a Young Stars tournament, and an NHL training camp.

Last year’s OHL rookie goal-scoring leader is all set to pick up right where he left off and continue to grow his game as he develops in the OHL for the next couple of years.