Riley Sutter: 2024 Annual Review and Forecast


We continue breaking down the last 12 months of development for each of the Washington Capitals prospects with a review and forecast for center Riley Sutter. (You can access all of our Capitals Prospect Reports and player analysis on our “Prospects” page here.)

VITALS

Sutter, a 24-year-old center, was drafted by the Capitals in the third round (#93 overall) of the 2018 NHL entry draft. Sutter signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Capitals on September 29, 2018, at $925,000 AAV. With entry-level slides for his first two seasons, Sutter became a restricted free agent at the end of the 2022-23 season, but was qualified by the Capitals at the end of June 2023. After the 2023-24 season, he re-signed with the Capitals with a one-year, two-way deal.

CAREER

Sutter played four seasons of junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL), all with the Everett Silvertips. He began his junior hockey career in 2015-16 and played in 31 games, scoring just one goal.

Sutter improved his offensive productivity for the 2016-17 season, playing in 67 games, scoring 20 goals and earning 18 assists. He was even better during the 2017-18 season when he played in 68 games, scoring 25 goals and earning 28 assists. During the 2018 postseason, he recorded nine goals and 10 assists in 21 postseason games.

Sutter was off to a great start for the 2018-19 season, with 14 goals and 27 assists, before being sidelined for the remainder of the regular season with an injury. During his four-year career in the WHL, he recorded 137 points, 60 goals, 137 penalty minutes, and a +38 rating in 204 career games.

The 2019-20 season saw Sutter transition to the AHL. Unfortunately for him, injuries would once again dominate his season from the start, after he was injured in the Capitals prospect tournament in Nashville. He would record one goal and three assists in his rookie campaign.

The 2020-21 season was somewhat similar for Sutter, as he would miss 11 of the Bears 36 games due to injury. He recorded no goals and nine assists in 25 games played during the Covid-shortened season.

Sutter’s 2021-22 campaign was very similar to his previous AHL seasons. Injuries hindered his season right from the start. He showed occasional positive sequences during play, but the scoring remained an issue. He generated just 31 shots for the season for a 6.4% shooting percentage. Sutter finished the season with two goals and six assists in 39 games and missed the Bears three postseason games.

The 2022-23 season was Sutter’s best as a professional, thus far. He stayed relatively healthy, but more importantly, settled into his role at center on the 4th line and did a very good job. The effort alone garnered a qualifying offer from the Capitals. Riley remains the Bears best at the dot, but it was his centering the fourth line that was most valuable to the Bears. Head coach Todd Nelson depended on the trio as the Bears shutdown line and they responded nearly every night, all while setting a physical tone in the early going of each game. Sutter also become a leader on the Bears penalty kill.

The 2023-24 season was even better for Sutter. As was the case the previous year, he centered the fourth line and was a leader on the penalty kill. If the Bears had to kill penalties, he was usually one of the first players to be called upon. He provided much more offense than he had in the past, scoring 9 goals and recording 23 assists during the regular season. He missed the entirety of the first two rounds of the playoffs due to injury but played in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Calder Cup Finals. In those 13 games that he played, he recorded an assist on Henrik Rybinski’s goal in Game 3 against the Cleveland Monsters.

2023-2024 MONTH-BY-MONTH RECAP AND TREND ANALYSIS

The following is a compilation of our month-by-month prospect reports for Riley Sutter for the 2023-2024 season. You can find all monthly prospect reports on our “Prospects” page in the top menu.

OCTOBER

Sutter did not tally a point in October but contributed in other ways. The pivot remains Hershey’s best and most consistent faceoff man. The Calgary, Alberta native is also the team’s most reliable penalty-killing forward. He is the first forward over the boards when the Bears are shorthanded. If the team is ever down two men, Sutter is the lone forward on the ice. He is consistently in the right position defensively and breaks up attacks. Sutter also brings a physical element to the game. He is the fourth-line center, and embraces everything the role entails.

NOVEMBER

After going without a point in October, Sutter found his offense in the season’s second month. The pivot finally broke into the scoring column in the 15th game of the campaign on November 17. The breakthrough came when Sutter caused Ruslan Iskhakov to turn the puck over and Ryan Hofer converted for Hershey’s second goal in the opening period. He also picked up a secondary helper on Bogdan Trineyev’s marker in the second stanza. The two-point night kicked off a three-game point streak for the Calgary, Alberta native.

 

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The son of former NHL center Ron Sutter potted his first goal of the season in Bridgeport a night later when he redirected Colin Swoyer’s shot up into the net to give the Bears a 3-0 lead.

 

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The Albertan’s second multi-point game of the month came on November 22 when Sutter figured in on both Hershey goals in a 2-1 victory. The center won a puck battle in the left corner and whipped a pass to Dylan McIlrath on the left point. McIlrath converted his shot to give Sutter the primary assist on the play. In the second period, he chipped a highlight reel pass from Ivan Miroshnichenko over Joel Blomqvist for the game-winning goal.

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A week later, Sutter again provided a multi-point game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He tallied off another Miroshnichenko feed in the second period and then returned the favor on the Russian’s game-winning marker in the third. Sutter has been a positive influence on Miroshnichenko since the rookie was put on his line by head coach Todd Nelson. Sutter and linemate Matt Strome have strong defensive habits which rubbed off on Miroshnichenko. Sutter remains the top penalty-killer on the team.

DECEMBER

Through 33 games, Sutter has already set a career-high for points with 13. He has equaled his career high in goals with five and is one away from equaling his career-best mark of 9 assists. The pivot accomplished this without scoring a point in the first 14 games of the season. Sutter amassed six points in 2023’s final month. He recorded his fourth multi-point game of the season in Charlotte on December 1. The son of former NHLer Rich Sutter was involved in Hershey’s first two goals. He opened the scoring in the first period when he snapped a shot by the glove of Spencer Knight. Sutter then picked up a secondary helper on Ivan Miroshnichenko’s tally a few minutes later. He went on a five-game pointless streak before scoring his fifth goal of the season in the second period against Laval on December 16 with his parents in the stands. The Calgary, Alberta native deposited a rebound from a Chase Priskie shot past Strauss Mann.

 

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Sutter had three assists in the last four games of December. The biggest contribution the center makes is not on offense. It is his penalty-killing prowess. He is the lynchpin of the penalty kill. Simply put, Sutter is the best penalty-killing forward on the roster. He is the first forward over the boards for head coach Todd Nelson when the Bears go shorthanded. Sutter is a major reason why the unit is among the top in the AHL.

JANUARY

January was a quiet month for Sutter, offensively, compiling just two assists. However, the pivot still played an integral part in the success of the Bears. Hershey has the best penalty kill in the AHL and Sutter is a big reason why. He is the best penalty-killing forward on the team and is always the first forward over the boards to kill an infraction. Sutter is strong, positionally and does a good job breaking up plays with his stick. Any offense the Calgary, Alberta native provides is a bonus. He has already set career bests in assists with 10 and points with 15. His next goal will be a career-high. Sutter is the anchor of the team’s fourth line and dealt with not having consistent linemates through most of the month but has developed solid chemistry with Henrik Rybinski on the fourth line and the penalty kill.

FEBRUARY

After playing in the month’s first five games, Sutter was sidelined with an upper-body injury for the remainder of February. He was scoreless for the month.

MARCH

After suffering an upper-body injury in Toronto on February 17, Sutter returned to the lineup in Charlotte on March 8. He went without a point in both games in Charlotte, but then caught fire. The Calgary, Alberta native redirected a Matt Strome shot over Isaac Poulter’s glove late in the first period in Utica on March 15. Sutter followed up by recording the first two-goal game of his career in Syracuse the next night. He deflected a Vincent Iorio shot by Brandon Halverson early in the third period. His second marker came into an empty net. The son of former NHLer Ron Sutter then came back on March 17 with another multi-point contest. He was the recipient of a turnover by Hartford goalie Dylan Garand behind his net. Sutter moved the puck to his backhand and slid a shot into the open cage. He completed his two-point night with a secondary helper on Ryan Hofer’s goal. The pivot ended March with six points.

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Sutter had already set career highs in points (21), goals (9) and assists (12). The offense from the Albertan is a bonus on top of his contributions on the team’s top ranked penalty kill. He is the first forward over the boards on the penalty kill and forms a dynamic partnership up front with Strome. Sutter makes smart decisions and gets in shooting and passing lanes. In Syracuse on March 16, the Bears were down two men for 1:54 in the third period. Sutter won the faceoff clear out of the zone at the start of the kill. He then made another important clear after stepping into a passing lane.

APRIL

Sutter was pointless in the first four games of April but earned the secondary assist on Hardy Haman Aktell’s second-period goal which was the team’s only goal during a 4-1 loss to the Wilkes-Barre Penguins on April 13. The next day, against the same Penguins, he had the primary assist on Jimmy Huntington’s third-period goal that game at 9:08 in the third period. That was the winning goal in a 4-1 win that avenged the previous day’s loss. He played in two games in April and recorded two assists.

 

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For the regular season, he played in 66 games, scored 9 goals, and recorded 23 assists.

POSTSEASON

He missed the entirety of the first two rounds of the playoffs due to injury but played in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Calder Cup Finals. In those 13 games in which he played, he recorded an assist on Henrik Rybinski’s goal in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Monsters. When in the lineup, his main contributions were on the penalty kill and faceoffs. This included the last faceoff in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals to seal a 3-2 victory.

PLAYER FORECAST

Sutter will likely start the 2024-25 season with the Hershey Bears but if the Capitals’ incumbent fourth-line center, Nic Dowd, gets injured or traded to another team, he would be in line as a potential replacement.

 

Related Reading
Washington Capitals Re-sign Hardy Haman Aktell, Riley Sutter To One-Year, Two-Way Contracts
Riley Sutter Scores First Goal Of The Season, Ethen Frank Scores 7th Goal Of The Season, Clay Stevenson, Bears Blank Islanders, 4-0
Capitals Recall Ethen Frank, Chase Priskie and Riley Sutter Ahead Of Tonight’s Preseason Tilt With Blue Jackets
Capitals Re-sign Riley Sutter To One-Year, Two Way Deal
Riley Sutter: 2023 Annual Review And Forecast
Capitals Prospect Riley Sutter Scores Twice (Again)
Riley Sutter: Signed, Sealed and Delivering
Washington Capitals Sign Riley Sutter to Three-Year Entry-Level Contract

 

By Diane Doyle





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