He's No. 28 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters and a projected first- or second-round pick in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
"We've been playing together since Game 1," Moe said of Lee. "He's so easy to play with ... he just makes crazy plays every single day on the ice, but he's super-skilled and fun to play with."
Moe (6-1, 192) is the hard-working center. He offered one of the best shots in the league this season and finished tied for fifth on the team with 43 points (17 goals, 26 assists) in 51 games, including 12 power-play points (six goals, six assists).
"He uses his body really well at protecting the puck," Lee said. "He's got a great shot, so it's fun to be out there with him. He's got a lot of tools he can use that make him such a great player."
Each player was a full participant at the NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics, held in Buffalo from June 2-7. Lee, who had interviews with 29 NHL teams, finished first in the vertical jump with a leap of 25.67 inches.
"I think it's nice to get recognition and know you're kind of in the mix with all these great players, but at the end of the day it's the guys that are at the table picking in June," Lee said. "Being from Chicago, I grew up watching Patrick Kane with the Blackhawks and he remains my favorite player. With his brain and hands, he was clutch and won three Stanley Cups. I think he can play for a long time."
Lee played all sports growing up in Chicago, but his two older brothers were the ones to inspire him to focus and excel on the ice. He spent three seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Minnesota.
"I think I was always a smaller, skilled player, so I kind of had to learn to play with my size and be smart," Lee said of his time at the school. "I think that helped a lot with my hockey IQ, and now I've grown a bit, so it's just learning how to use my body now."
Lee said he played center his entire youth hockey career before attending Shattuck, where he switched to right wing. He has been there ever since.
"There were just a lot of great players at Shattuck, and they played center, so I thought it best to move to wing and I felt comfortable there," he said.
Lee had 123 points (55 goals, 68 assists) in 57 games for Shattuck's Under-16 team in 2022-23, and 99 points (45 goals, 54 assists) in 57 games for the Under-18 prep team in 2023-24. He's committed to Michigan State University for 2025-26.
"He can really shoot it," Central Scouting's Pat Cullen said of Lee. "I've been watching Ryker for a long time, and every year you see this small, skinny kid with the puck on his stick all the time, and say, 'Who is that?' and he just keeps progressing. He's the type who will bring you out of your seat because he's such an impactful player."
