Ryan Winterton

Ryan Winterton (born September 4, 2003) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect under contract to the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected sixty-seventh overall by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life
Winterton was born on September 4, 2003, in Markham, Ontario, Canada, to parents Lesley and Garth Winterton. His older brother Jacob also plays ice hockey and most recently played for the University of Guelph.

Playing career
Although he was born in Markham, Winterton began his ice hockey career in Whitby, Ontario with the Whitby Wildcats in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). In the 2018–19 season, Winterton amassed 38 goals and 34 assists through 36 games and helped the Wildcats qualify for the OMHA championship. During the tournament, Winterton and his linemates Brenden Sirizzotti and Thomas Johnston combined for 42 points en route to the championship title. Following the win, Winterton was drafted eighth overall by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2019 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection Draft.

Amateur
Winterton debuted with the Bulldogs during the shortened 2019–20 season. In his OHL debut on September 30, he scored the game-winning goal to lift the Bulldogs to a 4–3 win over the Sarnia Sting. By mid-October, he had added one goal and one assist through nine games and was added to the team's power-play and penalty kill units. As a result, Winterton was selected to represent Team Canada Black at the 2019 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. Winterton tallied three assists through five games as Canada Black finished last in the tournament. Upon returning from the tournament, Winterton found consistency playing alongside Arthur Kaliyev and Jan Myšák and finished the 2019–20 season with 12 goals and 11 assists in 53 games.

Due to COVID-19 playing restrictions, the OHL did not resume play for the 2020–21 season and Winterton missed his sophomore year with the Bulldogs. During the play pause, Winterton play in 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 scrimmages organized by his agent and various coaches. Although he did not play in the OHL, Winterton was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships. He tallied two goals and two assists for four points as Canada won its fourth gold medal at the U18 Championships. While he was originally listed as a 'C' prospect by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, he was boosted to a 'B' prospect in January 2021. Winterton was eventually drafted in the third round, 67th overall, by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Following the draft, Winterton was expected to participate in the Kraken's training camp before returning to the Bulldogs for the 2021–22 season. However, he suffered a shoulder injury during the Bulldogs 2021 preseason camp and subsequently missed the first half of the OHL season. He was originally expected to miss a month or two but the prognosis resulted in him missing five months of OHL play. During his time off the ice, Winterton rehabilitated his shoulder with the Kraken's sports performance consultant Gary Roberts. Winterton returned to the Bulldogs lineup in February 2022 and immediately tallied seven goals and 11 points through his first 12 games. He added 46 points through 37 regular-season games as he helped lead the Bulldogs to the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals. After adding 19 points through the 2022 OHL playoffs, Winterton suffered a dislocated shoulder injury after scoring in Game 5 against the Windsor Spitfires. While he would miss Game 6, Winterton tallied an assist in Game 7 to win the series and lead the Bulldogs to the 2022 Memorial Cup. After Winterton and Bulldogs fell to the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Memorial Cup, Winterton signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken.

Professional
Following the signing of the contract, Winterton participated in the Kraken's training camp ahead of the 2023–24 season. He was cut from training camp on September 29 and re-assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, to start the season. Winterton made his professional debut and found a steady place on the Firebirds second line with Shane Wright and Cameron Hughes. With these teammates, he quickly accumulated three goals and two assists through his first seven games. On November 9, Winterton and Wright were called up to the NHL level ahead of their game against the Colorado Avalanche. He made his debut that night and played seven minutes of ice time while also registering one shot on goal. He played two more NHL games before being returned to the AHL level.