Richard is effective at suppressing chances against while also contributing some offense to his team. He is a skater with impressive mobility. He is at his best in tight situations, utilizing his solid edges to make quick cuts and turns to maintain possession or keep up with fleeing opponents. He displays smooth crossovers and edgework, and is efficient at staying in the play with good positioning. Shows some flash in his skating, utilizing bursts of speed to win puck races and also make solid pinches, but his straightaway stride is just fine but could use some more power behind it. On the penalty kill he shows great awareness and is constantly moving his feet and changing direction. He is very active with his stick and shows he is willing to block shots. Looks very confident defending one on one, keeping a solid gap and getting his stick on the puck to knock it away to end the rush. Makes smart decisions and reads the play well, getting to pucks before opponents and rarely allowing the play to get behind him. Understands when it’s appropriate for him to join the rush. He has strong puck control, able to keep pucks in the offensive zone. He usually looks confident with the puck when he has enough space, and understands when he needs to make a pass to his teammates. Can sometimes show nice patience with the puck, finding space and avoiding danger.  For all the good things he does, he doesn’t exactly do them consistently. Lapses in judgment and rushing of decisions under pressure can occasionally cause a number of issues for him with the puck, resulting in turnovers or poor plays that lead to him being trapped. On the defensive side of the puck he can sometimes be the opposite, freezing in his decisions, causing him to be far less aggressive than he needs to be with his gap and allowing opponents wide lanes in the zone.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide