In the season leading up to the 2023 NHL Draft, Calum Ritchie scored 59 points (24g/35a) in 59 regular season games in addition to six points (2g/4a) in five playoff games for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. That summer, the Avalanche selected Ritchie, an Oakville, Ontario, native, with the 27th overall pick.
This season, Ritchie took a huge step for Oshawa, leading the team in scoring with 80 points (28g/52a) in 50 regular season games before leading the Generals in scoring in the playoffs with 30 points (8g/22a) in 21 games on their way to the OHL Championship Series.
However, Ritchie said he didn’t attribute his jump in scoring to anything he did on his own, but more a team-first mindset.
“I think I just focus on the little details of the game,” Ritchie said. “Just trying to take care of winning. And when you do that, the stats take care of themselves. So that’s kind of why my stats jumped this year, we played a team game and we were winning way more.”
Oshawa won 52 games between the regular season and playoffs, but came up just short in the OHL Championship series, losing to the London Knights.
“It’s a seven-game series,” Ritchie said. “It’s the same format as the NHL. So obviously, it’s a great experience to have, and it’s a grind, you’re playing every other day, and to be able to perform in that environment is really important. And I’ll take that with me the rest of my career, it’s a great experience to have.”
During the offseason, Ritchie hopes to expand on his skillset and take the next step with the Avalanche organization.
“For the summer, I want to get a lot stronger and improve all aspects of my game really,” Ritchie said. “And improve my shot, conditioning, skating, all that stuff. And then coming into camp, my goal is to get some preseason games and work as hard as I can and have them make a decision to give me a contract.”
Ritchie's hard work has been noticeable throughout Development Camp as he gets ready for the official Burgundy vs. White scrimmage this evening.
