Ritchie ready to take next step toward spot on Avalanche roster

DENVER -- Calum Ritchie entered Colorado Avalanche development camp last week with the goal of earning his first NHL contract. He thought it might take until training camp in September, or even preseason, but it came just days later.

The Avalanche signed the 19-year-old forward to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday; now he’s focusing on earning a roster spot.

“Obviously, I'm going to come into the rookie camp there and into main camp and try to play my best and to try to earn a spot,” said Ritchie, selected by Colorado with the No. 23 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. “I know it's going to be a tough challenge, but I'm confident in myself and I'm looking forward to it.”

Ritchie was thrilled to be a full participant at camp after watching from the sidelines last year following surgery to repair a torn labrum.

“Last year, I wasn't able to be on the ice and stuff, but to be able to take part in activities and meet all the people in the organization was really, really awesome for me,” he said. “Obviously, you just try to work hard and listen to all these people here. They know what they're talking about. So just try to soak in all the information I can and just really try to improve my game all around.”

One of the people Ritchie has been listening to for the past year is Brian Willsie, the Avalanche director of player development.

“During the season, I was talking to Brian Willsie a lot and working on my game throughout the year and talking about stuff I could improve on a day-to-day basis," Ritchie said. "It was awesome. I thought I improved my game a lot as the course of the season took place, and a huge credit for that goes to Brian and the development team here.

After a summer of rehab, Ritchie finished his third season with Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League, leading the team with 80 points (28 goals, 52 assists) in just 50 games.

“I thought it was a good season," he said. "Obviously, the start wasn't as great as I wanted it to be. After the Christmas break, I thought I really found my my game, and our team did too, and we kind of took off there. We finished first in our conference and then got to the (OHL) finals there but came up short (losing to London in six games in the best-of-7 series).”

Now that Ritchie (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) is done with junior hockey, Willsie wants to see the Oakville, Ontario, native continue to put on muscle in preparation for main camp in the fall.

“With surgery, you miss a whole summer," Willsie said. "It's a lot. It's a lot for a hockey player, especially at that age. That's prime development age. So jumping right back into the lineup in mid-November and having the year he had and the long run Oshawa had, playing a lot of minutes in junior, with that body [of work] you're losing weight. So now it's a big summer for him, nutrition-wise, off-ice.

“We're excited to send him home and see him back in here in late August, early September.”