In the mid-to-late first round of almost every NHL Entry Draft, you can find some players that don’t really excite a fan base and won’t have thousands of people rushing to YouTube to look up their highlights. At times they could be described as boring prospects or not really “swinging for the fences” (as many scouts or draft fanatics like to say) but you know that that team’s front office will defend the pick as just solidifying their prospect pool with an important piece.
For this year, that player might be Calum Ritchie.
There are other forwards that could be seen in this same light – Nate Danielson is one – but when it comes to the Oshawa Generals centerman that we’re discussing today, it’s the scouty and eye-testy things that make him a first-round talent and a player that teams would love to have as a prospect. He might not have the same flash of other players that could be drafted in this area, but he could certainly have the highest floor of the forwards available.
Pre-Draft Rankings
No. 24 by Sportsnet
No. 14 by EliteProspects
No. 13 (North American skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 13 by Bob McKenzie
No. 19 by Scott Wheeler/The Athletic
Statistics
Ritchie did not see the typical draft year offensive explosion that we are used to when it comes to first-round talents out of the OHL. He had a very respectable point total for a 17-year-old but when he was given a bigger platform in Oshawa, he managed to have just the standard point per game. The Generals were not a high-scoring team this season – their leading scorer had just 10 more points than Ritchie but in seven more games – so this isn’t a disappointing development overall but you have to wonder if he could have done more.
On a better team, Ritchie could have seen his point total increase by at least 20 or so points but that’s also not his complete game. He might not be the sole focus of any team’s offense.
What’s to like?
As we mentioned, Ritchie isn’t going to drop any jaws. He is just an extremely solid player in every way and should please any amateur scout with just how well he sees the ice. Ritchie’s awareness and “hockey IQ” (as much as I dislike using those two words) is what has carried him to a first-round projection.
By using his vision to his advantage he can see plays before most of his opposing defenders and can support the puck carrier, anticipate the positioning of other players, fill in those gaps, and get to the right place in time to create a scoring chance on his own stick or just having his stick involved.
For us, it’s Ritchie’s passing and playmaking that makes him an enticing player.
This is simply a player that has been formed by the modern possession game of hockey. He might not work well in a dump-and-chase system that wants not a whole lot of puck touches; but when he’s given the chance to flourish in open ice and take advantage of gaps in coverage, he can be deadly.
The way that he is able to support the play and be so aware of all nine other skaters on the ice is why he had an elite number of off-puck assists, according to Elite Prospect’s Mitch Brown’s tracking data. Ritchie is just someone that can elevate the play and should make coaches salivate.
What’s not to like?
No player is perfect, even if they are some scout’s dream. For Ritchie, he can utilize his vision to get around the ice from gap to gap, but like some prospects, his skating is an issue.
Ritchie doesn’t have the explosiveness of other centers in his draft class and might have some issues quickly reacting to a faster pace of the professional game. That is the largest area where he needs improvement and with that, he could possibly bring out more of his smart hockey mind on the ice.
How would he fit in the Flyers system?
Ritchie would be a very solid addition for the Flyers and might even follow the path of one of our favorite players currently on this roster. Scott Laughton also played for the Oshawa Generals and was drafted at 20th overall by Philadelphia after scoring just below a point per game in his draft year, but had the reputation of a smart player that could solidify a lineup.
Maybe Ritchie feels too much like that, but he also has some skill level that could elevate him above any Laughton comparison. Regardless, Ritchie would be solid for the Flyers, just to have some projectable NHL centers, but he would not be that top-end talent that so many crave. There could be a scenario where it makes sense, though.
Can the Flyers actually get him?
Now that the Flyers have the 22nd overall pick, in addition to seventh overall, the draft strategy should rightfully change. If Briere and his staff select a “swing for the fences” pick like Matvei Michkov (if he’s available) with their first pick, selecting a much more safe option like Ritchie is plausible.
Maybe that comes in the form of a defenseman, to have some variety in positions, but Ritchie could be someone to look out for if he’s available at 22 and the Flyers went hard with Michkov or even a Zach Benson earlier. But we all know that NHL teams love projectability and he could be swiped up as early as in the top-15.
What scouts are saying
Ritchie is the complete package. From my first live viewing of him two Octobers ago in St. Catharines when he looked like the Generals’ most talented forward in just the second game of his OHL career, to his four-goal, seven-point series in Oshawa’s six-game first-round defeat against the Frontenacs last year, to his Hlinka performance last summer, to my most recent live viewings of him in Oshawa, in Langley at the CHL Top Prospects Game, and in Switzerland for U18 worlds (though I’ve been surprised that Hockey Canada, given his two-way and faceoff track record, has played him on the wing), Ritchie has consistently impressed me. On the puck, he’s a multi-faceted playmaker who often looks like the player who was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection and an OHL First All-Rookie Team member. He’s got quick hands (he’s prolific on breakaways/in the shootout), a dangerous curl-and-drag wrister, decent cleverness to his game as a passer (whether through seams or often blind), slick skill in traffic and out wide sliding pucks under sticks and rotating through coverage or past checks for a player his size, and a knack for finessing pucks into spots for himself or his linemates to skate onto. He has also begun to fill out his frame, which has helped turn him into a diligent, relied-upon two-way player off the puck. – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
His best work occurs as a playmaker, though. Constant scanning allows him to register the position of everyone on the ice and identify the best option before connecting with pacey one- and two-touch feeds. Layered deception enables him to hide his intentions, making each pass just a little bit easier to hit, too. You just won’t find many more efficient, intelligent passers. “While Ritchie isn’t the manipulator that other top prospects are, he’s a space creator,” Elite Prospects Dir. of North American scouting Mitch Brown wrote of Ritchie. “It often comes in simple forms, like a retrieval play that draws in two defenders before a passing or an early pass in transition to give his target a runway to the net. Simply put, he already plays the game that he will play in the NHL.” – Elite Prospect’s 2023 Draft Guide
This hasn’t been the offensive breakout season many expected of Calum Ritchie this year as he finished the season with 59 points in 59 OHL games. Despite the underwhelming (by his standards) season from a production standpoint, Ritchie is still a big C prospect who skates quite well, with a lot of tools that grade out above average. He is an effective distributor of the puck who makes slick passes to hit his teammates in stride. He also boasts good speed to carry the puck up the ice and successfully enter the offensive zone. He’s tenacious on the forecheck and will challenge opponents with his combination of size, speed and compete level. Ritchie missed time with a shoulder injury late in the season but was able to play in the playoffs. He was not at 100% when returning to the lineup as he was not taking faceoffs and was avoiding contact. Still, Ritchie performed well against the 1st place Ottawa 67s in the first round of the playoffs putting up 6 points in 5 games, despite the injury. Ritchie is a player who has fallen down draft boards this season, however, he could very well ascend if he can regain his form in the U18 World Championships. – Dobber Prospects
Ritchie is off the poll now so we have to add someone else! Welcome to the poll, Seattle Thunderbirds center Gracyn Sawchyn!
Playing on a ridiculously deep Seattle team didn’t always allow Sawchyn the chance to shine his brightest, but he stepped up and left his mark enough different times throughout the season to catch the attention of scouts, including a standout performance at the top prospects game that showed just how well he measured up against his peers. Not content to just be a passenger on a great roster, every time he was given the opportunity to move up in his team’s lineup, he seized it and ran with it, which says a lot about his character. He is a cerebral pass-first center. He thrives when the puck on his stick, always knowing what his next move with it should be, whether that’s continuing to carry it himself for a while longer or moving it to a teammate in a better position. His hands are top-tier, able to make opposing defenders look foolish, and he is very accurate and responsible with his passes, rarely forcing plays or turning the puck over. While he’s not the fastest or most technically adept skater he does keep his motor revved high and his feet moving, which allows him to get a step ahead when he needs to, and he doesn’t have to slow himself down at all to make his next move when he’s carrying the puck in motion. Those are all advantages that he will need to maintain in order to survive the speed and physicality of the NHL, and how good of a job he does in that regard will determine where he’ll settle into his team’s lineup. – McKeen’s 2023 Draft Guide
Who should be No. 22 on the Community Draft Board?