Cal Ritchie’s NHL path has already taken more turns than most young players see this early, but the former Avalanche first-rounder keeps answering the same way: by getting better.
Drafted 27th overall by Colorado in 2023, Ritchie arrived as one of the organization’s most intriguing forward prospects. He got to the NHL faster than expected, making the Avalanche’s opening-night roster for the 2024-25 season and scoring his first career goal in just his third game. That milestone came against the New York Islanders in a 6-2 loss.
His first run with Colorado lasted seven games before he was sent back to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, where he put together a huge stretch. Ritchie finished with 70 points in 55 games, including 15 goals and 55 assists, then added 25 points in 21 playoff games with nine goals and 16 assists.
Then came another major shift. On March 6, 2025, Colorado traded Ritchie, two draft picks and defenseman Oliver Kylington to the Islanders for Brock Nelson and William Dufour.
“I’m just trying to focus on myself and stay present,” Ritchie said. “I mean, I’m with the Islanders and not focusing on the past and what happened there. I’m just really excited to be a part of the Islanders, like I said, and staying present.”
That trade wasn’t even the first time he had to reset. After starting the previous season with Colorado, Ritchie went into Islanders training camp trying to win a full-time NHL job. Instead, he opened the year with Bridgeport in the AHL.
He didn’t stay there long. Ritchie posted three points, with a goal and an assist, in his first three AHL games, earned a recall and stayed with New York the rest of the season. In 65 games, he produced 30 points, scoring 13 goals and adding 17 assists.
Ritchie said the early-season demotion stung, but he treated it like another chance to sharpen his game.
“Coming to camp, you want to make the team, and then getting sent down is obviously a bit of a disappointment,” Ritchie said. “So I went to Bridgeport, worked on my game, learned a lot, and then I got the call-up and just tried to grow my game over the season and prove to them that I can be here and have an impact and help the team.
I was pretty happy with my development over the season. I thought they did a great job with me, showing me video and all that stuff.
I can’t thank them enough.”
Now the focus shifts to what comes next. Ritchie said this summer is about getting stronger, improving his skating and shot, and handling the grind of an NHL season better.
“Going back, getting stronger this summer - obviously you realize how much of a grind an NHL season is. Just being able to put my body through that and get stronger, improve my skating, improve my shot, everything.
This summer is going to be a big summer for me. I don’t want to shut down.”
There’s also a clear role taking shape in New York. Ritchie said Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer, who took over for the final four games of the regular season after Patrick Roy was fired, sees him as a center going forward. Ritchie said he’s open to that and views the wing time he got last season as valuable.
“I talked to Pete when he first came in, and he said he sees me as a center going forward. I’m excited for that opportunity, but obviously planning on meeting with those guys.
It was awesome and a good learning experience for me. I’ve never really played wing a ton in my career, so to be able to round out my game and know that I can play wing at this level was really big for me and really important.”
For Ritchie, the job now is about becoming useful in every possible way. He knows the details matter - faceoffs, net-front work, power-play reps, and the work that doesn’t always show up on the scoresheet.
“It’s something that’s a work in progress. These guys are going against each other on faceoffs and have been doing it for 10, 15 years at the NHL level, so I’m just continuing to learn - whether it’s faceoffs, net front, on the power play, all that stuff.”
That’s been the theme of his career so far. Sent down, called up, traded, shifted around the lineup - and each time, Ritchie has used the next challenge as fuel.
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