C Calum Ritchie - Oshawa Generals, OHL (2023, 27th, COL; traded to NYI)

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

I do wonder what's been going on with him lately.

He was ridiculously good to start the year, but has really, really cooled off down the stretch. He scored last night, but that was his first goal in 12 games, and no points tonight. Just 1G, 4A in his last 8 games.

Compared to being nearly 2 PPG through his first 30 games this year its been a pretty significant decline over the last month.

Perhaps it was a factor in the Avs willingness to move him.

I wonder how much of it had to do with his showing at the WJCs

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I wonder how much of it had to do with his showing at the WJCs

Yeah I wonder if that got to him mentally.... But his first stretch back after the WJC he was still really good so I dunno.


I also wonder if he's just gotten bored. Basically played to like a 2.0 PPG for a calendar year, had his taste of the NHL, had his WJC experience(Even though a bad one), maybe he's just going through the motions waiting for the OHL playoffs to ramp things back up.

No matter what it is, IMO his WJC + the 2nd half of his OHL season have probably knocked his prospect status down a tier and makes you wonder if that didn't contribute to the Avs willingness to move him.

Still a good prospect with legit 2C upside, but at one point about 4 months ago he was kind of looking like a slam dunk future 2C perhaps with upside for more.

 

[icelander25]

Yeah I wonder if that got to him mentally.... But his first stretch back after the WJC he was still really good so I dunno.


I also wonder if he's just gotten bored. Basically played to like a 2.0 PPG for a calendar year, had his taste of the NHL, had his WJC experience(Even though a bad one), maybe he's just going through the motions waiting for the OHL playoffs to ramp things back up.

No matter what it is, IMO his WJC + the 2nd half of his OHL season have probably knocked his prospect status down a tier and makes you wonder if that didn't contribute to the Avs willingness to move him.

Still a good prospect with legit 2C upside, but at one point about 4 months ago he was kind of looking like a slam dunk future 2C perhaps with upside for more.

I understand that he’s slowed down but I think people are overreacting either way his slowing down of pace. He went from a 2 ppg pace for .5 a season to 1 ppg for a couple of weeks. He’s still on pace to have a better ppg than last season, and I do legitimately think there’s a type of boredom (which isn’t great and shouldn’t really be an excuse) that slowed him down. I think if he’s shows out in the playoffs then that will be the real marker to see how he’s doing. With how Lou talked about him and how the Avs treated him, I’d expect him to make the team out of camp and be at least 3C for next season.