CHL notebook: Avalanche prospect Ritchie thinking, looking like pro

Future NHL stars are developing in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Each week, NHL.com will highlight a few of the top NHL-affiliated prospects in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.

Calum Ritchie played well enough last season that the Colorado Avalanche selected the 19-year-old center with the No. 27 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Now he's showing what he can do when he's healthy.

Ritchie had 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) in 59 games last season despite an injury to his right shoulder sustained during the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August 2022 that caused the shoulder to dislocate four times during the season. He had surgery in May, following the 2023 NHL Scouting Combine.

He didn't make his season debut until Nov. 12, but Ritchie still leads Oshawa of the OHL with 58 points (18 goals, 40 assists) in 35 games. His average of 1.66 points per game is third in the OHL and he had 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) during a nine-game point streak from Jan. 19-Feb. 6.

"It's good as new," Ritchie said of his shoulder. "Really glad to be back and feels much better."

He said there were some early nerves when it came to how his shoulder would hold up to the rigors of the game, but Ritchie said he's long past that point now.

"I think obviously at the start it's still in your head a little bit, but when you get out there you're not really thinking too much about that, you're just trying to play hockey," he said. "Consciously you're trying to avoid some areas at the start. I think now my game is to the point where I'm not really thinking, 'Oh, my shoulder,' at all and I'm just playing hockey and trying my best to help the team each night."

The Avalanche certainly have been impressed.

"He's come back incredible," Colorado director of player development Brian Willsie said. "He's put the work in. That's a tough surgery to come back from, it's six full months and it's longer if you don't stay on top of the rehab. It's an every-day thing to recover it back to normal, strengthen it and then feel confident when you finally get on the ice. And that's a credit to him, he did the work."

Ritchie found motivation during his time at Avalanche training camp. He wasn't able to take part in any practices, but watching how Colorado stars like defenseman Cale Makar and center Nathan MacKinnon conducted themselves provided plenty of inspiration.

"It was a great experience," Ritchie said. "Obviously not being able to play in exhibition games and exhibition tournament and be on the ice with those guys, normal practices, it's tough. But I learned so much just being around those guys, seeing their habits and stuff off the ice and on the ice. Still being able to do the skills skates and stuff, I was learning a lot. In the gym, seeing their habits, their work ethic and all that really helped me and kind of pushed me and made me realize what it kind of takes at the level for sure.

"Just to see a guy like Nathan MacKinnon, you hear how good his work ethic is and how dedicated he is. ... He rides the bike after every game and that's something that I do now."

Those kind of pro habits are part of what makes Ritchie such an exciting prospect for the Avalanche.

"He's such a smart player," Willsie said. "He skates well and his brain matches it. He can make plays at a high rate of speed in tight places. Just watching the way he analyzes the rush and what he's going to do with the puck. He's a pass-first kid, he's always looking for teammates. We do encourage him to shoot some more. He can drive an offense and he is for that team.

"He's really rounded out his defensive game. In the offensive zone he's turning and reloading, getting above pucks right away, which is a pro habit that you don't always see in a junior and that's something that is coming natural to him. So that's exciting for us as well."

The next step for Ritchie (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) is to have a full offseason of training to add weight and strength, after being limited to lower-body and core work last summer while rehabilitating his shoulder.

"I'm really confident in myself and I obviously know how hard it is to play in the NHL," Ritchie said. "Colorado is such a great team too, so I know it's going to be a really big challenge, but I think for myself I'm just going to focus on getting better every single day and getting stronger and I think I'm going to take big strides this summer and throughout the rest of this season."

The Avalanche have been searching for a dependable second-line center since Nazem Kadri departed after their Stanley Cup championship in 2022. The hope is Ritchie eventually could be the answer.

"Obviously, he's a kid who's really impressed us this year and I don't want to say surprised, but really raised some expectations, so that's a good thing," Willsie said. "That's a credit to him. So who knows what happens next year in training camp?"

OTHERS TO WATCH

Sandis Vilmanis, LW, North Bay: The Florida Panthers prospect scored an OHL career-high four goals in a 9-0 win against Kingston on Feb. 11, and added a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win against Ottawa on Friday to give the 20-year-old 14 goals in 14 games since the Jan. 6 trade that sent him to North Bay from Sarnia. In 44 games with Sarnia and North Bay this season, Vilmanis has 47 points (24 goals, 23 assists). The Panthers selected him in the fifth round (No. 157) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

Quentin Miller, G, Rimouski: The Montreal Canadiens prospect has allowed four goals while winning three straight games. The 19-year-old was traded to Rimouski by Quebec on Dec. 29, and in 11 games is 7-4-0 with a 2.74 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and one shutout while facing an average of 31.5 shots per game, up from the 30.7 per game he faced in 27 games with Quebec, where he had a 3.04 GAA and .901 save percentage. The Canadiens selected Miller in the fourth round (No. 128) of the 2023 draft.

Emmitt Finnie, LW, Kamloops: The Detroit Red Wings prospect scored four goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist in a 7-3 win at Kelowna on Feb. 10. The offensive surge gave the 18-year-old 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) during an 11-game point streak, and nine goals during a five-game goal streak; each streak ended in a 7-1 loss at Prince George on Friday. A seventh-round pick (No. 201) in the 2023 draft, Finnie leads Kamloops with 46 points (16 goals, 30 assists) in 46 games.