Calum Ritchie on Becoming a New York Islander After Avalanche Trade, Turning Pro This Season

Calum Ritchie can remember where he was when he became a New York Islander.

Ritchie was on the road in Sudbury, Ontario ahead of a matchup against the Wolves when he got the trade call. At the time, the 20-year-old center was a highly touted prospect in the Colorado Avalanche system for nearly two years and was at the tail end of his fourth and final season with the Oshawa Generals.

Being involved in a trade is a big deal for any player - especially early in his career - but Ritchie took it in stride. He scored a power-play goal against the Wolves the very next day after the news as he suddenly popped up on the radar of Isles Nation as the newest prospect in the system.

“I was pretty surprised, but of course anything could happen at the deadline,” Ritchie said. “It was a call pretty late at night, that I was getting traded to the Islanders. At first it was a bit of a shock, but I realized the opportunity that’s there with the Islanders.”

It was a big moment for Ritchie. He was an important piece in one of the bigger transactions of the NHL Trade Deadline, as the Islanders acquired Ritchie and a 2026 first-round pick for Brock Nelson. Ritchie went from not knowing much about the Islanders, to spending the next three months after the trade speaking with team staff and learning more about the organization. Now he’s a few weeks away from development camp with his new team, thrilled to get started.

“I’m super excited to be part of the organization,” Ritchie said. “I got to talk to management and development people and I’ve heard nothing but great things about the organization. I’m excited to get to camp and get going with them.”

Drafted 27^th overall in 2023, Ritchie got his first taste of the NHL last season, playing in seven games for the Avalanche with one goal and point. Ritchie’s stat line stands out to Isles fans because his first NHL goal was coincidentally scored against the Islanders on Oct. 14 – a game the Isles won 6-2 - in Ritchie’s third career pro game. He said he keeps the puck framed in his room.

“It was pretty surreal, I kind of blacked out after that goal,” Ritchie said. “It was a really cool experience and special to get that first one.”

Ritchie was returned to junior after the seven-game stint, where the 20-year-old posted 70 points (15G, 55A) in 47 games this past season. Ritchie powered the Generals with a career-high nine goals and 25 points in a postseason run that ended with an OHL Finals defeat at the hands of the London Knights.

“It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot throughout the year,” Ritchie said. “Starting in Colorado, that was really good experience for me, to understand what it takes to play at that level. Going back and continuing at Oshawa was great for me because I learned from great coaches, we had a good team. I felt like I developed my game in Oshawa.”

Ritchie finished his OHL career with 254 points (86G, 168A) in 221 games in four seasons, all with the Generals. With his junior career officially in the books, he is laser focused on another strong offseason, which is his first as an Islanders prospect. He’ll approach this offseason like any other – working hard, skating and learning from the pros and doing the right things off the ice.

Except this summer, he knows from first-hand experience what it takes to make it out of training camp. He knows what it takes to play at the NHL level because he already made his NHL debut and scored his first goal Getting a taste of the NHL gave him an understanding of what he’ll need to do to make the Islanders roster this fall.

“Turning pro has been a goal of mine since I was a little kid,” Ritchie said. “Just really excited for this opportunity and this summer. I know what it takes to play at that level because I have a bit of experience, I know how hard I have to work this summer. I’m going to train my hardest and go to camp and try to earn a spot.”