Isles Prospect Report: May 12, 2025

Welcome to the Islanders Prospect Report, a weekly roundup of the Islanders' junior, collegiate and European prospects. Visit our In the System page for more prospect content.

KNIGHTS AND GENERALS TIED AT ONE IN OHL FINALS

The battle between two Isles prospects is heating up, as Calum Ritchie and the Oshawa Generals and Jesse Nurmi and the London Knights are tied at one game apiece in the OHL Finals.

Ritchie scored the game-winner for the Generals in the series opener with a 4-2 victory on Thursday, ending the Knights’ 12-game undefeated streak. The Knights retaliated with a 5-2 win on Saturday to get even in the series.

Ritchie, who was acquired by the Isles ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, provided a power-play goal in each game of the championship series so far. The 20-year-old’s game-winning goal on Thursday came when he whipped a shot from the high slot late in the third period.

Ritchie netted his eighth goal of the playoffs – and a career-best fifth on the power play – with the opening goal in Saturday’s Game Two loss to the Knights. He also matched his career-high of eight playoff goals in three fewer games than it took for him to reach the same number last year.

Nurmi, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Draft (113^th overall) recorded two shots on goal in the win for the Knights on Saturday but has been held off the scoresheet through both games of the championship series. The Finnish winger has seven points (2G, 5A) through 14 games of his first career OHL playoff run.

The Knights and Generals are back in action for Game Three on Monday night.

VEILLEUX AND LUMBERJACKS TIED AT ONE IN USHL FINALS

Xavier Veilleux and the Muskegon Lumberjacks evened the series in the USHL Clark Cup Final with a 4-1 win over the Waterloo Black Hawks on Saturday.

Veilleux, who was drafted by the Isles in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft (179th overall), tallied an assist on Muskegon’s empty-net goal to seal away the win. The defenseman has seven points (2G, 5A) through 11 games of the postseason, which set career highs across the board.

The Lumberjacks and Black Hawks will face off for Game Three on Saturday in the best-of-five championship series.

STATS

CHL:

Jesse Nurmi | London (OHL) | 58GP, 9G, 22A, 31P, 10PIM

Jesse Nurmi | London (Playoffs) | 12GP, 2G, 5A, 7P, 7PIM

Calum Ritchie | Oshawa (OHL) | 47GP, 15G, 55A, 70P, 50PIM

Calum Ritchie | Oshawa (Playoffs) | 16GP, 6G, 14A, 20P, 18PIM

USHL:

Xavier Veilleux | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 61GP, 8G, 33A, 41P, 30PIM

Xavier Veilleux | Muskegon (Playoffs) | 11GP, 2G, 5A, 7P, 2PIM