Birthplace: Orangeville, Ontario, Canada

Date of Birth/Age: Dec. 5, 1995 (18)

Current Team: Peterborough Petes (OHL)

Position: Left Wing

Height: 6-3

Weight: 236 pounds

Nick Ritchie may only be 18 years old but his combination of size, at 6-3 236 pounds, and skill has given scouts a reason to believe he has all the tools to be successful at the next level heading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Ritchie was selected in the first round, second overall by the Peterborough Petes in the 2011 OHL Priority Draft and helped lead the team back to the playoffs in 2014 for the first time in four years. He led the team in points during the regular season (39g-35a-74pts) and playoffs (5g-5a-10pts).

Ritchie also won a pair of gold medals with Canada at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and at the 2013 Under-18 World Junior Championship.

The power forward has gone on record saying he models his style of play after current NHL big-men Milan Lucic and Jamie Benn but also pays close attention to his older brother Brett, who was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and was a key contributor for the AHL’s Texas Stars this past season (22g-26a-48pts).

At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Brett shares a similar build and skill set with younger brother Nick, which has allowed them to look to each other for advice.

On Feb. 7, 2014, Nick scored five goals and added an assist in what was the OHL’s largest single-game goal-scoring outburst in almost two years. The last player to reach this mark was none other than older brother Brett in November 2012 with the Niagara Ice Dogs.

Ritchie’s combination of size and scoring ability has a lot of NHL teams looking at him as an early first-round pick. His ability to be physical and take the puck to the net could be what allows him to have a successful NHL career.

Scout’s Comments:

“Nick is a powerful player and when he is skating and driving hard, he is extremely difficult to stop. Very good along the boards and can quickly win a puck battle and create a scoring chance. With his skating and size, he opens up lots of opportunities for his line mates. Players like him are not common.” –Craig Button, TSN Director of Scouting

Statistics

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	TP	PIM		Playoffs	GP	G	A	TP	PIM
2010-2011	Toronto Marlboros Minor Mdgt AAA	GTMMHL	68	50	45	95	119	|
	Georgetown Raiders	OJHL	1	0	0	0	0	|
	Team Ontario	CWG	6	2	2	4	38	|
	Toronto Marlboros Minor Mdgt AAA	OHL Cup	7	5	4	9	10	|
2011-2012	Peterborough Petes	OHL	62	16	23	39	60	|
	Canada Ontario U17	WHC-17	3	1	2	3	2	|
2012-2013	Peterborough Petes	OHL	41	18	17	35	50	|
	Canada U18	Hlinka Memorial	5	1	1	2	31	|
	Canada U18	WJC-18	4	1	3	4	10	|
2013-2014	Peterborough Petes	OHL	61	39	35	74	136	|	Playoffs	11	5	5	10	24

Player statistics powered by www.eliteprospects.com

Combine Results:

Nick finished in the Top 10 in the following categories at the 2014 NHL Scouting Combine at Toronto International Centre on Saturday, May 31, 2014:
 

1               BRETT LERNOUT              2037

2               CONNOR CHATHAM         1974

4               ALEXANDER PETERS      1754

6               AARON EKBLAD               1723

7               ALEX TUCH                       1695

8               RYAN MANTHA                  1692

9               JACOB MIDDLETON         1690

10            BLAKE SIEBENALER         1680

Leg Peak Power                  

Pos.         Name                                Watts

1               CONNOR CHATHAM        7508

2               BRETT LERNOUT             6936

3               SHANE GERSICH             6884

4               ALEXANDER PETERS      6824

5               LUC SNUGGERUD            6740

6               BRENDAN PERLINI           6724

7               STEVEN SPINNER            6579

8               BLAKE SIEBENALER        6515

9               NICHOLAS RITCHIE          6470

10            MILES GENDRON               6470

Via NHL.com

Where Nick Ritchie is ranked:

International Scouting Services have Ritchie ranked as the 10th-best overall player.
http://www.isshockey.com/

NHL Central Scouting has Ritchie ranked as the seventh-best North American skater.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=712854

Craig Button of TSN has Ritchie ranked as the 16th-best overall player.
http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=49649

Future Considerations has Ritchie ranked as the seventh-best overall player.
http://futureconsiderations.ca/

Corey Pronman of ESPN has Ritchie ranked as the 18th-best overall player.
http://espn.go.com/


Video:

Nick Ritchie 2013/14 OHL Season Highlights: