Nick Ritchie

Nicholas Ritchie (born December 5, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Iserlohn Roosters in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Ritchie was born on December 5, 1995, in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada to parents Paul and Tammy.

Ritchie comes from an athletic family with both his parents and older brother engaging in various sports throughout their lifetime.

His mother was a three-sport athlete while attending Brock University and his father played in the Ontario Hockey League.

Before his older brother Brett was drafted in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, they competed in lacrosse together.

As a youth, the younger Ritchie brother won three Canadian box lacrosse championships representing Team Ontario and helped the Bantam Orangeville team win an Ontario title.

Growing up, Ritchie's favourite team was the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Growing up in Orangeville, Ritchie competed with the Toronto Marlboros in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) and with the Ontario Junior Hockey League's (OJHL) Georgetown Raiders.

As a 15 year old, he scored 50 goals and 45 assists in 68 games to help the Marlboros compete for the OHL Cup.

During the offseason, he was named to Team Ontario at the 2011 U16 Canada Winter Games.

Ritchie gave up lacrosse in the summer of 2011 to focus completely on his hockey career.

He was subsequently drafted second overall by the Peterborough Petes in the 2011 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Draft.

In his first major junior hockey season with the Petes, Ritchie was one of the youngest players in the entire league.

He skated in 62 games during the 2011–12 season and recorded 16 goals with 23 assists.

Prior to the start of the 2013–14 season, Ritchie was named an assistant captain alongside Stephen Pierog and Nelson Armstrong.

By December, Ritchie had collected 15 goals and 11 assists in 28 games and was named to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

Ritchie was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, tenth overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Ritchie has also played for the Boston Bruins, Arizona Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, and Oulun Kärpät.

As a result of his play, Ritchie was ranked seventh amongst North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's mid-season list of 2014 NHL Draft eligible players.

On February 10, Ritchie was named OHL Player of the Week after he tied a franchise record by scoring five goals in one game against the Kingston Frontenacs.

After the Petes were eliminated from the 2014 OHL playoffs by the Oshawa Generals, Ritchie was the recipient of the teams' Bill Bennett Award and Ed Rowe Memorial Award as the leading scorer and most goals winner.

Ritchie was drafted in the first round, tenth overall, by the Anaheim Ducks at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

On August 2, 2014, the Ducks signed Ritchie to a three-year, entry-level contract.

After attending the Ducks 2014–15 training camp, Ritchie was reassigned to the OHL's Peterborough Petes for his final junior season.

After attending the Ducks 2014–15 training camp, Ritchie was reassigned to the OHL's Peterborough Petes for his final junior season.

On January 7, 2015, Ritchie was traded by the Peterborough Petes to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, along with teammate Connor Boland, in exchange for Kyle Jenkins and four draft picks.

He was invited to the Ducks' 2015 training camp where he was praised by head coach Bruce Boudreau for his development.

In an interview, Boudreau spoke highly of Ritchie, saying: "He feels more like a player whereas last year he was a little [raw]. He’s using his size, his speed and his strength to his advantage. It’s good for him."

However, he was still re-assigned to the Ducks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, to begin the season.

After playing in 12 games, and recording 12 points, Ritchie ranked tied for third among AHL leaders in goals.

As a result, he was recalled to the NHL level on November 14 2015, alongside teammate Michael Sgarbossa.

Ritchie subsequently made his NHL debut on November 16, 2015, against the Carolina Hurricanes, becoming the 11th youngest Duck to reach that milestone.

He later recorded his first NHL point, an assist, on December 1, 2015, during a 4–0 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

As he continued to play with the Ducks well into the new year, Ritchie recorded his first career NHL goal on March 14, 2016, in a 7–1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

He later scored a tip-in goal to help the Ducks win the Pacific Division title and qualify for the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs.

However, before he could make his post-season debut, he was re-assigned to the Gulls.

At the time of his reassigned, Ritchie had amassed four points in 33 games for the Ducks during the regular season.

The following season, Ritchie made his the Ducks' home opening night roster against the Dallas Stars on October 13, 2016, where they fell 4-2.

He spent the majority of the season playing on a line alongside center Antoine Vermette and right wing Corey Perry and ranked eighth in the NHL in hits by April.

On April 6, Ritchie was suspended two games for roughing Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Michal Rozsíval, and had to miss the last game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Kings.