Calum Ritchie looked like a teenager struggling with a few aspects of an NHL-level game for parts of Sunday night.
Then he looked like a future NHL star with one viral-worthy, highlight-reel goal.
Ritchie’s goal in a 6-3 exhibition loss to Utah was a bright spot in a mostly dreary evening for the Colorado Avalanche. His entire game highlighted a fascinating decision the organization will need to make in the next seven days.
“It was ups and downs,” Ritchie said. “I don’t think it was my best game. You learn from it and move on. I’ll watch it, look at my clips and try to work on it, see what I can do better. A lot of it is going to be defensively.”
The Avs need to find some temporary replacements for Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder) and Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) to play with either Nathan MacKinnon or Casey Mittelstadt. If the deciding factor was purely skill, Ritchie would have a seat on the plane to Las Vegas for opening night already.
His goal was incredible. Ritchie had a breakaway and faked a forehand shot, with a full follow-through. He pushed the puck just enough to his left that he “whiffed,” and that froze Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka.
Ritchie calmly re-collected the puck and then roofed a backhanded shot behind the helpless goaltender. He said it’s a move that he started working on this past offseason.
Cal Ritchie pump fake in slow mo. What a goal. pic.twitter.com/3YgudJ9qta
— Avalanche Forever (@citchmook) September 30, 2024
“The goal was insane,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “He did it the other day in practice and we thought maybe it was a mistake. He just did it again in a game against a pretty good goalie. It’s impressive.”
Ritchie’s play with the puck has often been impressive during training camp. He’s made a few “whoa” passes, displaying the creativity and vision that has made him Colorado’s no-doubt No. 1 prospect and one of the best in the sport.
But, there were also plenty of teaching moments Sunday night. He looked a step slow to process the situation at NHL pace on a few occasions. He tried a slick backward pass in his own zone that became a turnover and an immediate scoring chance for Utah.
Then there was his play without the puck. Ritchie spent the first part of the game at center, but Bednar moved him to right wing to finish it.
The Avs were outshot 15-6 at 5-on-5 when Ritchie was on the ice, and they had only 20.83% of the expected goals — even with his breakaway. He also had another half-breakaway on a similar play in the first period, but it didn’t amount to much.
“I don’t think he had a great night on the defensive side of things at all, but then he shows flashes of what he can do,” Bednar said. “It’s flashes of brilliance in some areas with the puck, offensively, with his vision.
“He’s got areas of his game that he’s got to improve, and improve quickly. And then there’s other areas of his game that are impressive at the NHL level.”
Ritchie is also a special case in this roster battle. The Avs can keep him for up to nine games, then send him back to his OHL team, the Oshawa Generals, without burning the first year of his entry-level contract. It would be a chance for him to help give the team some offensive juice, particularly until Lehkonen is ready. It could help Ritchie’s long-term development to give him a taste of the NHL, then let him return to juniors so he can dominate there and be a key player for Canada at the world junior championships.
But, he’s going to need to show in the next seven days that Bednar can trust him, particularly without the puck. The coach said he plans to give Ritchie a game or two next to Mittelstadt, which will be the best audition to date. That’s his best path to making the roster.
It’s going to be the biggest week of Ritchie’s hockey life to date, but players with his upside often show the ability to adapt and adjust more rapidly than their peers.
“I feel pretty comfortable,” Ritchie said. “Obviously it’s a big difference from the OHL, but I’m learning every day. I think I’m improving every single day. It’s awesome, being around all these guys and the coaches. I feel like I’m learning a lot. I’m having a great time so far.”
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