Find out who Calum Ritchie models his game after, his unique breakaway move, family background, hidden talents and more
Calum Ritchie was acquired by the New York Islanders, along with a first-round pick, in exchange for Brock Nelson in March. Ritchie, the 27th overall pick by Colorado in 2023, just wrapped up his fourth and final season in junior with the Oshawa Generals and has his sights on pro hockey, which you can read about here.
There’s a lot more to Ritchie, who caught up with NewYorkIslanders.com in an exclusive interview. Learn more about the Islanders prospect below!
Ritchie’s father played at the triple-A level and his older brother Ethan played five OHL seasons and two ECHL seasons, playing three pro games for the AHL Providence Bruins in 2023-24.
“I grew up idolizing my brother and my dad and the way they played hockey, I instantly fell in love with it,” Ritchie said. “It’s been my whole life since.”
The Oakville, ON native represented Team Canada in his first career trip to the World Juniors last season. He put up two points (1G, 1A) in five games for Team Canada, and while they did not medal in the tournament, Ritchie, who served as an alternate captained, viewed his experience on an international stage as important for his growth.
“It was lot of fun, representing your country is a huge honor any chance you get,” Ritchie said. “It was a disappointing result for us obviously, but I learned a lot and gained experience. Played with a lot of great guys and had great coaching. It was good experience overall for my development.”
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While Ritchie’s stats are impressive – 70 points in 47 games this season – he plays a two-way game, which he said was modeled after Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews. In a full-circle moment, he got a chance to train with Crosby in Vail, Colorado last summer, along with other NHLers including Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk, Nathan McKinnon and Noah Dobson.
“It was a pretty unbelievable experience to be on the ice with those guys and learn from them.” Ritchie said. “Everything they do is to improve their game, like their habits on and off the ice, how dedicated they are. Seeing that first-hand was really special for me and these are guys that I grew up watching.”
Ritchie’s teammates and Isles fans might see him show off a special move when he reports to development camp. Last offseason, Ritchie developed a signature move known as a “whiff fake-out,” where he can deke a goalie by whiffing on a shot but maintaining enough control to recover the puck and shelf a shot. The move impressed his Avalanche teammates and garnered some buzz on social media when he flashed the move in preseason action in a game against Utah.
this Calum Ritchie goal should be watched on loop fr #NHL #hockey #ColoradoAvalanche
“I started last summer just kind of messing around,” Ritchie said. “I realized that someone fans on a shot, the goalie is thrown off more than any other fake you can do. So I was trying to figure out a way that I could make it look like I’m fanning on the puck on a breakaway and try to psych-out the goalie. I started working on it and kind of found a way to do it. It’s a pretty cool move.”
Ritchie also has some off-ice tricks. He knows how to do a Rubik’s cube.
“I figured it out when I was younger, I think I could still do it,” Ritchie said.
Ritchie has a lot to look forward to – a new organization, new teammates and a new opportunity lies ahead – as he’ll gear up for development camp with the Islanders following the 2025 NHL Draft.
“I’m looking forward to getting there and meeting everyone,” Ritchie said. “I’m excited for development camp, to get on the ice there and continue the hard work.”
