Thursday, January 30, 2014

REVS Top 15 2014 NHL Prospects #7. Nick Ritchie

 REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)
1.Sam Reinhart
2.Aaron Ekblad
3.William Nylander
4.Roland McKeown
5.Jake Virtanen
6.Blake Clarke
7.Nick Ritchie
8.Leon Draisatl
9.Michael Dal Colle
10.Jakub Vrana
11.Ivan Barbashev
12.Jared McCann
13.Anton Karlsson
14.Joshua Ho-Sang
15.Sam Bennett 

Honourable mentions:
Oskar Lindblom
Haydn Fleury
Nick Schmaltz

RECAP to date of players we have looked at
Sam Reinhart
6'1, 183 lbs
Kootney Ice- Games 38 Goals 24 Assists 37 Points 61
Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 2 Assists 3 Points 5

Aaron Ekblad
6'4, 216 lbs
Barrie Colts- Games 35 Goals 15 Assists 20 Points 35
Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 2 Assists 2 Points 4
Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 1 Assists 1 Points 2

William Nylander
5'10, 170 lbs
MODO J20- Games 1 Goals 0 Assists 0 Points 0
MODO- Games 11 Goals 0 Assists 2 Points 2
 Rögle- Games 18 Goals 4 Assists 4 Points 8
Södertälje Games 11 Goals 7 Assists 6 Points 13
Sweden U18- Games 4 Goals 4 Assists 2 Points 6

Roland McKeown
6'1, 195 lbs
Kingston Frontenacs- Games 44 Goals 8 Assists 24 Points 32
Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Jake Virtanen
6'1, 210 lbs
Kingston Frontenacs- Games 49 Goals 31 Assists 17 Points 48
Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Blake Clarke
6'1, 190 lbs
CHL- Games 35 Goals 1 Assists 7 Points 8

The player I listed in August at #7.
Nick Ritchie
6'3, 236 lbs
 Peterborough Petes - Games 41 Goals 20 Assists 25 Points 45

It's likely at my season ending draft ranking, I will drop Ritchie a spot or two but it has more to do with the other players rising then him falling.  Ritchie is a power forward with an impressive mix of size, skill and strength. He skates well for a big player and has agile feet. He bulls his way around the ice and has an impressive but erratic shot. His dominating presence has been the key to the Petes offense. He has Elite puck protection & great offensive tools One scout was was quoted “Conditioning is a question. He’s too heavy. His skating would be better if he wasn’t dragging around that amount of weight. And if he was in better shape, he might not be taking shifts off, which he does." 

Ritchie was a  former #2 pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection. Appears to have put some injury woes from a season ago behind him. The big winger will have NHL teams salivating with a 6-foot-3, 236 pound frame, and speed to burn. Despite his size, Ritchie has the explosiveness to take most defenseman wide but also shows an ability to mix up his attack by cutting in and driving the net. So what's holding his game back? Ritchie can be a mixed bag as you never know what you're going to get out of him on any given night. If the soon to be 18-year-old can find some consistency, it could help push him into the top three. While he would be a great fit on the Oilers its highly unlikely they will take him with a Top 5 draft position. Should he be around the 10 draft slot they may consider trading a player for that opportunity. Health is a question, too. He missed a lot of games last year with a bum shoulder. That’s a concern, especially with the game he plays.

2 comments:

  1. Definitely the guy I want if we can not find a gritty center or Ekblad. My top 2 would be Ekblad, then Bennett(Has a grit though lacks size), then Ritchie. I believe it will be easier to trade for a center than find a top 6 forward with the size and potential Ritchie has. Eakins gets a hold of Ritchie with Ference mentoring him and he may be the most valuable guy in the draft in a year or two. I really worry another Western team drafts Ritchie and he destroys our skinny D-men.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Eakins and Ference mentorship meaning proper nutrition and training in the offseason.

    ReplyDelete

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