Assessment Of Anaheim Ducks Rookie Nick Ritchie’s NHL Debut
Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray has been extremely patient over recent years with his prospects. Since taking over as GM of the Ducks in November of 2008, Murray has rarely brought his draft picks straight to the NHL.
Of the 47 players Murray has been responsible for drafting since 2009, only 4 played for the Ducks during their first pro season (Fowler, Smith-Pelly, Etem, Rakell). Murray was more patient with others such as Lindholm, Andersen and Gibson, letting them develop for a year or more at the junior and or AHL level and it has since paid off.
He continues to remain patient with his recently drafted players, but one has forced the hand of Murray.
Last night Nick Ritchie made his NHL debut, becoming the fifth player of the Murray era to play for the Ducks during his first professional season. Ritchie had been lighting up the AHL with 12 points through his first 12 pro games and Murray decided to send him off on the Ducks four game road trip.
Ritchie played 10:39 against Carolina, finishing with 0 points on 0 shots. He was however credited with 4 hits and had 40% possession.
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Ritchie began the game on the Ducks second line, playing alongside Ryan Kesler and Chris Stewart. As the game progressed into the third period, Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau’s concern with protecting the lead increased. Pat Maroon replaced Ritchie on the second line for a number of shifts to end the game.
Ritchie did however take two shifts in the third period and he would have likely seen more ice time on the power play but Carolina didn’t take a single penalty in the game.
Here are some notes on Ritchie that I jotted down during the game.
“Good patient play coming back to help Bieksa”.
Kevin Bieksa was under pressure in the defensive zone and Ritchie skated back to help, which allowed Bieksa to hit him with a pass. Ritchie then gave it back to Bieksa after the forechecking pressure had passed and it allowed Bieksa to then make a nice breakout pass.
This may seem like nothing, but it was such a subtle under the radar play that it caught my attention. Ritchie had the presence of mind to go back and help Bieksa as opposed to continually skating through the neutral zone, hoping to receive a risky breakout pass while Bieksa was under pressure.
It’s small plays like these that can make a difference, especially with young players. It was a smart play by Ritchie.
“Great forecheck in behind the net, knocking the puck free to Stewart”.
This play nearly resulted in Ritchie’s first NHL point. He got in behind the net on the forecheck, used his body to angle out the defensemen which knocked the puck free to Stewart who hit Kesler in front. Unfortunately, Eddie Lack made a great save on Kesler.
This was a really good play by Ritchie and it was something that he did well all night. He continually put forechecking pressure on the defensemen behind the Carolina net and he used his body to shield away the defender from the puck on a number of occasions.
At 6 foot 2, 232 pounds, this is something that Ritchie can continually do to make his presence felt. More plays like this and he will get his name on the scoresheet sooner rather than later if he remains in the Ducks lineup.
“Covered the point for Bieksa”.
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For most young players, over-pursuing the puck can be an issue at times but Ritchie played a really smart game. Bieksa pinched and continued to stay on the puck in the corner which left his point open. Ritchie began to skate backwards as he saw it was Bieksa pressuring the puck, it was another smart play.
This is another one of the little things that will go a long way in the film room with the coaching staff.
“Great chip to himself”
Ritchie received the puck as he was skating towards center ice and the defender was immediately on him, so Ritchie softly chipped the puck to the outside and skated after it which allowed him to then beat the defender to the puck and avoid icing.
This was another smart play as he was patient and made a good play as opposed to simply dumping the puck in or trying to skate the puck in. Ritchie’s skating ability is already at an NHL level and this play showed that.
“Continually pressuring the puck in behind with Kesler”
Again, Ritchie’s size is a big factor, especially on this Ducks team that loves to create offense off of the forecheck. He and Kesler were throwing the body around and it led to extended possessions and continual wearing down of the Carolina defense.
This is another thing that Boudreau and the coaching staff will notice on film.
Overall, Ritchie’s performance was good. I would describe it as a smart game that he played. He didn’t try to do too much with the puck and he stuck to his assignments defensively and on the forecheck.
It’s hard to imagine that Ritchie was free of pre-game jitters which makes his performance all the more impressive. For a guy that has drawn comparisons to Eric Lindros and Rick Nash, Ritchie did a great job of not trying to shoot the puck too much. He avoided taking bad shots and he made smart plays with the puck.
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Hopefully Ritchie will continue to crack the Ducks lineup for the remainder of the road trip and we will get to see more of his talent displayed. Not a bad start for the rookie.