Anaheim Ducks Reassign Rookie Nick Ritchie To AHL San Diego
The Anaheim Ducks announced Wednesday afternoon that rookie Nick Ritchie has been reassigned to AHL San Diego.
The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned rookie Nick Ritchie to AHL San Diego. Ritchie began the year in San Diego before being recalled by the Ducks and appearing in 11 NHL games.
The decision to reassign Ritchie is strictly a roster move as Ducks GM Bob Murray needed to clear room for Jiri Sekac, who is set to return from an ankle injury that sidelined him for over a month. With Ritchie back in San Diego, the Ducks roster now sits at 22, leaving room for Sekac to fill that 23rd and final spot.
Ritchie may not stay in the AHL for long however.
The Ducks currently have 12 forwards, 7 defensemen and 3 goaltenders on their roster. Carrying 3 goaltenders is not something that will remain permanent.
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In the past, Murray has usually carried 14 forwards and 7 defensemen on his roster. This leads to believe that once a move is made to get one goalie off of the roster, the Ducks could then recall Ritchie getting them back to 14 forwards.
Ritchie played incredibly well with the Ducks during his first NHL stint. He was regularly placed on the Kesler line which saw tough competition every single night. Ritchie handeled this assignemnt well and virtually stayed mistake free while playing a promising physical game.
He had just one point in 11 games but that does not indicate his level of play. Ritchie was the most aggressive and physical Ducks forward in nearly every game and that style of play could very well lead to a recall soon.
The San Diego Gulls are on the road this weekend with games Friday and Saturday while the Ducks play Friday but will not play again until the following Thursday.
The decision to send Ritchie down may also come from the thought to get him so AHL action during the Ducks down time. Ritchie is the only Ducks forward who can be sent down to the AHL without requiring waivers and that may have factored into this decision while the goaltending drama is sorted out.
With a lot of things to factor in here, I wouldn’t be quick to assume that Ritchie has put on a Ducks sweater for the last time this season.