Brett Ritchie holds high expectations for himself after being drafted by the Dallas Stars 44^th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.  He models his power forward style play after the likes of Eric Lindros and Peter Forsberg, and is aiming to start this season in Dallas after a successful rookie campaign in the American Hockey League as a member of the Calder Cup Champion Texas Stars.  

After a successful junior career, where he scored 191 points in 220 games in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sarnia Sting and Niagara IceDogs, Ritchie was assigned by Dallas to finish the 2012-13 season with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League, transitioning from Junior to pro in a matter of days. 

“It was definitely a big wakeup call, being a 19-year old and playing in the OHL against some 16-year olds, and then getting called up to Texas and playing against men,” said Ritchie looking back at the experience.  “The big difference was strength and speed and it took some time getting settled in.”  Ritchie credits the veterans on the Texas Stars for the support and making him feel comfortable on and off the ice including Captain Max Fortunus who sits on the PHPA Executive Committee.

It didn’t take long for Ritchie to adjust to the faster pace AHL, totaling four points in his first five games to close out the regular season.  He then made his Calder Cup Playoff debut against the Milwaukee Admirals in the Western Conference Quarter Finals, where he scored the Game-winning goal in overtime.  Ritchie ranks this goal high in his list of hockey memories.  “It was sort of weird to score the overtime winner in your first pro playoff game but I’m happy how it played out.”  The Stars moved on to the Western Conference Semi-Finals before being eliminated by the Oklahoma City Barons.

After that learning experience, Ritchie returned to Texas in 2013-14, well equipped for his first full season as a professional hockey player.  As a Canadian growing up in Orangeville, Ontario, Texas was a big change for Ritchie.  “I’m used to playing hockey in -20 degrees Celsius weather outdoors and in cold rinks.  It’s different coming to the rink when it’s 80 degrees Fahrenheit on game day.” 

It was also a big adjustment for Ritchie from living with billets to living on his own.  He went on to total 48 points in 68 regular season games with the Stars before suffering an ankle injury that forced him to miss the final two regular season games and first eight playoff games.  He was sidelined for almost a month before seeing action again.  “The timing of the injury and missing that amount of time was tough, but I wanted to get back as soon as possible after seeing the guys battling.”

Ritchie finally returned for Game 6 against the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Western Conference Semifinals and played a role in helping the Texas Stars go on to win the Calder Cup, recording 11 points in 13 games including 3 goals in the last 3 games of the Finals against the St. John’s Icecaps.  “All year we thought we were the best team in the league.  We were a confident group and stuck with that plan.  We had the depth and veteran leadership to be consistently good.  We trended upwards as the year went on and winning proved that.”  After winning the championship, Ritchie had his day with the Calder Cup and took it back to his hometown of Orangeville, Ontario, to a local pub.  Friends, family, and fans attended and joined in the celebration.

Ritchie credited his development during the year to his Head Coach, Willie Desjardins, who during the offseason was named Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks.  Ritchie only had praise for Desjardins when asked saying, “I thank him for being so hard on me at the beginning of the year.  He taught me things in the defensive zone and did a great job with my discipline to help me get to the next level.  He’s obviously a really good coach and deserved the spot that he got in Vancouver.” 

Ritchie is determined to make the leap to the NHL in 2014-15. He was named captain of the Dallas Stars prospect team in Traverse City.  In his first tournament game against the New York Rangers, he recorded 3 points including 2 goals, one of them being the overtime winner.  This was Ritchie’s third year at the prospect tournament where he was tasked with being a veteran leader to the rookies.  “It was important for me to teach them and make sure they knew what to expect and how to react.” 

Unfortunately, Ritchie was only able to provide leadership for one full game of the tournament after breaking the tip of his right pinkie finger.  He is expected to miss the next two weeks but is optimistic about training camp. 

“My main goal is to make the Dallas Stars this season.  My injury isn’t too serious and I’ll bounce back quickly.  I want to make that team but if I get assigned to Texas, I’m going to work hard to get called up as soon as possible.”  The AHL has been a valuable experience towards Ritchie’s development.  Given that nearly 89% of current NHL players first developed in the AHL, don’t be surprised if Ritchie helps bolster that statistic this season.