Introduction
Nicholas Ritchie (born December 5, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing with the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL). Ritchie was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, tenth overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. His older brother, Brett Ritchie, also plays within the Bruins organization.
Playing career
Early career
Ritchie was a top rated prospect who was ranked seventh on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau final list of 2014 NHL Draft eligible North American skaters. Ritchie was selected tenth overall by the Anaheim Ducks.
On August 2, 2014, the Ducks signed Ritchie to a three-year, entry-level contract.
On January 7, 2015, Ritchie was traded by the Peterborough Petes to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, along with teammate Connor Boland, in exchange for Kyle Jenkins and four draft picks.
Anaheim Ducks
Ritchie made his NHL debut on November 16, 2015, against the Carolina Hurricanes. He recorded his first NHL point on December 1, 2015, against the Vancouver Canucks.
Ritchie was recalled to the NHL on April 5, 2017, to replace an injured Nate Thompson. On April 6, Ritchie was suspended two games for roughing Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Michal Rozsíval, and had to miss the last game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Kings. Ritchie was ejected from Game 6 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals for boarding Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson. The Ducks ended up being eliminated that game and the Predators went on to the Stanley Cup Finals.
On October 19, 2018, the Ducks signed Ritchie to a three-year, $4.6 million contract, ending his holdout. Ritchie missed the team's first seven games of the season.
Boston Bruins
On February 24, 2020, with the Ducks well out of playoff contention Ritchie was dealt at the NHL trade deadline to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Danton Heinen.
International career
During the 2012–13 season, Ritchie played with the Canada men's national under-18 ice hockey team to win gold medals at both the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships.
Personal life
Ritchie comes from a hockey playing family as his older brother Brett was drafted in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and his father, Paul, played hockey in the Ontario Hockey League and now coaches.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Georgetown Raiders | OJHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 62 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 41 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 61 | 39 | 35 | 74 | 136 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 24 | ||
| 2014–15 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 25 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 23 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 44 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 28 | ||
| 2015–16 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 38 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 59 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 20 | ||
| 2015–16 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 33 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 77 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 62 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 46 | ||
| 2017–18 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 76 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 72 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2018–19 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 60 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 41 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 287 | 43 | 66 | 109 | 331 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 54 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Canada Ontario | WHC17 | 
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Canada | IH18 | 
|
5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 31 | |
| 2013 | Canada | WJC18 |
|
4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | |
| 2015 | Canada | WJC |
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 19 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 49 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| All-Rookie First Team | 2011–12 | |
| International | ||
| Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Gold Medal | 2012 | |
| IIHF World U18 Championships Gold Medal | 2013 | |
| IIHF World U20 Championships Gold Medal | 2015 | |