[Nick Ritchie] Junior Point totals vs Getzlaf, Lucic, and Nash

[Razors_Edge]

Or you can use your freaking EYES?

Virtanen's just as fast and skilled as Ehlers, he scores in more ways, has a better shot and is way harder to play against, but isn't as skinny or as weak or as one-dimensional and he doesn't need Drouin, nor a weak Q to pad his 'omg staaaaaats.'

So it's between Ritchie and Virtanen. They're up there at 6-7 anyway, while Ehlers is 9-10. So i'm not sure why there's so much talk about your precious, even though this is a Ritchie thread. I think Linden's been saying he wants a player like Virtanen on his team. Size, strength, speed, grit. If Dal Colle doesn't fall, and I doubt he will, the Canucks should just pick this Virtanen kid. He won't disappoint. His upside is more attainable because of his elite speed.

Virtanen won't go in the top 10, his playmaking ability is a little lacking and that's very important, I expect him to go around 15th or so.

Cheers

[theminister]

Virtanen won't go in the top 10, his playmaking ability is a little lacking and that's very important, I expect him to go around 15th or so.

Cheers

Virtanen will go much higher than that. He has an excellent skills package to go along with physical attributes and a willingness to play against tough checking.

He does have holes in his game, not surprisingly, but he's also a fairly unpolished prospect who has lots of room to grow.

The simple fact that he was able to produce 35 of his 45 goals at even strength is a good indicator that he can continue to score against greater competition as he progresses through the ranks.

The criticism of his playmaking ability may be over emphasized as he has the attributes to do so if he is coached to that end. He's still a very young player and there's no reason to believe he won't be a much more rounded player for Calgary next season.

[Razors_Edge]

Virtanen will go much higher than that. He has an excellent skills package to go along with physical attributes and a willingness to play against tough checking.

He does have holes in his game, not surprisingly, but he's also a fairly unpolished prospect who has lots of room to grow.

The simple fact that he was able to produce 35 of his 45 goals at even strength is a good indicator that he can continue to score against greater competition as he progresses through the ranks.

The criticism of his playmaking ability may be over emphasized as he has the attributes to do so if he is coached to that end. He's still a very young player and there's no reason to believe he won't be a much more rounded player for Calgary next season.

I am not saying he isn't a good player, I just believe he won't go in the top 10, there are just other players that I believe teams will look at harder than him!

Cheers

[Absent Canuck]

I am not saying he isn't a good player, I just believe he won't go in the top 10, there are just other players that I believe teams will look at harder than him!

Cheers

Virtanen will go much higher than that. He has an excellent skills package to go along with physical attributes and a willingness to play against tough checking.

He does have holes in his game, not surprisingly, but he's also a fairly unpolished prospect who has lots of room to grow.

The simple fact that he was able to produce 35 of his 45 goals at even strength is a good indicator that he can continue to score against greater competition as he progresses through the ranks.

The criticism of his playmaking ability may be over emphasized as he has the attributes to do so if he is coached to that end. He's still a very young player and there's no reason to believe he won't be a much more rounded player for Calgary next season.

You just told us information that we already knew. Your post is just a regurgitation of the basic facts. He is going to go WAY higher than 15. I cant believe what a BOLD prediction that is.

Someone said on another thread Ekblad isnt worth his salt. He will drop down to 8th. I sure told him off. He will probably go WAY higher than 8th. Unless of course he doesnt. You can quote me on it !!!

You are a guru.

[Absent Canuck]

I can think of quite a few players that have done well at 230 or more

But I will just mention #66 Mario Lemieux , I can't imagine anyone here complaining about him!

Richie is just a kid, Comparing him to grown players that have been in the NHL for years is absurd. To say he is not Lucic or Nash or whomever is obviously correct.

The question is who will he be 5 years from now.

He had a couple of injuries in the past, that of course have had an impact on his development. But if he goes the next 5 years injury free, he could easily be better than Getzlaf, Lucic or Nash!

If he didn't have the injuries he would be considered for 1st overall, at least one scout still thinks he belongs there now!

I don't think he is going to be the next Mario Lemieux, but with a few injury free seasons, this kid is going to be dangerous.

I really don't want to see him coming down the ice in a L.A. jersey, that would be .....

Go Canucks

I am looking more at recent play within the last 5 years. When I say this stuff I mean it right in the here and now. Kassian shaved his weight down and he got noticeably faster and still maintained his board strength.

I have no idea why its so important that Ritchie plays at 230 or more. The NHL is moving away from it in my opinion. At 215 or 220 he is definitely monster enough and will be that much quicker.

If we do draft Ritchie , I hope he takes Kassians advice and shave down.

[Absent Canuck]

Your reading comprehension is lacking bud.

In the original post he showed Ehlers GOALS for against top 5 teams vs bottom 5 teams. The exact same parameters as this Ritchie analysis, nothing is different.

Bottom 5 - 26 goals

Top 5 - 3 goals

Someone then brought up Ehlers 28 points in the playoffs and minister broke that down by series. He even stated how it was a good total.

Your love affair with Ehlers is blinding you from reality and its getting annoying how you attack anyone that says anything potentially negative towards him.

This is incorrect. His original dissertation was one of his playoff performance against Val-dor as opposed to his previous rounds where he and Drouin practically scored at will.

When I called him out, he then scurried to reframe the argument. Its not hard to do.

Have you ever done research? He takes volumes of raw data, then cherry picks the info that he thinks will benefit his narrative, and then promotes those stats using logical game rules that frame those stats only .

In scientific terms I used to see this all the time with Astrophysicists who were trying to champion a cosmological model using predetermined parameters of study that they hoped would prove their abstract they had worked out on the chalkboard.

In political terms, its called framing the negative. Digging for dirt. Sniffing around a poltical candidates personal life until they find a negative or something they can project as negative and promote it. Ignoring all the other 99% positive. Be aware you are dealing with an older guy who knows how to manipulate all these findings and is counting on you guys to not know any better and therefore think hes so instructive.

Wetcoaster was a genuis at this and makes the Minister look like an amateur by comparison.

All he has told me is out of all that mass data, he thinks he can exploit the goals vs 'quality opposition' blah blah ........

Alex Burrows got 28 goals one year all at even strength . According to the Minister it would make him better than Henrik and Kesler on the strength of that stat alone. Well worth drafting Burrows over Kesler and Sedin.

When you step back, you see that we are now entering a field that puts advanced CORSI stats to shame. Increasingly non disprovable abstract that has almost no value in a practical consumption.

[Razors_Edge]

I am looking more at recent play within the last 5 years. When I say this stuff I mean it right in the here and now. Kassian shaved his weight down and he got noticeably faster and still maintained his board strength.

I have no idea why its so important that Ritchie plays at 230 or more. The NHL is moving away from it in my opinion. At 215 or 220 he is definitely monster enough and will be that much quicker.

If we do draft Ritchie , I hope he takes Kassians advice and shave down.

Every player has a different playing weight that works best for him, I don't care if Richie plays at 105 or 150 lbs when he finishes growing and filling out. The Canucks have the best fitness coaches in the NHL and will help him find his best playing weight and help him stick to it.

Cheers

Go Canucks

[Ihatetomatoes]

This is incorrect. His original dissertation was one of his playoff performance against Val-dor as opposed to his previous rounds where he and Drouin practically scored at will.

When I called him out, he then scurried to reframe the argument. Its not hard to do.

Have you ever done research? He takes volumes of raw data, then cherry picks the info that he thinks will benefit his narrative, and then promotes those stats using logical game rules that frame those stats only .

In scientific terms I used to see this all the time with Astrophysicists who were trying to champion a cosmological model using predetermined parameters of study that they hoped would prove their abstract they had worked out on the chalkboard.

In political terms, its called framing the negative. Digging for dirt. Sniffing around a poltical candidates personal life until they find a negative or something they can project as negative and promote it. Ignoring all the other 99% positive. Be aware you are dealing with an older guy who knows how to manipulate all these findings and is counting on you guys to not know any better and therefore think hes so instructive.

Wetcoaster was a genuis at this and makes the Minister look like an amateur by comparison.

All he has told me is out of all that mass data, he thinks he can exploit the goals vs 'quality opposition' blah blah ........

Alex Burrows got 28 goals one year all at even strength . According to the Minister it would make him better than Henrik and Kesler on the strength of that stat alone. Well worth drafting Burrows over Kesler and Sedin.

When you step back, you see that we are now entering a field that puts advanced CORSI stats to shame. Increasingly non disprovable abstract that has almost no value in a practical consumption.

I really question your reading comprehension bud. Alex burrows even strength goals? Maybe look at Alex burrows goals for against top teams vs bottom teams to evaluate how valuable of a player he is for your team. That's a comparable stat to the one Minister put up. It's simply an observation and you need to go back to the thread and see that the post directly states Ehlers goals for against top teams vs bottom teams. The exact same evaluation that was put in the Ritchie thread. Then the playoff stats came after on request.

Your blind with hate for minister and love for Ehlers.

[coastal1]

His point totals are also extremely close to Taylor Pyatt's......

If he turns out as good as Taylor Pyatt then he would be a great pick. Pyatt is getting close to 1,000 NHL games, not many players get to that number. Very nice career.

[Razors_Edge]

If he turns out as good as Taylor Pyatt then he would be a great pick. Pyatt is getting close to 1,000 NHL games, not many players get to that number. Very nice career.

I think Richie has way more talent, but as you say if he is just another Pyatt, it won't be a bad thing

[Razors_Edge]

HockeysFuture:

For the 2013-14 season, Ritchie finished with 39 goals and added 35 assists in 61 games for the resurgent

Petes. He also racked up 136 penalty minutes. That robust physical game and his size projects him as a

prototypical power forward, but Ritchie’s hands have earned him some notice...

Ritchie’s combination of size and scoring is appealing to a lot of teams, which has rocketed him up the

rankings. But Ritchie said he doesn’t focus too much on what the scouting services say.

“It’s pretty exciting. I try not to look at that because that’s just certain companies that do those

rankings,” he said. “Who I’m really trying to impress is the NHL teams that are out there watching you. You

know they’re here every night, so you just work as hard as you can and whatever happens, happens.”

And Ritchie said he knows what they’re looking for out of him.

“I think I’m a bigger guy, so if I play hard and physical, be hard on the puck, and take pucks to the net —

everything they want in a big guy,” he said. “Just play a big man’s game and that’s all you can control.”

Ritchie plays on a line with fellow draft-eligible Eric Cornel. And while they’re both cognizant of the

draft, they don’t dwell on it.

“We don’t really talk about it because you don’t want it to get in your head too much,” he said. “In

hockey, you don’t want to add too much pressure to yourself. You just want to focus on playing and winning

games with your team.”...

Ritchie said there are obvious benefits from playing lacrosse that translate to hockey. “Hand-eye co-

ordination is a big thing and competition,” he said. “It’s a hard game with a lot of hacking and slashing,

so you learn to be a tougher guy and an all-around better athlete.”

So, in the end, who is tougher? Lacrosse players or hockey players? Ritchie chose the safe route

considering his long-term job prospects.

“I’ll still say hockey players are tougher,”...

[Razors_Edge]

Published on Feb 10, 2014

Nick Ritchie scored six goals and two assists in four games to earn OHL Player of the Week honours. He was

the first player to score five goals in a game in the OHL since his brother Brett recorded the feat in

2012.

[Merci]

Published on Feb 10, 2014

Nick Ritchie scored six goals and two assists in four games to earn OHL Player of the Week honours. He was

the first player to score five goals in a game in the OHL since his brother Brett recorded the feat in

2012.

Everyone quote this video, this is what this kid is about.

oh wow Ritchie played Lacrosse, we need to pick him now.

[theminister]

I'd guess that with Benning in the fold the odds of the Canucks picking Ritchie just went up considerably.

[Razors_Edge]

I'd guess that with Benning in the fold the odds of the Canucks picking Ritchie just went up considerably.

I agree, but I still think Draisaitl or Dal Colle will fall making the pick a little more challenging, but it looks like Richie is over his injury so his upside is pretty huge.

[TheXFactor]

While he wouldn't be MY first choice for the draft he does look really good on the ice. Still though he seems injury prone. Doesn't matter how big or fast or talented on the ice you are. If he can't stay healthy enough to play the game then it would be a waste of a draft pick. Its a pretty big risk IMO considering how physical the west is.

[Razors_Edge]

I just love this video of Torts singing Don't Push Me!

[Razors_Edge]

The Edmonton Journal:
.
The Oilers have myriad needs as all diehard fans know. The most acute area might be a lack of size in their top group of forwards. Of course, this size must have accompanying speed. Even better is when you can get size, speed, skill and a mean streak. There has been talk, ad nauseum, that the Oilers need size, but it has to be more than that if the Oilers truly want to be able to compete against that California trio of teams and the St. Louis Blues with their heavy and skilled loads.
.
One such package just might be Peterborough Petes left winger Nick Ritchie. He’s the kind of player that the Oilers have lacked for a number of seasons now and it may not be a stretch to think that he could have an impact as early as next season given the dearth of that type of player in the Oilers organization.
.
In the game I saw, Ritchie was in the starting lineup and lined up at left wing alongside centre Hunter Garlent and right winger Eric Cornel who is No.23 on Central Scouting’s midterm list. The line played the entire game together and had great chemistry.
.
Intensity was not an issue in the game at any point. He was engaged the entire time and was skating just as hard on his final shift as he was on the first.
.
Nick Ritchie passes the eye test with flying colours. He’s an imposing figure on the ice and appears more like an enforcer than the skilled power forward that he is. The Orangeville, Ontario native is listed at 6’3” and 235 pounds and he might even be bigger than that as he continues to grow. He’s a left hand shot and is touted to have a great release. Wears a letter “A”. I noticed right away that he uses a long stick and that just makes his reach even more of an advantage.
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It didn’t take long for him to have a positive impact on the game. On his second shift he picked up the puck in the neutral zone and made a beautiful little backhand saucer pass to Garlent as they crossed the blue line. Garlent snapped it home and Petes were up 1-0. He picked up his first goal and second point on the power play in the second period. He set up on the half wall, on his off wing, just inside the wide right hash marks. He rang his first one-timer off the post but buried his second chance. On the goal, he drifted very nearly into the slot and beat the left-handed Guigovaz over his glove hand to tie the game for the Petes.
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His skating is above average and His shot is excellent. It is hard and accurate. He also has a great release, as you don’t really see the puck once it’s near him for the one-timer. On the Petes’ first PP, he rang a high hard one off the post before he scored his first of the night, top shelf. He could be even more selfish though as he passed up at least two chances to shoot when in the high slot.
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Ritchie had very good defensive zone awareness. He was aware of his point man, but the Petes play a system that asks him to come down low to collapse the net so he took the man in the slot when necessary once. There was an economy of movement in the defensive zone – no wasted effort. Seemed to be in the right spot at all times and anticipated potential dangerous situations well.
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He back checked hard all night. I noted that a few times, as he never seemed to loaf at any point when Belleville was on the rush. He drifted back to the point on another occasion when the defenceman had pinched – showed good awareness here.
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Seems to have well above average vision and offensive awareness. He made the unselfish play, time and time again. Actually passed up a scoring chance twice that he should have shot on and instead tried to set someone else up on the wing for the one-timer. He did fly the zone early once, but generally he’s part of the breakout and does a good job of creating speed through the neutral zone. He was willing to chip it in or carry it in. Once in the offensive zone, he was constantly moving his feet and his stick was ready to receive a pass. Drifted between the front of the net and the soft spot between the defence and the forwards in the circles. He actually came off under the one minute mark on a shift despite the Petes having control in the offensive zone; came across as selfless in that instance.
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He drove to the net hard on at least two occasions and his wrap-around attempt on his fifth shift of the first period was stopped by the Belleville goalie but it was a high-skill play showing a good nose for the net.
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Ritchie loves to play a physical game and why wouldn’t he, given his skating ability and his physical gifts. He landed his first big hit on his third shift. On his fourth shift, he knocked another guy down at centre ice with ease. Shrugged off defenders along the wall a couple of times in the second period. On one play in the second, he completely erased the defender along the boards, retrieved the puck and made a beautiful into the slot for a prime scoring chance. There were a couple of times where it was almost laughable with how easy it was for him to dominate along the wall. In the third period, he had a big hit on the defenceman in the Belleville zone on the first shift of the period. He had another big hit on his fourth shift of the third period. However, he doesn’t appreciate being hit as he went right after big Belleville winger Chad Heffernan when Heffernan went after him. Ritchie responded to the hit with a cross check to Heffernan’s ribs but nothing came of it.
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He played in all game situations. He got some limited PK time, about 15 seconds to end the Petes’ first kill. He did get a short shift in a four on four situation in the first period. He took a defensive zone draw in the four on four situation – did lose it, but stayed with his man after losing the draw. He had extended PP time in the second and scored his first goal with the man advantage. He played four on four in the third period and looked good with the extra ice, made at least two nice passes. Interesting that he plays a lot of the game on the right side leading me to think he could easily play on either left or right wing at the next level.
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It was just one viewing, but Ritchie was very impressive. He looks like a blue-chip prospect whose game should translate well to the NHL level. He has had a couple of injuries with one being a shoulder injury that actually required surgery in 2012-13. He’s represented Ontario as a U17 and he has competed for Canada at the U18 Juniors. I tried to think of a Pro Player Comparison for Ritchie and came up with Canadian Olympian Jamie Benn. If he ends up being that kind of player, he’ll be a great addition to any NHL club. Here’s hoping the Oilers are taking a long look at Ritchie for the 2014 draft given his obvious size, skill and physical play.

[Merci]

This entire organization could have been set back years if we got the 12th pick instead of 6th, it's hilarious.

[EV604]

Ritchie is injury prone, he only played half the season with a shoulder problem