It's been a whirlwind over the last week or so for New York Islanders rookie Calum Ritchie. After the whole Raleigh fiasco, he's been able to settle in a bit more.
Ritchie To Play Alongside Barzal In Islanders' Debut vs. CapitalsCalum Ritchie will skate with Mathew Barzal and Kyle Palmieri for his Islanders debut against the Capitals.While we are still waiting for offense, with no points in his first four games of the season, Ritchie's defense is what's allowed him to remain as the second-line center -- for the most part.
In Friday's 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild, in which no one played well, head coach Patrick Roy altered his lines, demoting the 20-year-old to the fourth line before the end of the second period.
Why Ritchie At 2C & Barzal With Horvat Is The Islanders’ Best FormulaThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders">New York Islanders</a> snapped their three-game skid last night, beating the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals">Washington Capitals</a> 3-1.
Ritchie has averaged 13:56 minutes per game, with his time on ice dropping in each game that he's played. Now, he and the team will try to redeem themselves when they battle the New York Rangers on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
"That'll be pretty cool," Ritchie told The Hockey News on battling his new cross-town rival. "Obviously, I played there in preseason, so I kind of got a taste of what Madison Square Garden is, and the rivalry between the two teams. But, yeah, that'd be pretty cool."
But for Ritchie, this isn't just his first Rangers-Islanders game. It will be a special moment for him and his brother
"I have some family coming down. My brother's coming down. It'll be his first time watching me play in the show. So that's pretty cool," Ritchie said.
Ethan Ritchie, 23, is a left-side defenseman who played three games for the Providence Bruins (2023-24), playing in the ECHL with the Maine Mariners (63 games in 2023-24). He played three games for the ECHL's Fort Wayne Comets in 2024-25.
"H's at school now in Halifax, SMU," Ritchie said. "So, he talked to his coach and asked him if he could fly down for a game. They had a game canceled this weekend, so he got the go-ahead."
Ritchie said his parents will be in attendance as well.
Puck drop is coming at 7 PM ET on MSGSN. We will talk to Roy at 5:45 PM ET.