Former Avalanche Prospect Set to Miss 4-6 Weeks With Injury

Former Avalanche prospect Calum Ritchie is going to miss some time with the New York Islanders.The 21-year-old was placed on injured reserve Monday with a lower-body injury. He’s expected to be out for four to six weeks. The Islanders announced the injury last week, and the IR move is retroactive to Oct. 17.Colorado selected Ritchie 27th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. He appeared in seven games with the Avalanche early in the 2024–25 season, scoring his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders before being reassigned to the OHL’s Oshawa Generals.A few months later, Ritchie was on his way to New York. On March 6, 2025, Colorado traded him, defenseman Oliver Kylington and two draft picks to the Islanders for Brock Nelson. Forward William Dufour was also part of the deal and went to Colorado.The Avalanche brought in Nelson to help with another Stanley Cup run. He scored 33 goals during the regular season, but his playoff production dropped off. He scored twice in the postseason, with both goals coming into empty nets. Nelson also won Olympic gold in Milan.Ritchie had a good first full season with the Islanders, putting up 13 goals and 17 assists in 65 games. He started this season with one goal and one assist in eight games before the injury. Mitchell Chaffee is expected to get a bigger role while Ritchie is out.Ritchie spoke with The Hockey News in November before the Islanders played Colorado at Ball Arena. Asked if playing against his former team gave him extra motivation, he made it clear he wasn’t spending much time looking back.“I’m just trying to focus on myself and stay present,” Ritchie said. “I mean, I’m with the Islanders and not focusing on the past and what happened there. I’m just really excited to be a part of the Islanders, like I said, and staying present.”The Islanders will have to wait a few weeks to get him back. Until then, Ritchie’s focus will be on getting healthy and returning to the lineup.