Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Avalanche First Rounder Returns From Shoulder Surgery

Originally posted on Colorado Hockey Now | By Evan Rawal | Last updated 11/13/23

Colorado Avalanche first round pick Calum Ritchie returned to game action on Sunday night for the Oshawa Generals, and made an immediate impact.

Ritchie, who the Avalanche selected 27th overall in June’s NHL Draft, had been recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. He was present at both development camp and training camp for the organization, but was never really able to participate, other than skating on his own in a non-contact jersey.

The original timeline Ritchie gave us at development camp back in July was 4-6 months, and it appears as though it took the full 6 months for him to return to full health. It’s an injury Ritchie played through almost all of last season, so it’s something he really wanted to get taken care of.

The 18 year old picked up a goal and an assist, but was unable to help his Generals pick up the win, as they fell 5-4 to the Kingston Frontenacs.

Here’s some video of his goal.

Calum Ritchie scores in his first game back pic.twitter.com/7ji21Ddev2

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) November 13, 2023

There’s an outside chance Ritchie can make the Canadian World Junior team this winter. He was invited to Canada’s National Junior Summer Meetings in August, so he’s obviously on their radar. The last Avalanche draft pick to represent Canada at the World Juniors was Justin Barron, who was later dealt for Artturi Lehkonen.

This article first appeared on Colorado Hockey Now and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: