Oakville’s Ritchie high on NHL draft watch list

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Published October 26, 2022 at 12:31 pm

Oakville native and Oshawa Generals forward Callum Ritchie is one of only three OHL players to receive an 'A' rating on the NHL Central Scouting's October 'Players to Watch' List for the 2023 NHL draft. TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES

Four Oakville natives, led by Oshawa Generals star forward Callum Ritchie, are high on a list of prospects for the 2023 NHL Draft.

Ritchie, Peterborough Petes forward Nick Lardis, Kingston Frontenacs winger Matthew Soto and Windsor Spitfires defenceman Bronson Ride have been included on the NHL Central Scouting’s October ‘Players to Watch’ List for the NHL draft.

Ritchie is the only local player and one of just three OHL players to receive an ‘A’ rating. Players with an ‘A’ rating are a first-round candidate.

Players with a ‘B’ rating are second or third round candidates, while a ‘C’ rating for a player indicates a fourth/fifth/sixth round candidate.

Oshawa’s second overall pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, Ritchie is off to a strong start this season with four goals and five assists for nine points in nine games with the Generals.

The 17-year-old six-foot-two, 187-pound centre had 19 goals and 26 assists for 45 points in 65 games in his rookies season last year.

Ritchie helped Canada capture gold at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in Red Deer, Alberta in early August. He scored once in leading Canada to a 4-1 win over Sweden in the final.

The gifted forward led the entire tournament in scoring with 10 points in five games.

Lardis was given a ‘B’ rating on the list by scouts. A sixth overall pick of the Petes in the 2021 OHL draft, the five-foot-11, 165-pound forward has four goals and three assists for seven points in 10 games this season.

His current pace would double his rookie numbers of last season when he scored 18 times and added 19 assists for 37 points in 63 games.

Both Soto and Ride were handed ‘C’ ratings by NHL scouts on the Players to Watch List.

Soto was selected fifth overall in the 2021 OHL draft. The five-foot-10, 179-pound forward had six goals and 19 assists in 25 games as a rookie with the Frontenacs last season.

This year, he has scored twice and added four assists for six points in nine games.

Ride has played a big part in Windsor’s fast start to this OHL season. The hulking six-foot-six, 201-pound blueliner and the Spitfires lead the West Division with a 6-0-3-0 record.

The 17 year-old has a goal and assist in nine games with Windsor this season.

The 2023 NHL Draft is scheduled to take place June 28-29 in Nashville, Tennessee.

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