While the big stars of the NHL teams around the league deservedly get the headlines, there are plenty of depth players and journeymen who make their way around the league wherever they can play as they try to carve out a career. The Boston Bruins are no different, with stars like Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak playing this season but also lesser-known players like Justin Brazeau and Oskar Steen wore the Spoked B this year.
After most recently covering forward Carl Soderberg as one of many obscure former Bruins players, today I'll be touching on another forward. Let's learn a little more about Brett Ritchie.
Brett Ritchie is one of many lesser known former Bruins players
Brett Ritchie was chosen by the Dallas Stars in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft while playing in the OHL. He made his professional debut in the AHL in 2013 and debuted in the NHL with the Stars in 2014-2015, scoring six goals and adding three assists for nine points in 31 games.
Dealing with injury and assignments to the AHL in 2015-2016, Ritchie only played eight games that year. He then went on to play 78 games in 2016-2017, 71 games in 2017-2018, and 53 games in 2018-2019, ending his Stars tenure with 33 goals and 21 assists for 54 points in 241 games.
After 2018-2019, Ritchie was not extended a qualifying offer by the Stars, making him a UFA. Don Sweeney and the Bruins decided to scoop him up, signing him to a one year, $1 million contract to give them another fourth line physical forward.
He scored the first goal of the 2019-2020 season for the Bruins in an opening night win over the Stars. That was the highlight of Ritchie's Bruins tenure. Dealing with multiple injuries, Ritchie mustered just two goals and four assists in 27 games with the Bruins. He was then placed on waivers and assigned to the Providence Bruins after clearing, where he remained for the rest of the season.
After the Bruins didn't re-sign Ritchie following the end of the season, he spent two full seasons and most of a third with the Calgary Flames, racking up 13 goals and seven assists in 107 games. At the 2022-2023 trade deadline, his Flames tenure ended when he was traded along with Connor Mackey to the Arizona Coyotes for Troy Stecher and his brother Nick Ritchie, the first time in NHL history two brothers were traded for each other.
Currently, Brett Ritchie is playing in the KHL with HC Dinamo Minsk. He had two goals and one assist in 12 regular season games this past year, going pointless in two playoff games as well. It remains to be seen if the 30 year old will continue to play in Russia next season or if he'll return to the states for either an AHL opportunity or potential retirement.