Andrew Gross: Islanders' Cal Ritchie puts on a show against Maple Leafs during homecoming in Toronto
Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll looks on as the Islanders celebrate a goal by Cal Ritchie during the first period of an NHL hockey game on Tuesday in Toronto. Credit: AP/Chris Young
TORONTO — The rookie scanned the crowd during warmups searching in vain to spot his family and friends in the Scotiabank Arena stands. He stood on the blue line as a starter for the Islanders and said he felt “chills” getting to play in the building where he attended Maple Leafs’ games while growing up.
No, this was not Matthew Schaefer, though, he too started the game in his first NHL homecoming and estimated he had a family-and-friends contingent of about “1,000.”
This was Cal Ritchie, who notched a goal and an assist on power plays in the opening 9:43 as the Islanders began a three-game Canadian swing with a low-event 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
It provided a strong reminder that one of the best things that’s happened during this feel-good Islanders’ season is that two rookies have developed into full-time NHLers.
“It was special,” said the 21-year-old Ritchie, who was born in Oakville, Ontario, a 30-minute drive to Toronto on a good day. “It was a good start to the game, for sure.”
So much of the Islanders’ success on and off the ice can be attributed to Schaefer, the 18-year-old defenseman who has managed to exceed the massive expectations first placed on the No. 1 overall pick. He, too, had a power-play assist against the Maple Leafs.
But Ritchie’s importance to the team’s future prosperity as a top-nine center or wing and power-play contributor should not — and cannot — be overlooked.
“Yeah, it’s massive,” current linemate Jean-Gabriel Pageau told Newsday. “It’s huge for the organization and for the future. They’re a big part. We all know Schaef, how big of an impact that is. But Rich comes in, just kind of under the shadow a little bit, maybe a little bit less pressure.”
The youth movement that first-year general manager Mathieu Darche knew must happen received another boost on Tuesday when, as expected, physical defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson, the 17th overall pick in June and third first-rounder along with Schaefer and forward Victor Eklund, signed a three-year, entry-level contract.
Aitcheson, 19, still has games to play with his junior team, Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League, before a decision will be made whether he joins the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport at the end of this season or for next season.
Schaefer’s credentials are well known as a top-pair defenseman and power-play quarterback with elite skating and playmaking skills plus an outgoing, mature but fun personality that has transformed the whole organization. The product of Hamilton, Ontario — about an hour’s drive from downtown Toronto — did somewhat sheepishly acknowledged on Tuesday that “I could be pushing it a little bit,” on his estimate on his personal crowd of 1,000.
Yet while Schaefer could not accurately recall whether he had skated at the Maple Leafs’ rink before, Ritchie said not only had he done that, he had also played box lacrosse in the building.
Which is why Tuesday’s performance — he took four shots in 15:06 — was so special to him and important for the Islanders. He set up Brayden Schenn’s power-play goal at 4:15 with a slick backhanded feed from the crease to the right circle. Then Ritchie muscled in the puck at the crease for his own power-play goal at 9:43.
It’s exactly the production the Islanders need from a net-front presence on the power play and not bad for someone just learning to play that spot.
“I’m working lots of goal line with him,” said Schenn, who scored his first goal as an Islander after being acquired from the Blues on March 6. “He probably hasn’t played much of it in his life.”
Nope, never. Ritchie said he played on the half-wall even in junior hockey.
“There’s a lot of guys that play a position in juniors and when they come to the pros they have to make some changes because of the personnel,” coach Patrick Roy said. “He’s a great playmaker. He sees the ice well. I feel like he’s a really good fit for this group.”
Ritchie, of course, is a different type of person and player than the electric and magnetic Schaefer.
The Avalanche selected Ritchie 27th overall in 2023 and he recently marked his anniversary with the Islanders, who acquired him as part of the deal that sent Brock Nelson to Colorado on March 6, 2025. At times, Ritchie has taken Nelson’s spot centering the second line. But Schenn took that role and Ritchie has slid to wing.
He now has nine goals and 12 assists in 51 games and his last points were a power-play goal and assist in a 4-3 win in St. Louis on March 10. Ritchie is playing a more assertive game in demanding the puck compared to earlier this season but his five-on-five production needs consistency.
Still, his growth carries great importance for the Islanders, who must be more than just the Matthew Schaefer Show.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
