A former 10th overall pick in the NHL is getting another chance to continue his professional hockey career after getting ditched by his current team in controversial fashion. Nick Ritchie, 28, was dropped from his contract with Karpat of the Finnish Elite League after an on-ice incident that earned him an eight-game suspension.
In late December, Ritchie was suspended for eight games after he as battling with TPS Turku's Markus Nurmi in the corner, and decided to push him to the ice and punch him repeatedly in the back of the head. SM-Liiga called Ritchie's actions one-sided, deliberate and non-spontaneous violence.
Once his eight game suspension ended, Karpat released a statement saying they were no longer interested in having Ritchie on the team, and he was given the freedom to find another contract wherever he pleased. Ritchie has done so, signing with the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, or DEL, in Germany.
Ritchie had played 10 games for Karpat, scoring 1 goal and 5 points, another factor in the team's decision to let him go. Ritchie was drafted 10th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2014 and played 481 regular season NHL games with a number of teams before signing in Europe for 2023-24.
