Brett Ritchie played in 31 games for the Dallas Stars last season, his rookie year, scoring six goals and three assists. What his scoring numbers do not truly reflect is the impact Ritchie had in the bottom six of the Stars forward lineup.
Ritchie brought spark to the bottom six, putting an average of 2.5 shots per game on goal in limited minutes. He put up positive Corsi numbers with a 55.7 CF%. That positive possession was pivotal to several big goals by the first line down the stretch last season. Ritchie and his linemates would spend a lot of time cycling in the offensive zone, putting up shots on goal and wearing down the opposition so that when the first line got onto the ice they were playing against a tired defense.