Brett Ritchie has been the favorite among Dallas Stars minor leaguers for quite some time. As a second round pick (44th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, every Stars fan wanted to know more about him.
He remained with his OHL team the Niagara IceDogs after the draft, sticking around with them for the next two seasons while the Dallas Stars were trying to exorcise the demons from their own closet. They had not made a postseason appearance in four years, their longest drought in franchise history. They needed to figure out how to right the ship and dove into free agency and trades instead of looking to rebuild with a hefty arsenal of prospects.