Calum Ritchie looked more than comfortable in his NY Islanders debut

It was a whirlwind 48 hours for Calum Ritchie, who went from a canceled flight in Bridgeport to skating in his New York Islanders debut in Washington on Friday night. The 20-year-old forward handled the chaos — and the moment — with poise, helping the Islanders earn a hard-fought 3-1 win over the Capitals.

“I thought it was great,” Ritchie said after the game. “It’s been a couple crazy days and I’m just super thankful to be here with the guys. It was a huge win. That’s a good team over there, and to battle like we did today and come out with the win is awesome.”

Ritchie logged 16:17 of ice time, shifting between center and wing as the lineup adjusted mid-game. “It took me a bit to get my legs under me, obviously,” he admitted. “But I felt comfortable at center. Whatever they want me to play, I just love being here.”

The rookie also praised the defensive effort — particularly Ilya Sorokin, who stopped 22 shots. “He was awesome tonight. Unreal,” Ritchie said. “He made some huge saves in the first to keep us in it. Every time he’s in the net, you know the team has a big chance of winning.”

Ritchie spent time at both wing and center, embracing the versatility. “I feel really comfortable at center,” he said. “But whatever they want me to play, I’m happy. I just love being here.”

Head coach Patrick Roy liked what he saw. “I was impressed because he looked pretty calm out there,” Roy said. “You could tell he played some games last year and a lot of exhibition games. It made it easy for him to adapt and play the way he did.”