Canadian right winger Brett Ritchie, 31, has signed a one-year contract with HK Nitra, the Slovak Extraliga club announced on Wednesday.
A second-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in 2011, Ritchie played 391 NHL regular-season games with the Stars, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes between 2014 and 2023, recording 85 points and 255 penalty minutes. He also played 10 playoff games, scoring two goals – both in 2022 with the Flames.
Last season, Ritchie played in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk, but injuries limited him to just 12 games in the regular season and two in the playoffs. He recorded two goals and one assist.
Internationally, Ritchie represented Canada at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial, the 2011 IIHF U18 World Championship and the 2013 World Junior Championship.
“It is a big deal for us that a player with so many NHL games is coming to Nitra,” said club president Miroslav Kováčik. “We’re happy about it, we’ve been planning his arrival for a long time and now we’ve done it. It’s possible that he will play as soon as this Friday.”
Friday’s home game against HKM Zvolen will be Nitra’s fourth of the regular season. They’ve won two of their first three.
Last season, Nitra won the Extraliga title somewhat surprisingly after finishing eighth in the regular season. The club’s roster includes 43-year-old defenseman Branislav Mezei, who played 240 NHL games between 2000 and 2008.
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