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MATTIAS RITOLA
Mattias Ritola
Position: Right wing
Shoots: Left
Vitals: 5'11'' / 205 lbs.
Birthdate: March 14, 1987
Hometown: Borlange, Sweden
Acquired: Detroit's fourth choice (103rd overall) in the 2005 draft
CSS Ranking: 25th European skater (2005)
Contract: 2010
RWC Says: Two-way forward

STORIES

AWARDS
  • None listed

HISTORY
2003-04:
  • Cracked Swedish under-20 league with Frolunda and played well for his age (24-7-4-11).
2004-05:
  • Struggled early in year with Frolunda in Sweden's under-20 league (9-2-6-8).
  • Played much better after early transfer to Leksands of the same league (18-8-10-18).
  • Represented Sweden at world under-18 championship in April (7-1-3-4).
  • Drafted by Detroit in the third round (103rd overall) at the NHL draft.
2005-06:
  • Skated regularly in the Swedish Elite League with Leksands (30-0-3-3, 17 shots, minus-5).
  • Didn't produce much in stints at under-20 level (14-4-2-6).
  • Represented Sweden at WJC, producing well in third-line role (6-2-2-4).
2006-07:
  • Disappointed at Sweden's second level, mostly with Leksands (26-2-4-6, 19 shots).
  • Played mostly a fourth-line checking role and didn't fit in on a dump-and-chase team.
  • One of the last cuts from Sweden's world junior team in December.
  • Transferred to Borlange at Sweden's fourth level late in year (11-4-6-10).
  • Signed amateur tryout contract with AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins and practiced with the team.
  • Signed three-year entry-level contract with Red Wings on June 1.
2007-08:
  • Surprised at Red Wings' training camp and appeared in five NHL exhibition games (5-2-0-2-4).
  • One of Detroit's last cuts along with Jonathan Ericsson and Jimmy Howard.
  • Saw regular ice time and was a two-way presence, although production was minimal (72-7-15-22).
  • Posted a team-best plus-10 on a squad cluttered with minuses and had 117 shots.
  • Earned two-game call-up to Detroit in March, recording an assist and averaging 5:46 of ice time.
  • Called up to Detroit to serve as Black Ace (spare who doesn't play) during NHL playoffs.
2008-09:
  • Appeared in six NHL pre-season games before being demoted to Grand Rapids (AHL).
  • Had a hot start (nine points in eight games) and a strong first half (40-15-13-28).
  • Soldiered through a shoulder injury that derailed his second half.
  • Did not score a goal after Jan. 14 and finished with 14 assists in final 26 games.
  • Posted a team-worst minus-12 — although Darren Helm wasn't far behind at minus-10.
  • Fired 165 shots and tallied five times on the power play and once shorthanded.
  • Wasn't up to snuff in the playoffs and ended up a scratch (8-0-2-2).

SCOUT COMMENTS
"He's just a tremendous guy with the puck. He can score, he can beat you 1-on-1, he can make a great play. He's an offensively-dangerous guy." — Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson (August 2005) ... "Is he one of those guys who shows up at 24 years of age and figures life out and decides he's going to work hard every night? Or is he just another skilled guy who doesn't learn to compete and disappears in the wind and plays in Europe the rest of his life?" — Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill (January 2007) ... "Laziness is not a factor at all. You know what? If I hadn't heard that before he got here, I wouldn't have known that about him. In the time he's been with us, he's worked hard. His upside is probably a third-line guy but he can play the fourth line. He's probably going to play in the NHL." — Griffins general manager Bob McNamara (November 2008).

STRENGTHS
Smart two-way player ... Good stickhandler who protects the puck well in the corners and along the boards ... Can beat players 1-on-1 at the AHL level ... Able to score and set up plays ... Work ethic and competitive level have grown by leaps and bounds ... Showing great dedication to become an NHLer, coming to North America, embracing a different style of play, and learning to show up for every shift of every game ... Capable on both special-team units.

WEAKNESSES
Skilled, but may not have enough to be a scoring-line player ... More strength will allow him to work his way onto the Red Wings' roster in a fourth-line role to start ... Continued improvement in traffic areas will help him ... Consistent point production has been a problem.

PROJECTION
Ritola progressed as an AHL sophomore in 2008-09 but took a step back in the second half of the season and in the playoffs. A shoulder injury hampered his ability to perform up to his early-season standard. He will be back with Grand Rapids in 2009-10, and if he can put together a consistent season, he could eventually get a look with the Red Wings.

STATISTICS
  REGULAR SEASON PLAYOFFS
SEASON TEAM LEAGUE GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM
2003-04 Frolunda Swe-J18 11 4 11 15 35 7 2 7 9 12
    Swe-J20 24 7 4 11 8 5 0 1 1 0
2004-05 Frolunda Swe-J20 9 2 6 8 6 -- -- -- -- --
  Leksand Swe-J20 18 8 10 18 14 5 1 1 2 2
  Sweden W-U18 7 1 3 4 8 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Leksand Swe-J20 14 4 2 6 16 -- -- -- -- --
    Swe-Superallsv -- -- -- -- -- 8 0 0 0 4
    Swe 30 0 3 3 10 -- -- -- -- --
  Sweden W-U20 6 2 2 4 4 -- -- -- -- --
2006-07 Leksand Swe-J20 12 5 7 12 16 -- -- -- -- --
  Borlange Swe-3 11 4 6 10 14 -- -- -- -- --
  Arboga Swe-2 3 1 0 1 2 -- -- -- -- --
  Leksand Swe-2 23 1 4 5 4 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Grand Rapids AHL 72 7 15 22 62 -- -- -- -- --
  Detroit NHL 2 0 1 1 0 -- -- -- -- --
2008-09 Grand Rapids AHL 66 15 27 42 32 8 0 2 2 0

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The next wave

RWC's top 10 prospects (2009-10 preliminary)
01 F Tomas Tatar » Grand Rapids (AHL)
02 D Jakub Kindl » Grand Rapids (AHL)
03 D Brendan Smith » Wisconsin (NCAA)
04 G Thomas McCollum » Grand Rapids (AHL)
05 F Gustav Nyquist » Maine (NCAA)
06 F Landon Ferraro » Red Deer (WHL)
07 F Jan Mursak » Grand Rapids (AHL)
08 F Cory Emmerton » Grand Rapids (AHL)
09 F Joakim Andersson » Frolunda (SEL)
10 F Mattias Ritola » Grand Rapids (AHL)
» COMPLETE RANKING »