Mattias Ritola

Mattias Ritola ( born March 14, 1987 in Borlänge) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward who plays since November 2011 at MODO Hockey in the Elitserien.

Career

Mattias Ritola began his career in 2002 in the third Swedish League, where he collected 20 points scorer for the seniors team his home club Borlänge HF in 27 games. After a year he moved to Västra Frölunda HC for the U18 and U20 teams, he went on the ice and convincing performance showed before moving to Leksand IF during the 2004/ 05 season. In spring 2005, participated with the Swedish national team at the U18 World Junior Championships, where she won the bronze medal. The Detroit Red Wings selected him then in the NHL Entry Draft in 2005 in the fourth round at position 103.

In addition to 14 appearances for the youth team Leksand, he played in the season 2005/ 06 mainly for the professionals of the association in the Elitserien, but where he could not convince with only three assists in 30 games and relegated the team at the end of the second-rate HockeyAllsvenskan. In the 2006/07 season played Ritola, whose strengths lie especially in the offensive, with Leksand, for the most part in the defensive oriented fourth forward line, showed there but not desired services and has been transferred during the season in the third Swedish league where he was playing for his hometown club Borlänge HF.

After the season in Sweden had gone in the spring of 2007 to the end, Ritola signed a trial contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the farm team of the Detroit Red Wings of the AHL, with whom he coached the next few weeks, but did not play. For the season 2007/ 08 he belonged to the tribe of the squad Rapids. Ritola turned his game around something and focused more on the defensive, what had been his weak point and led the team in the plus / minus rating. As a result of injury and illness turned out a total of four strikers in March 2008 by the Detroit Red Wings, Ritola was appointed one day after his 21st birthday in the NHL squad and made ​​his debut against the Nashville Predators.

In the 2008 /09 season Ritola was clearly improved, especially on the offensive. Still in the first half of the season he surpassed his points haul of the season debut of 22 points scorer and proved over the entire season consistent performance, which he developed into a mainstay in the offensive and defensive game of the Griffins. In October 2010, he has been advised of the Detroit Red Wings on the Waiverliste and then committed by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After he started the 2011/12 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning and completed five NHL games, he joined in November 2011, back in the Swedish Elitserien and wrote a working paper on MODO Hockey.

Awards and achievements

  • 2005 bronze medal at the U18 World Youth Championship

Career Stats

Internationally

Represented Sweden at:

  • U18 World Junior Championships 2005
  • U20 Junior World Cup 2006

( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )

2005 NHL Entry Draft Leksands IF Swedish Hockey League Sweden men's national ice hockey team 2005 IIHF World U18 Championships Farmteam 2007–08 AHL season Plus/Minus 2008–09 AHL season IFK Arboga IK Norfolk Admirals 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Point (ice hockey) Anton Forsberg Nichlas Torp Kristian Forsberg Gustav Possler Dave Spina Jeff Tambellini
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