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Dallas Stars Forward Brett Ritchie Out 3-4 Months After Wrist Surgery

With less than two weeks to go before the start of training camp, the Dallas Stars have announced they will be missing one of their rising prospects for much of the first half of the season.

Brett Ritchie, who bounced around the lineup at right wing last year, underwent surgery to repair a ligament in his wrist and will be out 3-4 months, putting his return sometime in December or January. There was no word whether this was an old injury or a new one or how the problem might have come about.

[Ed. note: The injury occurred while Ritchie was training.]

Ritchie made his NHL debut last season and had six goals and nine points in 31 games. He spent 33 games with the Texas Stars where he scored 21 points (14 goals, seven assists). He had 48 points (22-26-48) in 68 games in his AHL rookie season.

Without Ritchie, the Stars still have 13 forwards who are likely penciled into the roster to go along with eight waiver-eligible defensemen. Ritchie is in the final year of his entry-level contract with a maximum cap hit of $894,167, including all potential bonuses.

The full (if tiny) release from the team is below:

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that right wing Brett Ritchie underwent successful surgery to repair a ligament in his wrist. The surgery was performed by Dr. Tom Graham at the Cleveland Clinic.

“Brett’s surgery went very well and he’ll work hard to get back on the ice,” said Nill. “We expect Brett to make a full recovery as he should return to the ice in three to four months.”

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