North Dakota Senior Forward Adds Presence After Transfer; Earns NCHC January Honor
by Jordan McAlpine/CHN Reporter (@jordan_mcalpine)
Ellis Rickwood played 96 games over the past three seasons at Clarkson and was coming off a career-high 35-point campaign.
Rickwood, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, centered Clarkson’s top line last winter and was an All-ECAC First Team selection. He was also among the nation’s top faceoff men at 57.5 percent, as his 430 faceoff wins ranked 10th in the NCAA.
The Ontario native entered the portal on April 22 and committed to North Dakota three days later. It’s a decision that’s paid off for both sides.
“It’s been amazing here so far,” Rickwood said. “It was honestly a pretty tough decision to transfer at first and you never know how it’s all going to end up, but I’m happy I did and I’ve gotten to experience playing here. Because this place is special and it’s unbelievable how well we’re treated.”
Rickwood has been quite the addition for UND, and he’s especially been on a tear of late.
The right-shot center was named the NCHC’s January Forward of the Month last Wednesday; Rickwood has 13 points over his past eight games, along with a 59.9 faceoff win percentage.
Rickwood ranks third on UND’s roster with 24 points through 21 games, and he’s second with three game-winning tallies. He missed five games (Nov. 15-Dec. 6) with a lower-body injury, too.
He’s also made an impact as a veteran presence down the middle, especially for a young roster. UND lost its top two centers from 2024-25 — Sacha Boisvert and Cameron Berg — along with Louis Jamernik V, Jake Schmaltz and Carter Wilkie, which created the perfect opportunity.
“I’d say with it being my senior year and my last chance, I wanted to go somewhere where I could make an immediate impact at both ends of the rink,” Rickwood said. “If you ask anybody around me, I take a lot of pride in being a well-rounded, 200-foot center, and I think I take more pride in a good defensive play or a big faceoff win than scoring at times. But I just want to be someone my coaches can trust in any situation.
“So looking at this opportunity and the role I could have coming into this season, I thought it was a perfect fit, and somewhere I could excel. And I don’t think being that complete player was my strength coming into college, but it’s something I’ve worked on the last couple years, and I love being dependable and being a rock for the guys.”
After three seasons in the ECAC, Rickwood wanted to prove he could produce in a conference like the NCHC — especially as he aspires to carve out a pro career.
Despite his breakout junior season, he received little pro interest last spring — something he hopes will change in a few months.
At the same time, Rickwood said he owes a lot to Clarkson and reiterated he enjoyed his time with the Golden Knights. Especially playing under J.F. Houle, who took over last season.
“I learned so much and I’m really thankful for my time out there,” Rickwood said. “I didn’t have a great freshman year, and honestly, that was really tough for me. But I just kinda put my head down and went to work. Then I got hurt my sophomore game and was out for a bit, and I learned a lot throughout that process.
“I think once I came back, I really tried to prioritize my defensive game and learn the positioning better and the defensive side, and I took a lot of pride in it. So to have that mindset and (Houle) really trusted me and let us play a little more free last season, I think it helped a ton. It’s all just kinda continued building this season and gotten me where I am now.”
Rickwood has centered Will Zellers and Mac Swanson since the Christmas break on UND’s top line. Zellers has been one of the nation’s top freshmen scorers and starred at the WJC, and Swanson has 17 points of his own.
The trio combined for 12 points (4-8-12) last time out as UND swept Arizona State in Tempe.
The Fighting Hawks currently sit atop the NCHC standings with 38 points and sit third in the NPI with eight games left. UND is 12-2 over its past 14.
“We’ve got a great group of guys and great coaches, and I really felt like everyone felt comfortable right away,” Rickwood said. “Not only are there a bunch of great guys, but great hockey players too. So no matter where you’re at in the lineup or who you’re playing with, you’re going to have skilled players around you and be put in a spot to succeed. You just have to find that chemistry and I feel like everyone has really been clicking these past few weeks.”
Now UND will look to keep it clicking the rest of the season.
The Fighting Hawks are coming off a bye and will head to Duluth this weekend. It begins a stretch of four consecutive NCHC series, as UND looks to clinch its seventh Penrose Cup.
While Rickwood would love to put together another big month offensively, his main goal is simply helping UND win — doing ‘whatever it takes.’
Make no mistake, the focus is on Friday’s game at UMD, but there’s plenty of excitement for the final stretch.
“I wish I had more than one year here, but I’ve enjoyed it so much and I’ve never been on a team this talented. So these next couple months are definitely going to be exciting,” Rickwood said. “We’re trying not to look too far ahead and are taking it one day at a time and just staying in the moment, but the vibes are really high.
“I think you can feel it in our room that we’ve got something brewing and everyone is on the same page, and the end goal is to play for a national championship.”