Blair Riley (born November 1, 1985) is a retired

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

forward who last played for the Cardiff Devils of the

Elite Ice Hockey League The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...

(EIHL).

Playing career

Riley attended

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 and became a public institution in 1950. Ferris is the ninth-largest institutions of higher education by enrol ...

where he played NCAA Division I college hockey with the

Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey The Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Ferris State University. The Bulldogs are a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). They play at Ewigleben Aren ...

team. Following his graduation, Riley turned professional to join the Springfield Falcons for three games at the end of their

2009–10 AHL season The 2009–10 AHL season was the 74th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 regular-season games each from October 2 to April 11. This season featured the addition of one new team, the relocation of two others, and t ...

. On June 1, 2012, Riley was signed to his first NHL contract, agreeing to a one-year deal with the

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...

affiliate, the New York Islanders. On July 16, 2013, after not tendered a new contract with the Islanders, Riley signed as a free agent to a one-year AHL contract with the St. John's IceCaps. He established an AHL career high with 21 points in 71 games before serving as an Alternate captain in his second season with the club in 2014–15. As a free agent, Riley signed a one-year contract with his sixth AHL team the Stockton Heat, an affiliate of the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

, on September 4, 2015. After 7 seasons within the AHL, Riley left North America as a free agent to sign a one-year deal with Northern Irish EIHL participant, the

Belfast Giants The Belfast Giants (known officially as the Stena Line Belfast Giants due to sponsorship) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They compete in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and are the current cha ...

on August 8, 2016. On July 6, 2019, Riley signed for Belfast's league rivals Cardiff Devils. On October 7, 2020, Riley announced his retirement from hockey after 10 professional seasons.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Blair 1985 births Living people Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Belfast Giants players Merritt Centennials players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Cardiff Devils players Chicago Express players Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey players Las Vegas Wranglers players Nanaimo Clippers players Peoria Rivermen (AHL) players St. John's IceCaps players San Antonio Rampage players Springfield Falcons players Stockton Heat players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Northern Ireland Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Wales Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States