Riley Jack Tufte (born April 10, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He formerly played for the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL), and played college ice hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth. Tufte was drafted in the first round, 25th overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars.
| Riley Tufte | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Tufte with the Texas Stars in 2022 | |||
| Born |
April 10, 1998 Coon Rapids, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Boston Bruins Providence Bruins (AHL) Dallas Stars Colorado Avalanche | ||
| NHL draft |
25th overall, 2016 Dallas Stars | ||
| Playing career | 2019–present | ||
Playing career
editMinors and college
editTufte played for Blaine High School in Minnesota, where he was awarded the 2015–16 Mr. Hockey Award in his senior year after he led all of Minnesota Class AA in goals scored.[1] He also played two seasons for the Fargo Force of the USHL, accumulating 19 points in 34 games, before deciding to go back to high school for his senior year.[2] In March 2016, Tufte was invited to Team USA's 2016 National Junior Evaluation Camp, to prepare for the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, however he broke his wrist during camp and could not play.[3] Despite this, Tufte became the highest NHL draft pick in the history of the Fargo Force when he was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[1] Instead of going pro right away, Tufte decided to pursue higher education at the University of Minnesota Duluth.[4]
Tufte missed the beginning of his freshman season due to an injury but he completed the season with 16 points.[5] He was off to a stronger start in his sophomore season,[5] leading the team in scoring as they advanced through the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship.[6]
Professional
editOn April 17, 2019, Tufte signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars after the conclusion of his junior collegiate season.[7]
Unable to establish himself through four seasons within the Stars organization, Tufte left as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche on July 1, 2023.[8]
Having concluded his contract with the Avalanche, once again as a free agent, Tufte was signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Boston Bruins on July 1, 2024.[9]
International play
editTufte's played in both the 2014 Under-17 Five Nations Cup and the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.[10] He helped Team USA place second in the 2014 Under-17 Five Nations Cup.[11]
Tufte competed in the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament for Team USA, who finished fifth in the tournament.[10] He later competed at the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where he helped Team USA secure a bronze medal.[10]
Personal life
editTufte was born and grew up in Coon Rapids, Minnesota with three siblings, his father Jamie, and mother Amy, who is a nurse.[12] At the age of 11, Tufte was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.[12][13] As a child, he received an inspirational letter from retired NHL player Toby Petersen who also suffered from diabetes.[12] In February 2020 Riley and his wife, Morgan, welcomed their first son.
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | Blaine High | USHS | 24 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Blaine High | USHS | 25 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Blaine High | USHS | 24 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Fargo Force | USHL | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Fargo Force | USHL | 27 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | U. of Minnesota Duluth | NCHC | 37 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | U. of Minnesota Duluth | NCHC | 42 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | U. of Minnesota Duluth | NCHC | 42 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Texas Stars | AHL | 53 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Texas Stars | AHL | 36 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Texas Stars | AHL | 54 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Texas Stars | AHL | 63 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 90 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 67 | 23 | 22 | 45 | 91 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 18 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | United States | U17 | 
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2015 | United States | IH18 | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2018 | United States | WJC | 
|
7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 17 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||||
References
edit- ^ a b "TUFTE SELECTED 25TH OVERALL IN NHL DRAFT". fargoforce.com. June 28, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
- ^ Engels, Eric (June 20, 2016). "Prospect of Interest: The 411 on Riley Tufte". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
- ^ Wellens, Matt (April 2, 2016). "College men's hockey: Tufte breaks wrist at national junior team camp, doesn't expect to miss time with UMD". duluthnewstribune.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ Hunt, Steve (July 10, 2016). "Stars' Riley Tufte puts NHL dream on hold". nhl.com. Frisco, Texas: Dallas Stars. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
- ^ a b Stepneski, Mark (October 23, 2017). "Prospect Report: Riley Tufte off to strong start in NCAA". NHL.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ Stepneski, Mark (March 26, 2018). "Prospect Report: Cecconi, Tufte advance to Frozen Four". nhl.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ "Stars sign left wing Riley Tufte to three-year, entry-level contract". NHL.com. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "Avalanche signs five players to two-way contracts". Colorado Avalanche. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "Bruins announce July 1 transactions". Boston Bruins. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Riley Tufte". teamusa.usahockey.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ "USA Takes Second Place in U-17 Five Nations, Beating Germany, 8-2". teamusa.usahockey.com. August 17, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c Russo, Michael (June 22, 2016). "NHL draft prospect Riley Tufte is the pride of Blaine". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
- ^ "Diabetes doesn't slow down Blaine's Riley Tufte". Blaine, Minn: USA Today. January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database