Riley Armstrong | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Canada | November 8, 1984||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
Position | Right Wing | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for | San Jose Sharks Barys Astana Augsburger Panther SaiPa HC Vita Hästen | ||
NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
Playing career | 2004–2016 |
Riley Armstrong (born November 8, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and a former player. He is currently the director of player development Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League since 2023. He played two games with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a forward during the 2008–09 season.
Armstrong was born in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He attended Sacred Heart High School in Yorkton, Saskatchewan for grade 11 and 12 while playing AAA Midget, and also St. Joseph High School in Saskatoon with his brother Colby Armstrong, who also played in the NHL.
After playing minor hockey with the Saskatoon Redwings (and figure skating out of Martensville and Saskatoon Figure Skating Club, coached by his mother Rosemary), Armstrong left to play Midget AAA with the Yorkton Mallers, where he scored 44 goals and 77 points in 40 games, finishing 3rd in league scoring. Armstrong began playing for the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 2002–03 season, scoring 6 goals. He was then traded to the Everett Silvertips during the 2003–04 season, scoring 18 goals.
On September 15, 2004, he was signed as a free agent by the San Jose Sharks. Armstrong was immediately sent down to the Cleveland Barons for two seasons, scoring a combined 12 goals. Armstrong spent the next three years with new Sharks affiliate, the Worcester Sharks before he made his NHL debut in the 2008-09 season with San Jose on November 29, 2008, in a 3–2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes playing on a line with Jeremy Roenick and Jody Shelley. [1]
On July 2, 2009, Armstrong signed with the Calgary Flames. [2] He was then assigned to its affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. On March 3, 2010, Armstrong was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, linking up with their affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. [3] He joined the Utah Grizzlies in November 2010, playing in two games and recording two assists and four penalty minutes. He was signed by Barys Astana on November 21, 2010. In late 2010 on December 29, Armstrong was signed on to play with Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga for the remainder of the season. [4]
Armstrong was signed to a contract by the Elmira Jackals on October 8, 2011. [5] After seven games with the team, Armstrong was signed to a PTO contract by the Binghamton Senators on November 17, 2011. [6] He was later released back to Elmira on December 17. [7] Armstrong signed with Finnish team SaiPa on December 25, 2011, and finished the season with the team.
Without a contract extension offer from SaiPa, Armstrong had an unsuccessful try-out with HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss NLA before returning to the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL for the commencement of the 2012–13 season where he was captain of the Grizzlies.
On July 19, 2013, Armstrong signed as a free agent to return to Europe on a one-year contract with German club, EV Landshut of the DEL2. [8]
Following another season in Europe in Sweden and Germany with HC Vita Hästen and Heilbronner Falken respectively, Armstrong returned as a free agent for a third stint with the Utah Grizzlies, signing a one-year contract on August 4, 2015. [9] Prior to the 2015–16 season, Armstrong was placed on waivers by the Grizzlies and was claimed by the Reading Royals on October 11, 2015. [10]
Armstrong ended his playing career in 2016, opting to pursue a career in coaching. On August 31, 2016, he was announced as the new assistant coach for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL under head coach Jeff Christian. [11] On February 17, 2018, he was announced as the inaugural head coach of the Maine Mariners of the ECHL.
Over his first two seasons as head coach, he led the team to a 69–58–7 record. The Mariners then sat out the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2021, he joined the Philadelphia Flyers' coaching staff as an assistant with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. [12]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2002–03 | Kootenay Ice | WHL | 65 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 69 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
2003–04 | Everett Silvertips | WHL | 69 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 119 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 46 | ||
2004–05 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 70 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 117 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2005–06 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 64 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2006–07 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 73 | 19 | 17 | 36 | 108 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
2007–08 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 64 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2008–09 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 71 | 25 | 17 | 42 | 101 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 46 | ||
2008–09 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2009–10 | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2009–10 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 17 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2010–11 | Utah Grizzlies | ECHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2010–11 | Barys Astana | KHL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2010–11 | Augsburger Panther | DEL | 17 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2011–12 | Elmira Jackals | ECHL | 9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2011–12 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2011–12 | SaiPa | SM-l | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | Utah Grizzlies | ECHL | 38 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 120 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||
2012–13 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2013–14 | EV Landshut | DEL2 | 45 | 24 | 40 | 64 | 99 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 20 | ||
2014–15 | HC Vita Hästen | Allsv | 25 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014–15 | Heilbronner Falken | DEL2 | 21 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2015–16 | Reading Royals | ECHL | 26 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
AHL totals | 387 | 83 | 104 | 162 | 547 | 18 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 58 | ||||
NHL totals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
The Elmira Jackals were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Elmira, New York. They were members of the United Hockey League from 2000 to 2007 and the ECHL from 2007 to 2017. The Jackals played their home games at First Arena.
Anthony Craig Rivet is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 18 seasons in the NHL, including 12 with the Montreal Canadiens. He later played for the San Jose Sharks, Buffalo Sabres, and Columbus Blue Jackets before finishing his career with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL.
Colby Joseph Armstrong is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens in a nine-year career. As of 2015 he serves as an NHL analyst for Sportsnet. Armstrong's younger brother Riley briefly played in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks.
Jarrod Skalde is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He was most recently the head coach of Slovak ice hockey team Vlci Zilina in Tipos Slovenská hokejová liga. His goal for the 2022-2023 season was to promote with Žilina to Tipos extraliga.
Mike Sgroi is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player. Sgroi last played for the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, the 28th team of his professional career.
Joe Grimaldi is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman.
Daultan Michael Leveille is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the first round, 29th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the first player in NHL history to be drafted out of a Jr. B level league in the first round. He never played a game in the NHL.
Robert Raymond Robins is a former American professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Nathan Oystrick is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Oystrick has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Atlanta Thrashers, Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues. He was originally drafted by the Thrashers in the seventh round, 198th overall, at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Oystrick was named head coach of the Humboldt Broncos on July 3, 2018, but quit the position less than six months later without explanation.
Louie Caporusso is a Canadian ice hockey player. He is currently playing under contract to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. Caporusso was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 3rd round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Travis Gawryletz is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current linesman for the National Hockey League.
The New York Bobcats are a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey organization from Dix Hills, New York, at the Dix Hills Ice Arena. The team was most recently a member of the Eastern Hockey League in the 2017–18 season.
Ryan Kinasewich is a Croatian-Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played most notably in the American Hockey League (AHL), the ECHL, and the Austrian Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL). As of 2021, he is the head coach the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL.
Bradley "Brad" Mills is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils and the Chicago Blackhawks.
Barry Almeida is a retired American professional ice hockey center who last played for the Worcester Railers of the ECHL.
Matt Campanale is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League with the New York Islanders. He is from Chester Springs, Pennsylvania.
Ryan Nie is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender.
Wacey Hamilton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He most notably played for the Binghamton Senators and Utica Comets in the American Hockey League (AHL).
The Worcester Railers are a professional ice hockey team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. The team began play in the 2017–18 ECHL season, and is a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the ECHL. The team plays their home games at the DCU Center and are the ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders. The team filled the void left by the AHL's Worcester Sharks, who relocated to San Jose, California, in 2015 to become the San Jose Barracuda.
Jacob Edward MacDonald is an American professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL).