2017/18 Belfast Giants Captain Blair Riley is set to return for a third consecutive season in Teal.
The 6’0” Power Forward from Kamloops, BC, Canada arrived in Northern Ireland in 2016 from the fiercely competitive AHL where he spent 2015/16 with the Stockton Heat.
He finished his inaugural Elite League campaign with the Most Valuable Player and Players’ Player of the Year Awards, after posting 30 goals and 31 assists (61 points) in 56 games played.
Following an impressive first year, Riley was entrusted with the Captaincy by new Head Coach and long-time skipper Adam Keefe, calling it “a great honor to have been handed the “C” by a Giants legend“.
Riley continued to contribute both size and firepower to the lineup in 2017/18.
He led the Belfast Giants to their first major silverware in four years, defeating the Cardiff Devils at Ice Arena Wales in a thrilling final and hoisting a Challenge Cup which had evaded the boys in Teal since 2009.
Speaking with AVFTB on his ambitions for the season ahead, Blair Riley said:
“…it’s all about winning, it really is. Especially when you get a little taste of what we had last year- you crave that and you want to experience that again, and for new guys coming in you want to share that experience with them as well.”
Hear, hear. Welcome back, Riles.
Check out Riley’s full career statistics at Elite Prospects.
