Riley Tufte

Riley Jack Tufte (born April 10, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has 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.

Playing career Minors and college Tufte 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. 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. 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. Instead of going pro right away, Tufte decided to pursue higher education at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Tufte missed the beginning of his freshman season due to an injury but he completed the season with 16 points. He was off to a stronger start in his sophomore season,

Professional On April 17, 2019, Tufte signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars after the conclusion of his junior collegiate season.

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.

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.

After two seasons within the Bruins organization and having concluded his contract, Tufte was signed as a free agent to a one-year, $850,000 contract with the New Jersey Devils for the season on July 1, 2026.

International play Tufte's played in both the 2014 Under-17 Five Nations Cup and the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. He helped Team USA place second in the 2014 Under-17 Five Nations Cup.

Tufte competed in the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament for Team USA, who finished fifth in the tournament. At the age of 11, Tufte was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. As a child, he received an inspirational letter from retired NHL player Toby Petersen who also suffered from diabetes. In February 2020 Riley and his wife, Morgan, welcomed their first son.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs 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 HighUSHS 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 — — — — — 2024–25 Boston Bruins NHL 6 0 0 0 4 — — — — — 2024–25 Providence Bruins AHL 58 21 21 42 60 8 4 2 6 6 2025–26 Providence Bruins AHL 64 32 24 56 71 4 1 0 1 4 2025–26 Boston Bruins NHL 4 1 0 1 0 — — — — —NHL totals 28 3 1 4 10 — — — — —

International 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