Riley Barber (born February 7, 1994) is a

Canadian-American Canadian Americans () are Citizenship of the United States, American citizens or in some uses residents whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadians, Canadian, or citizens of either country who hold dual citizenship. Today, many Canadian American ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

who is currently playing under contract with

HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk () is a professional ice hockey club based in Nizhnekamsk, Russia. It is a member of the Kharlamov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). History Neftekhimik was founded October 23, 1968 by workers of the Ni ...

of the

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...

(KHL). Barber was selected by the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

in the sixth round (167th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He is the son of former NHL player

Don Barber Donald Frederick Barber (born December 2, 1964) is a Canadian former professional National Hockey League forward. He played in 115 games with the Minnesota North Stars, Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques, and San Jose Sharks. He scored 25 goals an ...

Playing career

As a youth, Barber played in the 2006 and 2007

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

s with the Pittsburgh Hornets, and then the Detroit Red Wings

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

teams. Barber played

college hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

for the

Miami RedHawks The Miami RedHawks are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Miami is a member of the Mid-American Conference ...

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion ...

. In his

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

year, Barber's outstanding play was rewarded with a selection to the 2012–13

Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference in the Midwestern United States that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previ ...

All-Conference First Team. In 40 games, he tallied 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points and was second in team scoring by then-sophomore

Austin Czarnik Austin Czarnik (born December 12, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey center who is currently playing for Lausanne HC of the National League (NL). Undrafted, Czarnik has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, ...

. On December 22, 2013, during his sophomore season at Miami, Barber was named captain of the

United States men's national junior ice hockey team The United States men's national junior ice hockey team represents the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championship. The team has won seven times World Junior Championships (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2024, 2025). Many NHL prospects, ...

for the

2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (formerly called the IIHF U20 World Championship) was the 38th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship (WJHC), hosted in Malmö, Sweden. The 13,700-seat Malmö Arena was the main venue, ...

. He had been a member of the

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

United States squad that won gold. On April 17, 2015, Barber chose to forego his senior year with Miami and signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Capitals. He was assigned to the Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He made his professional debut on October 10, 2015, registering two goals in a 5–1 win over the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Arizona Co ...

. During the 2016–17 season, on February 24, 2017, Barber made his NHL debut with the Capitals against the

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

. On December 7, 2018, the Capitals recalled Barber from Hershey after placing T. J. Oshie on injured reserve, though he did not play. He led the Bears with 18 points in 20 appearances for the season before being recalled. On July 1, 2019, Barber joined the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

as a free agent, agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract. After participating in the Canadiens training camp, Barber was waived on September 24, 2019. He was reassigned to the Canadiens minor league affiliate,

Laval Rocket The Laval Rocket () are a professional ice hockey team based in Laval, Quebec. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL. The Rocket play ...

, to begin the 2019–20 season. After leading the Rocket in points with 18 (6G, 12A) points in 21 games. The Canadiens decided to recall Barber to the NHL on December 8, 2019. This was his first NHL call-up since playing three NHL games with the Washington Capitals in the 2016–17 season. After playing eight games and registering zero points with the Montreal Canadiens, Barber was sent back to Laval. On February 20, 2020, while with Laval, Barber was traded by the Canadiens along with Phil Varone to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

in exchange for Joseph Blandisi and Jake Lucchini. He was immediately assigned to join their affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. On October 9, 2020, Barber signed a two-year, two-way contract with the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

. On January 12, 2021, the Red Wings assigned Barber to the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

. On July 14, 2022, Barber signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

. Following the conclusion of his contract within the Stars organization, Barber opted to sign his first contract abroad, leaving North America in agreeing to a one-year contract with Kazakh based KHL club,

Barys Astana Hockey Club Barys ( ), also referred to as Barys Astana or HC Barys, is a professional ice hockey club based in Astana, Kazakhstan. It is a member of the Chernyshev Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). It is one of the founding members ...

, on August 3, 2023. During the 2023–24 season, on November 24, 2023, having posted 10 goals and 23 points through 28 games with Barys, Barber was traded to Russian club Ak Bars Kazan in exchange for Belarusian

Kristian Khenkel Kristian Khenkel (; born 7 November 1995) is a Belarusian professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for HC Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Khenkel previously played in the KHL for Ak Bars Kazan and Barys Astana. a ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Riley 1994 births Living people Ak Bars Kazan players American men's ice hockey right wingers Barys Astana players Detroit Red Wings players Dubuque Fighting Saints players Grand Rapids Griffins players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Pittsburgh Laval Rocket players Miami RedHawks men's ice hockey players Montreal Canadiens players HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk players Texas Stars players USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Washington Capitals draft picks Washington Capitals players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players 21st-century American sportsmen