Troy Riddle is an American ice hockey coach and former
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
. He won two
National Championships
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, i ...
with
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...
and
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...
.
Career
Riddle was a high-scoring prospect coming out of
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, averaging more than 3 points per game as a senior. As an 18-year old, he spent a year playing junior hockey with the
Des Moines Buccaneers
The Des Moines Buccaneers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team has played in the Western Conference since the 2009–10 season.
History
The Buccaneers began USHL play during the 1980–81 season ...
and finished second in team scoring. Afterwards, his performance was strong enough for the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
to select him in the 4th round of the
2000 NHL Entry Draft
The 2000 NHL Entry Draft was the 38th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24 and 25, 2000 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, following the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft on June 23 for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. Thi ...
. The following fall, Riddle began attending the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
and joined the ice hockey program. Straight away he contributed on offense and helped
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
make the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years. His production increased during his sophomore season while the team posted a 30-win season and won the
national championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
. During his junior season, Riddle came to the forefront of the Gopher's offense and his goal scoring saw a dramatic improvement. He finished second on the team in scoring and helped Minnesota capture its second consecutive championship. Riddle was named
team captain
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
for his senior season and continued to lead the Gophers on offense. He led Minnesota to its second-consecutive
conference championship and fourth-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance while finishing second in team scoring once more.
After graduating with a degree in
communications
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...
, Riddle signed with the Blues and joined their
AHL affiliate the
Worcester IceCats
The Worcester IceCats were a US ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum. In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and moved to Peoria, Illinois.
History
The IceCat ...
. He had a little difficulty catching up to the speed of the professional game and spent some time in the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
Th ...
over the next two years. His stint with the
Alaska Aces ended with the team winning its first
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...
. After two years in the Blues' organization, Riddle was not retained and he spent the 2007 season with the
Trenton Titans
The Trenton Titans were a professional minor league ice hockey team that played in the ECHL. The team last played in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Titans played their home games at the Sun National Bank Center in Trent ...
. After another year playing in the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confe ...
's pipeline, Riddle headed to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
.
Riddle spent the 2009 season with the
Graz 99ers
The Moser Medical Graz 99ers are an Austrian professional ice hockey team from Graz, Styria. The club was founded in 1999 after the previous club, EHC Graz, folded prior to the 1998–99 season due to financial difficulties. The Graz99ers starte ...
producing moderate offensive numbers. After beginning the following year with
EHC Basel
EHC Basel known as Eishockey Club Basel are a professional Swiss ice hockey team. They are based out of the St. Jakob Arena in Basel, Switzerland. EHC Basel was founded on October 14, 1932. Were promoted to the Nationalliga A for 2005–06 a ...
, he returned to
North America and finished out the year with the
Tulsa Oilers
The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...
. Riddle retired as a player after the season and became an assistant coach at his
alma mater,
Benilde-St. Margaret's
Benilde-St. Margaret's is a Catholic, co-educational private prep school for grades 7–12 located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, that draws its over one thousand students from throughout the Twin Cities Metro Area. It is located in the Roman ...
. A year later, Riddle signed on with the
Tohoku Free Blades
The are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan.
Community contributions
The team has a number of community programs it runs under the mantra of "Team Social Responsibility". The team engages in youth oriented activiti ...
and though he played well, finishing second in scoring, the team did not and missed the postseason. After the year, Riddle hung up his skated for good and returned to St. Margaret's.
Over the next decade, Riddle worked several jobs in the
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...
including as an assistant coach and skate instructor. In 2022, he was named as the head coach for the club team at
Marquette.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle, Troy
1981 births
Living people
American ice hockey centers
Ice hockey coaches from Minnesota
Ice hockey players from Minnesota
Ice hockey people from Minneapolis
Des Moines Buccaneers players
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players
NCAA men's ice hockey national champions
Worcester IceCats players
Peoria Rivermen (ECHL) players
Peoria Rivermen (AHL) players
Alaska Aces (ECHL) players
Trenton Titans players
Philadelphia Phantoms players
Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players
Texas Wildcatters players
Graz 99ers players
EHC Basel players
Tulsa Oilers (1992–present) players
Tohoku Free Blades players
Marquette Golden Eagles men's ice hockey coaches
St. Louis Blues draft picks