Stars sign Jake Riley as marquee player

The ‘Jake Riley Era’ of Australian Ice Hockey has finally begun.

He’s been a rising star in the Australian hockey landscape for years. Now he’s been asked to be the face of a franchise.

It’s a big responsibility for the 21-year-old gun forward who signed on as a marquee player with the Noarlunga Stars today. One that Riley says he is ready to embrace.

“I’ll be one of the younger marquee players,” says Riley. “I feel as though I’m going to be able to bring a freshly developed set of hockey knowledge from a couple years in Sweden in Canada, as well as that ‘young energetic’ factor that all players can feed off of.”

Teams can build their team around two marquee players (not from the same IHSA club) before a mid-October draft. The youngster feels like a logical choice ready to take the next step.

Riley has dazzled everywhere he’s been in his young career.

He put up 22 points in his first full AIHL season as a 17/18-year-old. Riley emerged as a top line option for the Adelaide Adrenaline. He was over a point-per-game player with the Australian Junior National Team. Riley also put up over a point-per-game with a Junior (U20) hockey team in Sweden. 

In the 2021 Premier League season, Riley led the competition in goals (25) and points (46).

There might not be more of an exciting player to watch in country. He’s fast. He’s skilled. He possesses a wicked shot. He has a flair for the dramatic.

There’s no doubt that Jake Riley has the skills, talent and flair to be a marquee player.

But can he be a leader? Can he truly be that player that does all those little things need for a team to build around? 

For General Manager Matt Lothian and Head Coach Sami Mantere, the simple - and resounding - answer is “yes”.

“Right now, I don’t think there is a better name in South Australia than Jake Riley,” says Lothian. “Not only can he score, he is dynamic, skates and moves the puck as anyone around. Not only that, he has the right attributes of character we’re looking for in a player.”

Lothian says that Riley’s ability to dictate the pace of the game was an appealing factor. 

Head Coach Sami Mantere has coached Jake since he was just 7-years-old. Needless to say they are close. 

Mantere says his expectations for Jake are simple: Play like an MVP.

“I expect Jake to be a leader in the team on and off the ice. He’s a good character in the change room. He has attributes as a player unmatched by anyone else in this state, so if he’s not in the conversation as the MVP of the league we have not got the best out of him,” he says. 

That said, Mantere says he’s still looking for improvement. 

“He has the skills – no doubt about that…but I think one thing Jake needs to work on is his ability to use his teammates more and just read the game better and quicker,” says Mantere. “With quality players around him this will really elevate his game. 

Riley says that the combination of Lothian and Mantere was a big factor in deciding where to play.

“As many people would know, Sami has had one of the biggest impacts of my career. Add in Matt Lothian and there’s no question where I want to play. I’ve played with and against Lothian and I know that he will run a team with great leadership and guidance,” says Riley. 

At the end of the day, Riley says he is loving the spark that the Pro League is already giving.

“It’s a step in giving us players aspirations of playing and living a professional sporting lifestyle. It will come with growth of the sport which is something we all need and want across Australia.”