Riley McKay is no stranger to the grind.
He understands nothing is given to him in the professional hockey world, he has to earn every single thing. He has to earn his ice time, and he has to earn the right to even be in the lineup. It's something that Riley has embraced. Things have not always been easy, but the Swan River star has always respected the process.
He is always pushing himself, knowing there is always more in the tank to give. One decade ago, Riley was playing with the Parkland U18 Rangers and nine years ago, he made the jump up to junior hockey with the Swan Valley Stampeders.
Riley continued to take his game to the next level in the 2016-17 season when he moved up to the Major Junior ranks with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. Riley played 120 games with Spokane before he was traded to the Saskatoon Blades.
Once he was dealt to the Blades, Riley started to find his offensive stride. He had 22 points across his time in Spokane and while in Saskatoon, McKay posted 42 points in 140 games. His offensive production jumped when he earned more ice time and a bigger responsibility, including in the 2019-20 season when he served as one of the Blades' assistant captains.
Five years as a junior player was capped off with a 19-goal and 19-assist campaign in 2019-20. During his entire time in Spokane and Saskatoon, Riley's goal was to advance to the next level.
Making the jump from AAA to Junior A to Major Junior is always a challenge. Then making the jump from Major Junior to the professional ranks is an even greater challenge. McKay did achieve the feat as he spent the next three years between the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) and Indy Fuel of the ECHL.
In the 2021-22 season with Indy where Riley played 51 games, he showed signs of brilliance on many occasions with 14 goals and 13 assists to go along with 192 penalty minutes as McKay has never shied away from physical play. That's one of the things that makes Riley so valuable. He will do whatever is needed to help his team.
Following two games to start the 2022-23 season with the Fuel, McKay made his way to Laval where he played 23 games with the Rocket of the AHL and another 25 games with the Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL. With 17 points and another nearly 170 penalty minutes, it was another solid season for Riley.
Once again; however, Riley knew there was more in the tank. He was pleased with how things were going, but he knew playing full-time in the AHL was the next step.
He did just that as McKay played 46 games last season with Laval, posting four points and six assists. That leads us to now, the 2024 off-season. Riley continues to push himself.
"I think I'm continuing to get better, I think I took some strides last year with Laval, what an incredible place to play," said McKay. "I made some great memories. I'm getting stronger and better every year, I'm quite pleased with how things are going."
McKay is now in Winnipeg for the summer training at the Rink Training Centre. That's where a group of NHL and AHL players to go along with guys that play overseas and Major Junior players skate throughout the summer. They all come together on Fridays to scrimmage while earlier in the week, McKay spends time sharpening his sword against fellow AHL guys.
"It's great having to work out and train with guys like that, all different types of players," said McKay. "It's neat to get a chance to watch and learn from them. There are a lot of great players in the system. Everyone is working towards the same goal, it's a lot of fun."
Riley entered this off-season as a free agent, looking for a place to play to continue living his dream. It just turns out that his dream will continue in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The temperature is also quite nice year-round.
Earlier this week, it was announced that McKay has signed a contract with the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL. As the farm team of the Vegas Golden Knights, Riley is looking forward to the next chapter in his journey.
Contract talks between McKay and the Silver Knights began after Henderson reached out to Riley and it's safe to say that the rest is history.
"It feels good, it gives you a little bit of motivation when a team shows interest in you," offered McKay. "I get a fresh start, I get to go to camp, see some new faces, and re-invent myself. My goal is to show them a lot, I think I have been having a pretty good summer so far."
Pleased with his progression over the years, Riley is in a great spot. He's heading into his sixth year as a professional and the goal remains to make the NHL. It's the ultimate goal and the greatest challenge of all.
"I think I'm trending in the right direction, I'm getting stronger and faster every year," ended McKay. "If I keep working hard and staying consistent, I think good things will happen."
As we near the 2024-25 season, keep an eye out for Riley McKay.
Riley is also a role model and an inspiration to so many. He was born and raised in a community of fewer than 4000 people and there is only one indoor arena in the community of Swan River.
Outdoor rinks were McKay's best friend growing up and as young stars in the Swan River grow up and have the same goals as Riley, they can look up to the now 25-year-old and believe that regardless of where you come from, you can achieve incredible things with hard work and dedication.
