As part of a new Player Spotlight series, sharksahl.com is giving fans a chance to read (and see!) more about their favorite Worcester Sharks! This week, we continue with Riley Armstrong, who has become a Worcester fan-favorite with his hard-work both on and off the ice!

 

Week 3: Patrick Traverse

 

Number: 20

Position: Forward

Date of Birth (Age): November 8, 1984 (23)

Hometown: Saskatoon, SK

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 190 Lb.

Drafted: Undrafted

Season Highlight: Armstrong enjoyed his time playing at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell this season. He set his season-high with two goals (both in the second period) and three points. Then, one month later, he tied the points mark with three more; both games were won by the Sharks by a 6-1 final score.

Did you know?: Armstrong’s brother Colby currently plays for the Atlanta Thrashers after being traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Marian Hossa deal.

2007-08 in a Nutshell: Armstrong easily captured the top +/- mark for the season, finishing as a +8. His hustle and determination led to a number of scoring opportunities and even more power play chances. He also finished fifth on the team in goals (15) and tied for sixth with 34 points. Along with his success on the ice, Armstrong was voted the Sharks’ Man of the Year for the second consecutive season due to his tremendous community work off the ice.

 

Click HERE to check out Armstrong’s career stats.

 

Goals = 2 (2/6 at Lowell)

                        Assists = 2 (3/4 at Lowell & 11/16 at Providence)

                        Points = 3 (3/14 at Lowell & 2/6 at Lowell)

                        Penalty Minutes = 17 (11/17 vs. Portland)

 

                        A Goal = 2 (2/3-2/6, 1/11-1/12, & 12/21-1/4)

                        An Assist = 2 (2/24-2/27, 2/6-2/10, 1/18-1/19, 11/23-11/24, & 11/16-11/17)

                        A Point = 3 (2/3-2/10 & 1/18-1/21)   

 

2007-08 with Worcester: Final Stats – 64 games played, 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists),  91 penalty minutes, +8 rating … Was credited with an assist on 4/13 vs. Springfield … Saw action for the first time in nine games, scoring a goal at Portland (4/11) … Shaved his head at center ice after the 4/6 game vs. Springfield as part of his Locks of Love campaign … Missed nine games (3/22-4/9) due to an injury suffered on 3/21 vs. Bridgeport … Tied a season-high with two assists and three points at Lowell (3/14) … Recorded an assist vs. Albany (3/7) … Tallied an assist vs. Norfolk (3/2) … Had an assist for second-consecutive game against Springfield (2/27) … Picked up an assist vs. Springfield (2/24) … Had an assist at Hershey (2/10) … Tallied a season-high three points (2g, 1a) in Sharks’ 6-1 win at Lowell (2/6). The effort earned him the No. 1 Star of the Game. In the game, was only the third Sharks player to score two goals in a period. … Scored 11^th goal of the season on a strange play at Providence (2/3). While the Bruins attempted to clear the puck from behind the net, it bounced off Armstrong’s skate and pass the goal line, giving the Sharks a 3-2 lead … Tallied an assist at Philadelphia (2/1) … Went coast-to-coast for his tenth goal of the season, rifling a slap shot to the back of the net at Springfield (1/21) … Picked up an assist on consecutive nights vs. Providence (1/19) and Portland (1/18) … Scored goals in consecutive days (1/11-1/12) and three of his first four games coming off injury (1/4-1/12) … Tied the score at Albany (1/12) with a goal late in the third period … Recorded Worcester’s first goal at Providence (1/11), redirecting a Lukas Kaspar shot past All-Star goaltender Tuukka Rask … Was named No. 3 star of the game at Providence (1/11) … Picked up goals vs. Manchester (1/4), at Portland (12/21), and at Manchester (12/16) … Missed six straight games from 12/22-1/2 with an injury before returning on1/4, scoring a goal … Recorded a point in six of eight games (7 pts: 1g, 6a) on 11/16-12/1 … Recorded a season-high 17 penalty minutes and recorded an assist 11/17 vs. Portland … Had Sharks’ season-high nine shots in a 2-1 win vs. Lowell on 10/20.

 

2006-07 with Worcester:  Scored his first two goals of the season on 10/20 at Providence … Scored his first power play goal of the season on 11/22 at Hartford … Scored his first game-winning goal of the season on the power play 12/1 at Norfolk … Scored two goals for the second time on 12/2 at Norfolk … Scored his 16^th goal of the season on 2/28 vs. Springfield … Registered career-highs for games played (73), goals (19), assists (17) and points (36) … Calder Cup Playoffs: Played in all six playoff games, recording one assist and 12 penalty minutes.

 

2005-06 with Cleveland (AHL):  Assigned to Cleveland from San Jose on 9/19 … Scored his first goal of the season on 11/19 vs. Grand Rapids.

 

2004-2005 with Cleveland: Was the youngest player on the Barons roster … Made his professional debut on 10/15 at Grand Rapids, earning an assist that night … Scored his first goal as a professional at Hamilton on 11/6 … Scored his first power play goal of the season on 11/23 vs. Houston … Scored his first game-winning goal and added an assist on 03/1 vs. Edmonton.

 

2003-04 with Everett (WHL): Was one of the Silvertips starting wings in their first ever game at Kamloops on 9/19 ... Helped the Silver Tips win the WHL Championship … Scored first goal as a Silvertip and was named No. 2 Star of the Game on 10/8 against Seattle … Scored a goal and had three assists while being named No. 2 Star of the Game against Prince Albert on 10/22 … At the end of the regular season, was tied for first on the club in scoring with 44 points (18g, 26a) … His 26 assists were tops on the team and 18 goals were second … Second on team with a +7 rating and 119 PIM …  2003-04 Playoffs: Scored his first-career WHL Playoff goal at Spokane 3/23 … Second on the team with five goals … His 46 PIM during the playoffs ranked second on the team.

 

2002-03 with Kootenay (WHL): Tied for first on team in rookie scoring with 16 points for the Kootenay Ice … Tied for 11th on the team overall … Fourth on the team in plus/minus with a +4 rating ... Ranked second on team among rookies with 65 games played … 69 PIM led team among rookies.

 

Other Career Notes:  Older brother, Colby, was chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1^st Round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, and currently for the Atlanta Thrashers.