For the last number of years, hockey fans have had the pleasure of watching Winnipegger Riley Stotts light up the Western Hockey League, and U SPORTS. After spending the majority of the last eight seasons in Calgary, Stotts has returned home, making an immediate impact for the Manitoba Bisons.
 
Stotts – an effortless skater with tremendous hockey IQ – has nine points in his first eight games for the Herd, showcasing his 200-foot game as a play-making centre. With six points in their first eight games, the Bisons are just five points shy of their total from all of last year.
 
Overall, 15 different Bisons have at least one point, including WHL alums Eric Alarie, Hayden Ostir and Skyler Bruce, who've combined for 21. Stotts has logged notable minutes with each player, with his six assists tied for the team lead.
 
"I think it starts with how tight our group is. We're a close group, everyone loves being around each other. It's fun being around a group that's so close, I think that helps," Stotts said of the team's early success.
 
"When it can be like that, you can transition that chemistry onto the ice and when we have all four lines going, it's big. We have a steady D group, it's good. It helps us a lot. There's a lot of jokes and laughs being thrown around, it's fun."
 
Stotts is one of ten standout commits second-year head coach Gordon Burnett brought in for the 2024-25 season. Every player has WHL experience, and a breadth of knowledge, but Stotts has perhaps the best resume, having been drafted in the third round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by Toronto.
 
"I had no idea. I knew it wasn't going to be the first day, if there was a time it was going to be the second day," Stotts said of his pro selection.
 
"I sat there and watched [on TV]. It kind of cut to commercial, but the TV was behind, so my friend refreshed his phone and goes 'you just got drafted.' That's how I found out. It was fun. I got to be with friends and family."
 
Prior to the start of multiple WHL seasons, Stotts had the honour of lacing up with some of the world's best players before heading back to junior. With a massive Maple Leafs development staff, he was able to hone his game further.
 
"Just watching those guys like [Mitch] Marner, [Auston] Matthews, [John] Tavares, [Morgan] Riley on D. It's crazy being on the ice with them. It's one thing watching on TV, but once you get on the ice with them and see all the tiny things they do all the time, consistently, it's pretty cool to watch, just the way they handle the puck, how they're so smart with it. They're reliable, they often don't make mistakes. Every first pass is on the tape."
 
A proven history of success
Stotts' pro selection was the culmination of years of hard work.
 
A prodigious AAA talent in Manitoba, he put up 76 points in 30 games at the U14 level with the Winnipeg Monarchs, and followed that up with 68 points in 29 games at the U15 level. Then, in 2015-16, he racked up 58 points in 38 games for the U18 Winnipeg Wild.
 
Stotts skated circles around the competition, his play appearing effortless, like poetry in motion. He was selected tenth overall in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft by the Swift Current Broncos, getting traded in 2017-18 to the Calgary Hitmen.
 
Stotts was an immediate force in the top six for Calgary, putting up 41 points in the 47 games he played. He was an assistant captain for three straight seasons afterwards, recording 180 points in 194 combined regular season games.
 
In 2019, he helped the re-building program advance to the WHL's Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The team's roster that year featured ten future NHL Draft picks, including Stotts.
 
Calgary's post-season run included a thrilling comeback against provincial rival Lethbridge in round one, battling back from two games down to take the series in seven.
 
Stotts had six points in the first six games of the series, helping the team overcome a 2-0 series deficit for just the third time in their history.
 
"It was awesome. We went into that with a chip on our shoulder playing them throughout the season," Stotts said at the time.
 
"Especially after the first two games of the series, the way they were acting leaving the ice, it really ticked us off. We all remember that to this day. It set us on a good path moving forward in that series."
 
Stotts' next destination was university, where he was a point-per game player for the Calgary Dinos for three years.
 
Along the way, he helped the program to their first Canada West Championship since 1996, being named an All-Canadian in 2022-23. That year, his 26 assists in 28 regular season games were the third-most in the nation for the 25-3 Dinos.
 
Stotts made it to nationals twice during his time at Calgary. But without a doubt, the team's biggest accomplishment was a 27-game regular season win streak that surpassed the previous U SPORTS best of 26, set by UNB in the 2009-10 campaign.
 
"Winning a [Canada West] championship was cool, but probably the win streak was the coolest. I think [the mindset] was just don't lose. We can't lose. We had all that motivation behind it and it just gave you that extra energy for games, knowing you wanted to keep the streak alive," he recalled.
 
"I think it showed that big thing of trusting each other. We knew that if others did their job, you just had to stick to your job, and don't over-stretch things. I think it worked in that way, because we were able to be consistent each game. It led on for months and months, which was fun."
 
Stotts brings over 80 games of U SPORTS experience to Manitoba, and his poise and selfless play have been evident all season.
 
"I just try to be an all-around steady player and be consistent. I try to produce as much as I can to help out the team, and do the things that I can to be reliable, so I can be trusted on the ice. I'm a person who's there for others, a voice of reason who's there for support. I try to enjoy every day with everyone around me."