Riley Nash

Riley Nash (born May 9, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, 21st overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and has also played in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Nash was born in Consort, Alberta, but raised in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Amateur

In his first full Junior A season in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in 2006–07, Nash scored 84 points in 55 games to finish as the Silverbacks' top scorer, rookie of the year and the team's most valuable player (MVP). Although he was drafted 21st overall by the Edmonton Oilers at the end of the season at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, he opted against immediately signing with the team.

Instead, Nash went on to play college ice hockey at Cornell University of the NCAA's ECAC conference, where he was a linemate of future NHLer Colin Greening. As was the case at Salmon Arm, Nash played at Cornell with his older brother Brendon, a defenceman. In his freshman year with the Big Red, Nash was selected as the Cornell University Hockey Rookie of the Year and to the 2007–08 College Hockey News All-Rookie Team.

Professional

On June 26, 2010, Nash was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for the 46th pick at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Nearly one month later, on July 19, Nash signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Hurricanes, forgoing his final year of eligibility at Cornell. On December 23, 2011, Nash recorded his first career NHL point on an assist on Andreas Nödl's goal against the Ottawa Senators, and he later scored his first career NHL goal against the Florida Panthers on March 2, 2013.

After six seasons with the Hurricanes organization, Nash left as a free agent to sign a two-year contract with the Boston Bruins on July 1, 2016. In the 2017–18 season, Nash enjoyed a breakout season in establishing new career highs with 15 goals, 26 assists and 41 points in 76 regular season games.

As a free agent, Nash left the Bruins and signed a three-year, $8.25 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 1, 2018.

On April 9, 2021, Nash was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a conditional seventh round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Riley's brother, Brendon Nash, played for the Montreal Canadiens and the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are of no relation to Rick Nash, although Riley and Rick both played for the Boston Bruins during the 2017–18 season. Nash and his wife Clare welcomed their first child a boy named Rhett on February 2, 2021.

Regular season and playoffs

International