UMD Athletics

AS A BULLDOG: Experienced a sophomore surge of sorts in 2017-18 and wound up topping UMD in goals (16) while finishing third in points (29 -- nearly double his rookie-year harvest) ... will take UMD’s best career-plus minus rating (+26) into the 2018-19 season ... scored more times on the power play (five) than any other Bulldog last winter ... all but three of his 16 goals were recorded in UMD victories ... torched Colorado College with a personal-best four points -- two goals and two assists -- on Jan. 12, 2018 in Colorado Springs, Colo. ... opened 2017-18 by making the Ice Breaker All-Tournament Team ... took home a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship last December and January ... slowly and steadily progressed during his inaugural collegiate season and by the tailend of the year had developed into one of the nation’s top go-to rookies ... was held without a point for his first 14 games in a UMD sweater before finding his scoring groove ...placed sixth among 2016-17 Bulldogs in goals with nine (all but one of which came in even strength situations) and chipped in another seven assists for a 16-point season ... bagged UMD’s final goal of 2016-17 -- a second-period score against Denver in the NCAA Frozen Four championship bout ... was chosen the NCHC Offensive Player of the Week after figuring in on four of UMD’s nine goals in its two-game sweep of North Dakota on Jan. 20-21, 2017 in Grand Forks, N.D. ... recorded his first career two-goal night in the series opener with the Fighting Hawks that weekend and scored once and assisted on another marker the following evening ... had the launch of his UMD career put on hold while nursing an upper body injury the first two weekends of the season ... also was injured for the backend of the Western Michigan road series in early March.
BEFORE UMD: Became the fourth UMD product ever to be taken in the first round of the NHL Draft in June 2016 when the Dallas Stars made him the 25th overall selection ... Larry Wright (8^th in 1971), Matt Niskanen (28^th in 2005) and Dylan Olsen (28^th in 2009) are UMD's other first-round draft picks ... attended the 2016 National Junior Evaluation Camp in Plymouth, Minn. later that summer ...  Is the third Mr. Hockey Award (top Minnesota high school senior) winner to enlist his services with the Bulldogs, joining defenseman Kris Miller (1988) and center Avery Peterson (2014) … paced all 2015-16 Minnesota Class AA pucksters in goals with 49 while his 78 points were good for a share of the state AA lead … nailed down a spot on the 2015-16 Associated Press All-State First Team in addition to be honored as the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Metro Player of the Year … was a three-time All-Northwest Suburban Conference wing as well …. served as a team captain in each of his final two years at Blaine High School … sandwiched his senior prep season between two somewhat short 2015-16 stints with the United States Hockey League’s Fargo Force … generated 14 points in 27 outings as a member for the Force last season … a team-leading six of his 10 goals came while Fargo was on the power play.... capped off a stellar 2014-15 season by securing Minneapolis Star Tribune All-State (second team) and St. Paul Pioneer Press All-Metro East honors ... his junior year scoring output included 51 points (23 goals and 28 assists) in 24 games... suited up for the U.S. select team at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup in Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia, where he played under head coach Derek Plante, (a former UMD assistant and 1992-93 All-American center) ... was the No. 1 overall pick (by Fargo) in the 2014 USHL draft ... skated in the 2015 CCM All-American Prospects Game for Team Roenick and played against another member of the 2016-17 UMD recruiting class, Joey Anderson.
BULLDOG MILESTONES: First Game - vs. Notre Dame (Oct. 14, 2016).  First Goal - vs. St. Cloud State (Jan. 13, 2017). First Assist - vs. Colorado College (Jan. 6, 2017). Most Goals, Game - 2 (4 Times). Most Points, Game - 4 at Colorado College (Jan. 12, 2018). Most Shots, Game - 7 at Maine (Oct. 28, 2017). Longest Scoring Streak - 5 Games (Feb. 23-Mar. 9, 2018).
PERSONAL: Born Riley Jack Tufte in Coon Rapids, Minn. ... is the son of Jamie (a member of the UMD football program in 1985) and Amy Tufte ... has three siblings (Gavin, who closed out his collegiate puck career at Gustavus Adolphus College in 2015-16, Tanner and Tessa) ... two of his uncles -- Ross and Todd Dahl -- both played hockey at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, while another uncle, Craig Dahl, was the head men's hockey coach at St. Cloud State for 18 seasons before stepping down in 2005 ... is majoring in communication at UMD.