Washington (Pa.) native Riley Barber hopes to stick with Penguins
WILKES-BARRE — It wasn’t exactly a new experience for Riley Barber.
Scoring goals at Mohegan Sun Arena is something he has done with some regularity since becoming a professional in 2015.
He just did it for the rival Hershey Bears.
On Wednesday, he did it for the first time as a member of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
During a 6-2 loss to the Providence Bruins, linemate Sam Miletic forced a turnover at the offensive blue line. Barber took the puck, reversed ice and hustled toward the Bruins net. Approaching the crease, he shuffled a forehand shot between the legs of goaltender Dan Valdar.
(Video courtesy Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
“I was pumped,” said Barber, a native of Washington, Pa. “Usually, you’re scoring for the other team in the building. It was good for them to cheer for me for once. It was good.”
Barber has been good since joining the Penguins after being acquired, along with forward Phil Varone, in a Feb. 20 trade with the Montreal Canadiens.
Primarily working on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s top line, Barber, 26, had five points (two goals, three assists) in his first five games.
Barber routinely has been a producer in the American Hockey League. In his first four AHL seasons, he reached the 20-goal mark three times, including a career-best 31 goals last season. With 15 goals this season, he has a shot at 20 goals once again.
Yet, despite being so productive at this level, he has played only 12 games in the NHL. Nine of those came this season when injuries ravaged the Canadiens’ lineup.
Barber keeps things in perspective.
“You can drive yourself crazy thinking of the what-ifs or what-coulds,” said Barber, a sixth-round pick of the Capitals in 2012. “But at the end of the day, I get to play a game for a living. That’s really special. The teams I was a part of in Hershey were really, really good. The (NHL affiliate) Washington Capitals, the four years I was there, they won the Stanley Cup once, Presidents Trophy two or three times. … A lot of it comes to luck, being in the right organization at the right time.”
Things did not go right for Barber at the end of his time with the Canadiens and their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Barber and Varone, a forward and former AHL MVP, were made healthy scratches recently by Rocket coach Joel Bouchard. Afterward, Bouchard was blunt, but hardly specific, when explaining the reasons for the scratches.
“I didn’t take them out of the lineup because I thought they were playing excellent hockey,” Bouchard said to The Athletic. “‘It’s their job to stay engaged.”
Barber declined to describe what happened in depth with Bouchard.
“They made a decision to go our separate ways, ” Barber said. “Stuff happened in the locker room that stays in the locker room. That’s how I run things. What happens behind closed doors happens behind closed doors. I loved my time there. I loved being a part of the Montreal Canadiens. It was special. To be able to put that jersey on, they gave me an opportunity to live my dreams.
“To speak on what happened in Laval, I can’t really speak for the coach there. At the end of the day, he makes decisions. As a player, under contract, you’re obligated to do your job no matter the circumstances. I showed up to practice, showed up to everything after that and played my hardest.”
For a 20-something who grew up in Western Pennsylvania before moving to Michigan at age 13, Barber landed in a good spot playing for his hometown organization.
“When I got the call that was going to be part of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, I was ecstatic,” said Barber, whose father is former NHL forward Don Barber. “Everything happens for a reason. This year has been quite a whirlwind. It’s crazy it comes full circle, and you come back here.”
A day after the trade, Barber made his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton debut in a 2-1 home win against the Bears. He recorded an assist in that contest.
“Being able to put that black and yellow on for the first time, it’s something that I’ll definitely never forget,” he said. “I grew up fantasizing playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins. To think that it actually could be a possibility and the fact that I’m in the organization and wearing the colors is pretty cool for sure.”
“One of the things I’ve talked about with him since he’s been here is to play the game faster,” said Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach and general manager Mike Vellucci. “He’s a really good skater, but I think he’s really a thinker. Sometimes, you’ve just got to play and use your speed as an asset.”
According to CapFriendly, Barber will be a pending restricted free agent this offseason. He would prefer to remain a member of the organization and to potentially play for the NHL club.
He is aware of what needs to happen in order for either of those goals to occur.
“I would love to stick around this organization and be a part of it,” Barber said. “That’s handled by the agent and the team. But it’s also handled by the way I play. I’ve got to play well enough for them to want to keep me around.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.