AMERICANS INK U.S. PROSPECT RILEY HILLIS

KENNEWICK, WA – Tri-City Americans Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that the club has signed 16-year-old prospect Riley Hillis to a standard WHL Players Contract.

Hillis, a 5’11 180-pound defenseman from Arvada, Colorado, spent the 2011-12 season competing as a member of the Rocky Mountain Roughriders U-16 team, appearing in 65 games and collecting 6 goals, 22 points and 60 penalty minutes.  Hillis, who was listed by Tri-City this past June, recently attended the Americans’ rookie camp last week, earning an assist in Team White’s 5-2 win over Team Blue to round out the camp.

“Riley came into our camp as a relatively unknown player and earned a contract with our club based on his play,” explained Tory.  “We are very happy that Riley and his parents have chosen the Americans and the WHL for his future hockey development.”

Hillis becomes the second high-profile U.S. prospect to sign with the Americans this week, joining LA Selects Bantam goaltender, Evan Sarthou, and the third since March after the club signed Beau McCue from the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes.
 
Riley will stay with the club through this weekend’s Everett Silvertips Pre-Season Tournament and then will return home to Colorado to spend the 2012-13 season with the Colorado Thunderbirds U-16 squad.

The Tri-City Americans officially launch the 2012 Pre-Season tonight, as they travel west to take part in Day 1 of the Everett Silvertips’ Holiday Inn Pre-Season Classic at Comcast Arena.  Before taking part in an afternoon affair against Portland on Saturday, the Americans take on the host Silvertips tonight at 7:00 p.m.  Stay up to date on all the weekend’s action by downloading Tri-City’s mobile app, Americans Mobile, powered by U.S. Cellular.  Now available for Android, iPhone and BlackBerry devices.