Damien Riat (born 26 February 1997) is a Swiss professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing with Lausanne HC of the National League (NL). Riat was drafted 117th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[1][2]

Damien Riat
Born (1997-02-26) February 26, 1997 (age 27)
Geneva, Switzerland
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position Winger
Shoots Right
NL team
Former teams
Lausanne HC
Genève-Servette HC
EHC Biel
National team   Switzerland
NHL draft 117th overall, 2016
Washington Capitals
Playing career 2015–present

Playing career

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Riat spent the 2014–15 season with Malmö Redhawks junior teams.[3] At the end of the season, he joined his hometown team, Genève-Servette HC on a three-year deal.[4]

Riat made his professional debut with Genève-Servette HC in the 2015–16 season, appearing in 45 National League games this season and putting up 21 points (9 goals). He went on to play three more seasons with Geneva, playing 139 regular season games (59 points) and 13 playoffs games (4 points).

On February 3, 2018, Riat agreed to a two-year contract with EHC Biel beginning from the 2018–19 season.[5][6]

On March 5, 2020, Riat was signed to a two-year entry-level contract by the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL).[7] On August 4, 2020, the Washington Capitals agreed to return Riat on loan to former club Genève-Servette HC for the beginning of the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the North American season.[8] On January 11, 2021, Riat was suspended for 7 games and fined CHF 6,000 for a hit from behind that sent HC Lugano's Elia Riva head first into the boards on January 8, 2021.[9] Riva left the ice on his skates and was brought to the hospital on a stretcher. On January 27, 2021, with one game remaining on his suspension, Riat was reassigned to the Hershey Bears of the AHL for the start of the shortened season.[10]

On August 12, 2021, Riat joined Lausanne HC for the 2021–22 season, on loan from the Washington Capitals.[11] In 35 regular season games with Lausanne, Riat collected 11 goals and 28 points. Following a first-round defeat in the post-season, Riat was signed to a two-year contract extension to remain with Lausanne on 22 April 2022.[12]

International play

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Medal record
Representing   Switzerland
Ice hockey
World Championships
  2018 Denmark

Riat was named to Switzerland's under-20 team for the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland. He played 6 games with the team, putting up 2 goals and 2 assists. Riat also made the team for the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He appeared in 5 games and scored 1 goal and 5 assists.

Riat made his IIHF World Championship debut in 2018 and won silver with Switzerland.[13] He made the trip to Bratislava, Slovakia for the 2019 IIHF World Championship with team Switzerland and was a healthy scratch for the first two games before being sent back home to make room for Sven Andrighetto.[14]

Personal life

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Riat is the older brother of HC Sierre's player, Arnaud Riat.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Notre Dame Argos SMHL 36 4 9 13 58 3 0 0 0 2
2013–14 Notre Dame Argos SMHL 44 18 38 56 56 12 5 7 12 28
2014–15 Malmö Redhawks J20 40 7 7 14 70
2014–15 Malmö Redhawks Allsv 3 0 0 0 0
2015–16 Genève-Servette HC Elite Jr. A 4 3 5 8 10
2015–16 Genève-Servette HC NLA 45 9 12 21 34 4 1 2 3 10
2016–17 Genève-Servette HC NLA 46 7 7 14 36 4 0 0 0 4
2017–18 Genève-Servette HC NL 48 12 12 24 30 5 0 1 1 2
2018–19 EHC Biel NL 48 11 14 25 38 12 3 1 4 0
2019–20 EHC Biel NL 36 11 11 22 57
2020–21 Genève-Servette HC NL 20 7 11 18 29
2020–21 Hershey Bears AHL 33 3 6 9 12
2021–22 Lausanne HC NL 35 11 17 28 12 8 1 1 2 2
2022–23 Lausanne HC NL 52 9 16 25 24
NL totals 330 77 100 177 260 33 5 5 10 18

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2013 Switzerland IH18 6th 4 1 0 1 2
2014 Switzerland U18 7th 5 1 1 2 0
2014 Switzerland IH18 7th 4 1 2 3 25
2015 Switzerland U18 4th 7 3 2 5 4
2016 Switzerland WJC 9th 6 2 2 4 8
2017 Switzerland WJC 7th 5 1 5 6 8
2018 Switzerland WC   6 0 0 0 0
2022 Switzerland WC 5th 5 1 0 1 2
2023 Switzerland WC 5th 5 1 3 4 0
Junior totals 31 9 12 21 47
Senior totals 16 2 3 5 2

References

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  1. ^ "Damien Riat drafted 117th overall by the Capitals". swisshockeynews.ch. 2016-06-26. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  2. ^ "A closer look at the six selections on the second day of the 2006 NHL Draft". russianmachineneverbreaks.com. 2016-06-26. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  3. ^ "Three players to Malmo junior team" (in Swedish). expressen.se. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  4. ^ "Damien Riat returns to GSHC" (in French). Genève-Servette HC. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  5. ^ "Damien Riat signs with Biel" (in German). EHC Biel. 2018-02-03. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  6. ^ "EHC Biel can count on Riat in the upcoming season". swisshockeynews.ch. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  7. ^ "The Washington Capitals sign Damien Riat to a two-year contract". swisshockeynews.ch. 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  8. ^ "Damien Riat returns on loan" (in French). Genève-Servette HC. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  9. ^ "GSHC's Damien Riat suspended for seven games". swisshockeynews.ch. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  10. ^ "To North America - Damien Riat has been called back by the Capitals". swisshockeynews.ch. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  11. ^ "Lausanne HC inks Damien Riat for the upcoming season". swisshockeynews.ch. 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  12. ^ "Damien Riat extends with LHC" (in French). Lausanne HC. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  13. ^ "The Swiss provisional roster for Worlds is set". swisshockeynews.ch. 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  14. ^ "Due to Andrighetto's arrival, Damien Riat has to return home". swisshockeynews.ch. 2019-05-12. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
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