Canadiens: After An MVP Season In Germany, Who Is Riley Sheen?

Every once in a while, I stumble upon a player whose career path just makes me shake my head and go, what? And admittedly, this has often applied to the Montreal Canadiens.

From former AHL spares in Corey Scheunemann and Michael Pezzetta finding regular roles with the Canadiens this year, to the development of long-time ECHL regulars in David Desharnais into NHL regulars and eventual first-line centers, Montreal has had a penchant for finding consistent talent in the unlikeliest of places, and for many people, overseas hockey is one of those very places.

In contrast to their success locally, the Canadiens have had a hit and miss record when it comes to signing overseas talent, largely failing to grab the more promising and or “proven” options, whether they work out or not. While we’ve recently been spoiled by the likes of Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin, and even Artemi Panarin (yes, he was an overseas signing, unbelievably), there was a time where things didn’t work out quite as well. From Vadim Shipachyov to Sergei Shumakov to Jan Kovar, there’s a reason why teams are at times hesitant to go all in on overseas talent, largely leaving it in the always spinning rumor mill.

Over this past season though, I did notice some of these same stories that were cut from a slightly different cloth, and Riley Sheen is no such exception and honestly, is one of the more bizarre stories I’ve come across in quite some time. During last year’s 2020-21 season, I caught wind of and started following a Canadian forward who had emerged as one of the KHL’s top scorers, Justin Danforth. Danforth’s paths was of an entirely different sort compared to most of the KHL’s north American talent, having had just 21 AHL games to his name, let alone NHL.

A top scorer for a small College in Sacred Heart University and having seen nothing more than ECHL ice over his first two pro seasons, Danforth opted to head overseas and thrived over three years as a top scorer in both the SM-Liiga and KHL. After speculating about him joining the Canadiens a la Bud Holloway, he eventually earned a surprising NHL deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets last off-season. While I expected Danforth to be nothing more than an AHL contributor, he shocked both me and pretty much every other hockey fan on the planet by finding a regular bottom six role with the team, posting 10-4-14 totals over 45 games and earning a Bill Masterton Nomination.

Considering how rare it is that a player from a background like Danforth makes the NHL to begin with, it got me thinking about what other similar stories are lurking out there, and that eventually brought me to Sheen. While I picked up on Ontario native Lucas Edmonds after having made his OHL debut after four years overseas (bizarre I know), the Kingston Frontenacs star is the definition of an overager and has work ethic concerns which limit his NHL potential, though I would like to discuss him further at some point.

After an MVP season in Germany in 2021-22, Canadian forward Riley Sheen has emerged as a top offensive option overseas and possibly, for the Canadiens.

As for Sheen, I honestly think he trumps Danforth as the most bizarre career path I’ve seen a player take to get to where he currently is. A native of Edmonton Alberta, Sheen got his start with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, eventually building a reputation as a journeyman over his four seasons in the league. In spite of posting three consecutive 40-point seasons, including 24-47-71 totals over 71 games in his over-ager season, Sheen was ignored by most, if not all professional circuits, opting eventually for Usports and even briefly, senior hockey.

After spending the 2015-16 season at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Sheen signed with the Lacombe Generals, a Senior AAA team, and four-time Allan Cup Champions. After winning the Allan Cup with the team in 2016-17, Sheen spent two seasons with the University of Calgary (being named a first-team All Star in 2018-19) before beginning his journey overseas, progressing from the VHL with ORG Beijing (affiliate of Kunlun Red Star) to the German second division (winning a league title with the Bietigheim Steelers) to an eventual star in the DEL after his team was promoted to first division.

So, to recap briefly, Sheen has gone from junior hockey to university hockey, to senior hockey, back to university hockey, on to Russia’s equivalent of the AHL, Germany’s equivalent of the AHL, and finally, Germany’s top division. To say Sheen’s career path is unique would be a huge understatement, with most Senior AAA players having already well-concluded their professional careers, ditto most Usports stars, at least in general. Playing alongside a number of former AHL regulars in C.J Stretch, Brendan Ranford and Jalen Smereck, Sheen took the DEL by storm in 2021-22, winning forward of the year, player of the year, and the goal-scoring title, posting immensely impressive 40-24-64 totals over 55 games.

Now, while Sheen is contracted to the SweHL officially next season (having signed with Rogle BK) it’s clear the 27-year old’s chances at the top levels overseas are only just beginning after having endured anything and everything to get to this point to begin with. Now, obviously, the operative question is, does Sheen have a future or a chance back in North America, and well, that’s an extremely tough question to answer, being quite frankly a miracle it’s a question in the first place.

Just last season, Sheen was cut from a cloth of players I am mostly, if not entirely unfamiliar with. One of the few leagues I don’t follow at all are the second division and lower-level leagues present in places like Germany, Ukraine, Austria, or Poland, mostly because these players are insignificant in the grand scheme of things for North American hockey. Yet, in just one season, Sheen has flipped that assumption on its head, and makes it so, partly due to his complete obscurity beforehand and surprise performance this season, his North American potential has to be brought up if ever so slightly.

At the end of the day, there’s ultimately a reason Sheen was passed over professionally and had to take the path he took. It took him a while to find his footing in junior and he could never find a consistent home, and, when it comes down to it, Sheen stands at just 5’10 and 155 pounds. For contrast, one of the biggest question marks I had from the Habs this season, was why Jean Sebastien Dea was not given a chance with the team, having been one of Laval’s leading scorers and a player with some previous NHL experience. Well, at 5’11 and 168, Dea simply struggles to keep up physically in the NHL and as such has never played more than 20 games in a season.

Going back to Sheen, it’s obvious those measurements aren’t cut out for the NHL in the slightest. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s an entirely lost cause. When you get down to it, Sheen’s offensive numbers can’t be ignored, especially considering where’s he’s come from beforehand, and, for an AHL or ECHL team looking for an offensive boost (like the ones affiliated with the Canadiens), I could see Sheen becoming a brief contributor in those leagues should he wish to.

At the moment, his season next year in Sweden will determine his future at the top professional level, though I have reason to believe this, as stated, is only the beginning, and the same applies to North America, whether it be for a Canadiens affiliate in the Laval Rocket, Trois Rivieres Lions, or any other similar pro team. In the end, Riley Sheen is just another unbelievable story of perseverance from an obscure and bizarre background, and while it seems like his North American chances are slim, I have reason to believe there’s more to this tried-and-true journeyman, than meets the eye.

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