American winger Riley Barber, 31, has signed a one-year contract with ERC Ingoldstadt, the DEL club announced on Wednesday.

“I had very good discussions with (club management), which were very helpful and ultimately reinforced my decision,” said Barber. “Ingolstadt is one of the best teams in the DEL and had a fantastic season last year, so I’m looking forward to joining the team, finding out where my place in the lineup will be, and then hopefully winning a lot of games.”

“We are convinced that Riley will play an important role for us,” said club sports director Tim Regan. “He has a successful career in North America and was also productive in the KHL. Riley has the goal-scoring gene and can also play a decisive role on the power play. The fact that he is a right-handed shot makes him even more valuable.”

The son of former NHLer Don Barber, Riley was born in Pittsburgh and played youth hockey in Michigan, eventually playing in the U.S. National Team Development Program, the 2012 IIHF U-18 World Championship and two World Juniors, winning a gold medal at each level. He was drafted in the sixth round, 167th overall, by the Washington Capitals in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

After playing three NCAA seasons at Miami University in Ohio, Barber signed with Washington in 2015 and, over the next eight seasons, played in the organizations of the Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars. Although he spent the majority of the time in the AHL, he played three NHL games with Washington, nine games with Montreal and four with Detroit, recording no points and four penalty minutes in 16 games.

Barber spent the last two seasons in the KHL playing for Barys Astana, Ak Bars Kazan and Neftekhimik Nizkhnekamsk, recording 64 points in 102 games.

Barber joins an Ingolstadt team that finished first in the DEL regular season but lost in the semifinals to Kölner Haie. The team also has former NHLers Kenny Agostino and Morgan Ellis under contract for 2025-26.

Photo © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images: Washington Capitals right wing Riley Barber (24) and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Trevor Carrick (46) battle for the puck during the 2017 pre-season.

Ex-Hab, Canadian Olympian Signs Contract Extension In Germany ERC Ingolstadt finished first in the DEL regular season and, with the playoffs about to start, <a href="https://www.erc-ingolstadt.de/profis/newsdetail?id=8257">announced on Friday that an important piece of this year’s team will be returning in 2025-26</a>, in the form of Canadian defenseman Morgan Ellis.