Amherst Ramblers defenceman Jeremiah Martin was presented with the Bill Riley Scholarship during this past weekend’s Halifax Hockey Summit.
The $2,000 scholarship, created this year, will be presented annually to a graduating player in Nova Scotia of African descent who plans to pursue a post-secondary education after high school. Like Riley, Hockey Nova Scotia says the recipient should be a driven, hard-working student who is passionate about hockey.
Martin was selected by the Ramblers as a Territorial Draft pick in the 2021 MHL Entry Draft. In his first season in Amherst, Martin had three goals and six assists in 37 games. He added two goals in five games in the Canadian Tire Cup Playoffs.
Riley, an Amherst native and former Ramblers star, was the third Black player to play in the NHL and the first African Nova Scotian. After his NHL career, Riley would captain the AHL’s now-defunct New Brunswick Hawks to a Calder Cup championship in 1982. He also served as captain of the Halifax-based Nova Scotia Voyageurs.
The Halifax Hockey Summit was a two day symposium to help spark positive change in hockey by having difficult conversations that connect directly to numerous social issues, highlighting openness and inclusion. Riley was on hand to present Martin with his award in person.
The MHL thanks Hockey Nova Scotia and Mr. Riley for their efforts and congratulates Martin on his scholarship.