by Jordan Conn | AHL On The Beat
Every youth hockey player would sign up to have the life of Providence Bruins forward Riley Tufte.
He has won two NCAA national championships and scored 93 professional hockey goals, including one for the Boston Bruins this season. However, he has also overcome a lot of adversity to get to where he is.
A native of Coon Rapids, Minn., Tufte fell in love with the sport at a young age, skating on the frozen ponds and outdoor rinks with his two older brothers and attending St. Cloud State University games where his uncle was the head coach.
When he was 11 years old, Tufte was playing for Blaine Peewee, when he noticed something was wrong.
“I was super thirsty all the time,” said Tufte, who won his national championships for his home state with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. “I would come off the ice onto the bench and drink
a whole bottle of water and still be thirsty. I couldn’t get enough water in me. I couldn’t stop going to the bathroom, every five minutes. I think I lost like 20 pounds. I felt sluggish and tired all
the time.”
His mother, a nurse at North Memorial Hospital, recognized some of the symptoms and brought him to Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune
disease where the immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leading to little to no insulin production and causing hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar.
For a boy that dreamed of playing hockey at the highest level possible, this was difficult news.
Doctors told Tufte that he needed to “tone it down” and that he may not be able to compete as much as he would like.
Tufte was able to learn more about his diagnosis from one of his peewee teammates who also had Type 1 diabetes.
“I was actually asking him questions about his diabetes about three weeks before I was diagnosed. It was nice having a teammate, especially at that young age, that was going through the same things you were.”
The diabetes diagnosis didn’t slow Tufte’s drive to play professional hockey, but it did change the way he had to approach his life. He began taking extra precautions on and off the ice to make sure that his body wasn’t just ready for games, but for everyday life.
“I was pricking my finger 10 times a day,” Tufte said. “I was giving myself a shot every time I ate or drank something that had carbs or sugar in it. There’s a lot that goes into it. It’s a game of keeping your blood sugar level because you don’t want it to get too high or too low. It’s eating at the right times and sticking to it consistently. It was challenging, but as you do it every day, you get better at it and understand how your body is feeling.”
Shortly after his diagnosis, Tufte received a letter from Toby Petersen, then a forward for the Dallas Stars, who also has Type 1 diabetes. Petersen’s letter motivated Tufte to follow his passion and
helped him see someone who battles through the same disease reach their goals.
Seven years later, Tufte was drafted in the first round (25th overall) by Dallas. After four seasons in the organization, he signed with the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent in the summer of 2023, the same time Petersen was hired as the skills coach for the Avalanche.
“We got to talk about everything, including the letter that he wrote me when I was 11. Now, he’s the head coach of the Texas Stars. It’s a small world. Everything circles back and it’s a really cool story.”
Now in his second season with the Bruins organization, Tufte carries a green bag labeled “DIABEAUTY” on the bench with him every time he takes the ice for practices and games.
“Someone called me ‘Diabeauty’ when I was younger and I thought that was a cool name, so I’ve kind of just stuck with it. When I was in Texas, my trainer actually made it (the bag) for me. I keep my monitor in there, some insulin, shots, a finger prick, and other extra supplies.”
It’s always been about being a hockey player for Tufte, who posted 0.72 points per game in the 2024-25 season with the Providence Bruins, the highest number in his AHL career. This season,
he totals 23 points in 23 games and ranks third on the team with 11 goals.
The now 6-foot-6, 233-pound forward was pondering what he would say to his 11-year-old self.
“The message is don’t quit,” he said. “The days can get hard; there are good days and bad days. Everybody goes through them. Especially with diabetes, some days are better than others. I’d say keep grinding through it all.”