Finally, September has arrived, and hockey season is right around the corner! In just over two weeks, the NHL begins their preseason and there are now seven weeks until opening night in the SPHL. It's Friday, and once again we recap the activity throughout the SPHL as teams ramp up their preparations for the upcoming season. The SPHL signing deadline for protected players passed on September 1st. All unsigned players are now designated free agents, and free to sign with any SPHL team.
The first schedule change of the 2015-16 season has been announced. The December 20th game with the RiverKings at the IceGators has been moved to March 2nd. The change gives the IceGators three consecutive Wednesday night matches that month, beginning with the RiverKings, then the Ice Flyers, and finally the Rivermen visiting the Cajundome. The updated schedule can be viewed here.
The first schedule change of the 2015-16 season has been announced. The December 20th game with the RiverKings at the IceGators has been moved to March 2nd. The change gives the IceGators three consecutive Wednesday night matches that month, beginning with the RiverKings, then the Ice Flyers, and finally the Rivermen visiting the Cajundome. The updated schedule can be viewed here.
The Louisiana IceGators threw down all of their cards on deadline day and re-signed the seven remaining players on their protected list. The Gators announced the signings of centers Jeremy Boyer & Luke Kasteel, wingers Stephen Buco & Matt Viola, and defensemen Tanner Burton, Jordan Ciccarello, & Dan Cornell. Later in the week, Buco signed with the Adirondack Flames and will be attending their training camp.
In a conversation this week with Puck Off, IceGators coach Drew Omicioli likes how the off-season is progressing, stating, "I'm impressed with the overall talent level committed to camp thus far. I feel we have a complete balance of toughness and skill to go on with great goaltending and leadership - all the tools for a championship season." Regarding the team's preparations for next month's training camp, Omicioli continued, "I look forward to releasing the next group of signees and really looking forward to the level of competition at camp in five weeks."
In a conversation this week with Puck Off, IceGators coach Drew Omicioli likes how the off-season is progressing, stating, "I'm impressed with the overall talent level committed to camp thus far. I feel we have a complete balance of toughness and skill to go on with great goaltending and leadership - all the tools for a championship season." Regarding the team's preparations for next month's training camp, Omicioli continued, "I look forward to releasing the next group of signees and really looking forward to the level of competition at camp in five weeks."
The Columbus Cottonmouths inked a pair of rookies to their training camp roster. Tyler Henry played his collegiate career in Saskatchewan as a winger for the University of Regina. Henry played in 92 games for the Cougars and scored 21 goals with 36 assists. Defenseman Bryan Dalliare finished up his junior career with the EHL Northern Cyclones in 2013-14, where he put up 36 points and 89 PIMs in 40 games.
Huntsville added SPHL newcomers Ryan DeMelo and Ben MacAskill to their roster. DeMelo, a goalie, finished his collegiate career at Elmira last season then played 13 games for ECHL Brampton. DeMelo appeared in 13 games, with a 4.28 GAA and a .860 SV%. Blueliner MacAskill played college hockey at Dalhousie (NS) University, where he appeared in 126 games over five seasons. The Havoc now have 20 players signed for the upcoming season.
The Mississippi RiverKings announced that Matt Harrington has re-signed for his third season. The 5'11" center scored 12 goals and 14 assists in 33 games with the Kings, and played in 20 ECHL games last year in a pair of callups. Harrington will attend training camp with ECHL Wichita.
The Kings also released their promotional schedule, and are featuring three specialty jerseys as well as a pair of morning games in their Face Off Field Trip program with the local schools. The RiverKings will bring back a couple of popular promotions: Elvis themed jerseys and pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness. Also, for the second consecutive year, Mardi Gras hockey will be played, with the IceGators making the trip up to Southaven for a Fat Tuesday showdown.
The Kings also released their promotional schedule, and are featuring three specialty jerseys as well as a pair of morning games in their Face Off Field Trip program with the local schools. The RiverKings will bring back a couple of popular promotions: Elvis themed jerseys and pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness. Also, for the second consecutive year, Mardi Gras hockey will be played, with the IceGators making the trip up to Southaven for a Fat Tuesday showdown.
In Pensacola, the Ice Flyers acquired two rookies from the collegiate ranks: forward Scott Henegar and blueliner Jason Yee. Henegar, a forward, played in 114 games in four seasons with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and scored 37 goals with 38 assists. Yee, a defenseman, comes from the University of British Columbia, where he scored 7 goals and 20 assists in four years. Later in the week, the Ice Flyers re-signed high-scoring winger Nick McParland. McParland came to Pensacola in mid-season from ECHL Rapid City and made an immediate impact, scoring 22 goals and 18 assists in 38 games.
Peoria formally signed former IceGator Adam Stuart, who is set to attend training camp with ECHL Evansville. The Rivermen also announced the re-signings of hard-nosed center Dan Bremner, forwards Jordan Sims & Mike Gurtler, and defensemen Chris Weidauer & Richie Zobak. Later in the week, the Rivermen closed deals that slated Mike Gurtler, Ben Oskroba, and veteran winger Matt Summers to return to Peoria.