Rivermen Report: Still Need a Captain, Win Final Preseason Game, Four Cut and Set Roster
There hasn’t been enough of these, but this will likely be my last Rivermen Report post as The Peoria Rivermen blog will be taking over the duty very soon.
Who Will be the 2011-12 Team Captain?
The selection of a captain for the impending campaign back to the AHL playoffs has yet to be made by the Peoria Rivermen. The decision is likely to come soon, but here is who could likely be in the running.
Stefan Della Rovere – The blue collar, work hard and piss you off agitator is only entering his second full season of professional hockey, but is already making a name for himself. Registering 110 PIMs last season and captaining the Blues Traverse City squad last month. Young and brash, much like David Backes, but needs sometime to properly channel that mindset before wearing a letter other than an “A”.
Phil McRae – The younger McRae in Blues history is also entering his second full professional season and was part of the leadership group in Traverse City. He was a solid performer for the Rivermen last season registering 26 points in 46 games before sticking to the NHL roster for the final stretch of the season. Philip has shown a large scale improvement in his preseason play and in camp, but has more to prove before he wears a letter.
Ian Cole – The best defensemen in the organization not playing in the NHL will certainly gobble up the minutes for the Rivermen. The Blues want Cole playing as much is possible. Assuming they want to see him ascend to a leadership role is a logical inference. Doubtful that means a “C” when he is going to be the first recalled when injuries strike and reduce the depth chart three hours south.
TJ Hensick – The Rivermen’s leading scorer, one of the AHL’s best, will surely garner consideration as the team’s chosen leader. Hensick is a do it all player for Peoria and quite often those types end up with a letter. From my perspective I haven’t seen any overt leadership qualities. Is he more of a Eric Brewer type? That’s possible. Either way, his name will end up in the hat for consideration.
Brett Sterling – One of the more well traveled of the AHL’s scoring stars, Sterling has done it all. He was a key figure in the Chicago Wolves 2006-07 Western Conference Finals run as well as the Wolves 2007-08 Calder Cup championship. Though he may be a new face to the crowd, his resume is about as good as they come in the AHL. He’s likely one of two finalists.
Brennan Evans – The safe choice is likely Evans. He wore an “A” under captain Dean Arsene last season and remains as one of the most veteran players in the lineup. Appearing in 560 AHL games with six different teams. With a lineup, especially the blueline, as green as it is, Evans makes a ton of sense to counter balance the youth movement.
My Guess: Evans becomes captain with Sterling and Della Rovere taking “A”s.
Rivermen Top Rockford in Epic Shootout
Hit the link to read the recap on Rivermen.net. A 16 round shootout> Yep.
The Roster is Set
According to the Rivermen’s official release on their site, four players were cut and sent to their ECHL affiliate, the Alaska Aces, to drop the roster to 24. Those sent to Alaska were Chris Bruton, Ethan Cox, Chris Langkow and Andrew Hayes.
Forwards (12): TJ Hensick, Phil McRae, Chase Polacek, Kyle Hagel, Derek Nesbitt, Stefan Della Rovere, Adam Cracknell, Jay Barriball, Anthony Peluso, Anthony Nigro, Tyler Shattock, Brett Sterling.
Defensemen (8): Jake Gannon, Brett Ponich, David Shields, Mark Cundari, Danny Syvret, Cade Fairchild, Ian Cole, Brennan Evans
Goalies: (2) Ben Bishop and Jake Allen
