Rivermen Announce Roster, Captains for 2022-23
October 21, 2022 – Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) – Peoria Rivermen News Release
PEORIA, IL – The Rivermen announced on Friday their opening roster for the 2022-23 season along with their captains for the year as well. Peoria embarks on their first President’s Cup title defense in their 41st season of hockey in the River City.
Alec Hagaman has been named captain for the third consecutive season. The Peoria native is just one of two back-to-back President’s Cup champions on the roster (the other being Nick Neville) and is the career SPHL points leader among all active players in the league. In addition, the Rivermen have announced four alternate captains. For home games, JM Piotrowski and Nick Neville will serve as alternate captains with Alec Baer and Zach Wilkie serving as alternate captains for road games. This marks Neville and Baer’s second straight season serving as Rivermen assistant captains and the first year for Piotrowski and Wilkie.
On the whole, the Rivermen sport 12 forwards on their opening night roster including Brendan Soucie, Austin Wisely, Alec Hagaman, JM Piotrowski, Mitch McPherson, Cayden Cahill, Kasey Kulczycki, Austin Morgan, Alec Baer, Joseph Drapluk, Ben Assad, and Tyler Barrow. Of the forwards, only Morgan is a true professional rookie. Ben Assad also returns to Peoria after a strong showing at the end of the year, though not playing in the playoffs.
On defense, the Rivermen boast six defensemen including Dale Deon, Braydon Barker, Zach Wilkie, Nick Neville, Eliott St-Pierre, and Brendan St-Louis. St-Pierre comes to Peoria from the Huntsville Havoc where he played last season and St-Louis returns to the Rivermen after playing in one game for Peoria last season.
Finally, the Rivermen return championship goaltender Eric Levine in net while bringing former Vermilion County Bobcats goaltender Ben Churchfield into the fold. Churchfield boasts a wealth of experience from last season and in the division III college ranks while Levine is coming off a record-setting year where he led the SPHL in wins and shutouts.
In total, the Rivermen return 11 players from last year’s championship squad and will have a solid core to compete in this year’s SPHL. Peoria is on the road tonight in Quad City before returning to Peoria on Saturday, October 22 for their home opener against Quad City. Face-off is set for 7:15 pm at Carver Arena.
Hoist the colors with Rivermen hockey this year by becoming a 2022-23 season ticket holder! Click here for more information. Be sure to follow the Rivermen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news and updates.
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