Stars Announce 2022-23 Leadership Group
October 11, 2022 – United States Hockey League (USHL) – Lincoln Stars News Release
Lincoln Stars head coach Rocky Russso announced on Thursday his leadership group for the 2022-23 season. Mason Marcellus will serve as captain while Antonio Fernandez, Doug Grimes and Boston Buckberger were selected as alternate captains.
The four players bring between them a combined 200 games of USHL experience. Marcellus, Fernandez and Grimes are all in their second season with the Stars while Buckberger is in his first.
“Whenever the team ultimately selects captains you have to make sure that they are selected for the right reasons,” Russo said. “You saw natural leadership from our veteran players with Mason, Antonio and Doug. Boston, being a veteran junior hockey player, was able to come in and lead by example and immediately lead by example and become a great piece right away. Those guys are driven to succeed as individuals and collectively as a group and I think they are going to be a great example for the rest of our guys as we move forward.”
Marcellus, 20, was a regular on the Stars’ top line last season and has picked up right where he left off early this season. The Greely, Ontario, native scored 10 goals and added 36 assists in 62 games last season. Marcellus skated on a line with Aidan Thompson (82 points) and Lucas Wahlin (61 points), who have gone on to play collegiately at Denver and St. Thomas, respectively.
Marcellus, a Quinnipiac commit, leads the Stars with seven points (2+5) in four games this year while skating with fellow returners Grimes and Tanner Ludtke. Stars coaches and players voted to name Marcellus this season’s captain.
“We have such a great group of guys and leaders on this team,” Marcellus said, “and I’m so happy that I can lead them. Yeah, I have a ‘C’ on my jersey but this whole team is going to lead. Just knowing that they picked me is really humbling and I’m so excited.”
Fernandez, 19, is also in his second season with the Stars and bolstered the blue line with 14 goals and 18 assists while playing in all 62 games last season. This is the Princeton commit’s third consecutive season playing for Russo, which began in 2020-21 with the Amarillo Bulls of the North American Hockey League.
“I’m gonna do my job and I’m going to make sure everyone else is doing their job,” Fernandez said. “Their job is making sure that I’m doing my job. A big part of being a great team is having everyone be accountable.”
Grimes, 20, is in his third year in the USHL and his second in Lincoln. The Boston University commit scored four goals in 22 games with Sioux City in 2020-21 before playing in eight games with Cedar Rapids last year. Grimes scored eight goals and added eight assists in 34 games last season with the Stars after being acquired via trade in December.
“It’s about living every day to my best,” Grimes said, “and showing everyone else how things should be done. I’m going to make sure I give it my all every day to show the younger guys and the other guys that that’s the standard here.”
Buckberger, 19, is the only member of this group who is not a returning member but has left his mark in a short time. The Wisconsin commit has scored once and added five assists through four games while also serving as the team’s lone defenseman on the top power-play unit. Buckberger has picked up right where he left off a season ago when he recorded 31 points (13+18) in 59 games with Brooks Bandits in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
“It’s a huge honor,” Buckberger said. “With the group we have I just couldn’t be more confident in what we can do. Having a letter is pretty cool but I think we are all leaders on this team and we have big things to come.”
Marcellus, Fernandez, Grimes and Buckberger get their first chance to sport their letters this weekend as the Stars face the Tri-City Storm on Friday and Saturday. Friday’s 7:05 p.m. game is Country Night at the Ice Box and tickets can be purchased at lincolnstars.com.
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