Dawgs Add Widmar, Move Valerian to Ir
November 13, 2024 - SPHL (SPHL)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release
ROANOKE, VA. - The Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Wednesday that forward Joe Widmar has reported to the team following his ECHL call-up with the Rapid City Rush. Roanoke also placed defenseman C.J. Valerian on the 14-day injured reserve, retroactive to November 3.
Widmar is in his eighth professional season overall and joins Roanoke for the first time after the Dawgs acquired his rights via an offseason trade with the Pensacola Ice Flyers over the summer. The six-foot-one center started this season in Rapid City, playing in seven games for the Rush before he was placed on waivers. Widmar has extensive experience across several pro leagues, appearing for 10 ECHL teams, a French team, a Polish team, and three teams in the SPHL (Peoria, Quad City, and Pensacola). The Northbrook, Illinois native has 77 points in 164 career ECHL games, while dominating the SPHL with 143 points (39 goals, 104 assists) and a plus-36 rating in 130 career regular season appearances during his stints in this league. In his 49 combined appearances for Pensacola and Peoria last season, Widmar managed to record 16 goals and 39 assists for a whopping 55 points. The right-shot centerman initially turned pro with Peoria before the 2017-18 campaign following his sophomore season at UMass (NCAA-DI), after Widmar totaled four goals and eight assists throughout his 57 career collegiate games. The 29-year-old will wear number 8 for the Dawgs.
Valerian is in his fourth season with the Dawgs, and had one assist and a plus-one rating in two games played against Pensacola at the start of November. Valerian missed extended time last season after a long stint on the injured reserve, but appeared in 15 combined regular season and postseason games for Roanoke. In those 15 games played, Valerian tallied one goal, six assists, and a plus-three rating from the blue line. The 29-year-old initially joined the Dawgs in February 2022, starting his pro career by netting his first goal less than three minutes into his debut game against Knoxville. In the 2022-2023 season, the six-foot-two defenseman put up one of the stronger campaigns among all SPHL blue-liners, with six goals, 16 assists, a team-best plus-22 plus/minus (fourth among all SPHL defensemen), and 88 penalty minutes. Valerian went on to record one assist and a plus-five plus/minus during the 2023 President's Cup Playoffs. As a rookie, the Gates Mills, Ohio native notched two goals and three assists in 17 regular season games and appeared in all nine of Roanoke's games during the 2022 President's Cup Playoffs. Prior to signing with Roanoke, Valerian played four seasons at New England College (NCAA-DIII) after transferring from Hobart College (NCAA-DIII) after one season.
The Rail Yard Dawgs are at home on Friday, November 15 against the Quad City Storm. Puck drop is slated for 7:05 P.M. EST at Berglund Center. Single game tickets for the season are on sale now online and at Berglund Center box office.
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