Dawgs Announce Team Captains for 2025-26 Season
Published on October 28, 2025 under SPHL (SPHL)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs News Release
ROANOKE, VA - The Rail Yard Dawgs coaching staff announced the team's leadership roles on Tuesday for the 2025-2026 season. Matt O'Dea will be the sixth captain in franchise history. The duo of C.J. Valerian and Travis Broughman will serve as the team's alternate captains for home games, and the pair of Bryce Martin and Matt Dorsey will serve as the team's alternate captains for away games.
"Matt O'Dea is just an absolute workhorse," said Rail Yard Dawgs head coach Dan Bremner when asked about the team's new captain. "He'll play any position, he'll block shots, he'll make plays, but most importantly, we can count on him to be all bought in, all the time. He does everything for the team first. He's been a leader with his voice in the locker room; he can lead by example. He's proven that time and again throughout his career with the Dawgs. We're really happy to have him leading the way for our group this year."
"I'm incredibly proud to be named captain of the Rail Yard Dawgs," said Rail Yard Dawgs captain Matt O'Dea. "To have the opportunity to lead a professional team in a community that I call home is an amazing feeling. I've had incredible captains and leaders before me who have showed me what it means to be a captain, on and off the ice. This role will not be taken lightly."
"The message is clear on what our expectations are for ourselves, and I'll do everything in my power to push myself and my teammates," O'Dea continued. "We have an incredible group of guys on the team this year as we've had in years past, and that speaks to the culture that's been created over time here in Roanoke. Our hockey community and fanbase is the best, our coaching staff is the best, so it's time for our group to become the best this year so that we achieve what we all desire - another championship."
O'Dea is back for his sixth season in Roanoke, mainly spending his time as a defenseman but also playing some time at forward with the team. Since joining the Dawgs during the 2019-2020 season, the Orland Park, Illinois native is the all-time franchise leader among defensemen for goals (42), assists (109), and points (151). O'Dea now also ranks second all-time in franchise history for games played with 223 appearances for the blue and gold under his belt, only trailing Mac Jansen. In 26 career postseason games for the Dawgs, O'Dea has three goals, 13 assists, and a plus-14 rating to go along with his 2023 President's Cup championship ring. In the 2023-24 season, the five-foot-eleven speedster was named to the All-SPHL Second Team as a defenseman. The 31-year-old veteran also served as an alternate captain for each of the last three seasons for the team. O'Dea joins Nick Schneider, Steve Mele, Travis Armstrong, Mac Jansen, and Nick Ford as the sixth player to wear the 'C' for the Rail Yard Dawgs since the team's inception in 2016.
"As far as the rest of the leadership group goes, C.J. Valerian is all heart and soul. He's a voice in the locker room and especially out on the ice," Bremner said. "Travis Broughman is as steady as they come - he plays a real 200-foot game and has a lot of experience both here and at other levels of pro hockey."
Valerian returned this fall for his fifth season in the Star City, ranking seventh among defensemen and 15th among all players on the all-time games played list for the franchise with 108 appearances for the Dawgs. Since joining the Dawgs out of New England College (NCAA-DIII) in February 2022, the Gates Mills, Ohio native has recorded 13 goals, 29 assists, and 156 penalty minutes. Valerian's career plus/minus rating of plus-42 ranks atop the franchise's all-time leaderboard. In 25 career postseason games for the Dawgs, Valerian has one goal, six assists, and a plus-six rating to go along with his 2023 President's Cup championship ring. Valerian also made 20 appearances last season in the ECHL with Bloomington and Reading.
Broughman is back for his third stint with the Dawgs, first arriving in Roanoke in March 2022. Since joining the Dawgs out of SUNY-Oswego (NCAA-DIII) late in the 2021-22 season, the Richmond, Virginia native has 10 goals, 17 assists, and a plus-10 rating in 30 regular season appearances for the team. In nine career postseason games for the Dawgs, Broughman has added two goals, one assist, and a plus-one rating. At the time of his call-up to the ECHL's Adirondack Thunder in December 2022, the six-foot-two center was leading the Dawgs with 22 points in 19 games. Broughman went on to make 187 appearances in the ECHL in the past three seasons with Adirondack, Reading, and Kalamazoo, tallying 36 goals and 50 assists. He also added two goals and six assists in 17 combined playoff games for the Thunder during the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
"Having Bryce Martin back, he also adds to that amount of experience, but brings a very gritty and physical style to his game that we want from our team," Bremner continued. "With Matt Dorsey, we've been after him for a couple of years when he was in Evansville because we've loved his style of play - he's consistent, he's got great feet, and he doesn't shy away from the hard stuff."
Martin returned for his fifth year with Roanoke, just four games shy of becoming the 16th player in franchise history to play in 100 games for the team. Last season, the five-foot-eleven defenseman appeared in a career-high 42 games for the Dawgs after splitting his three prior seasons with the team between call-ups. Since joining the Dawgs during the 2019-2020 season, the Ridgeway, Ontario native has recorded five goals, 32 assists, and 203 penalty minutes. In 12 career postseason games for the Dawgs, Martin has added five assists and a plus-three rating. After he was first called up to the ECHL by the South Carolina Stingrays in December 2021, the 28-year-old went on to play in 49 combined ECHL games for South Carolina, Adirondack, and Savannah, as well as an overseas stint late in the 2023-24 season in Finland (Mestis).
Dorsey is in his first season for the Dawgs after playing for the SPHL's Evansville Thunderbolts since March 2023. The six-foot-two center already has two goals in his first three games for Roanoke, and has tallied 17 goals, 33 assists, 149 penalty minutes, and a plus-one rating in 114 combined SPHL appearances for both Evansville and the Dawgs. The Wenatchee, Washington native also won the 2025 President's Cup with the Thunderbolts, adding one goal and two assists in nine career postseason games during his tenure in Indiana. The 26-year-old forward played three seasons at the University of Windsor (USports) before starting his pro career, and featured in both the WHL and BCHL during his junior hockey playing days.
The Rail Yard Dawgs visit the Knoxville Ice Bears on Friday, October 31, at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum at 7:30 P.M. EST. Season ticket packages and group tickets are on sale by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs' front office. Single game tickets for the season are on sale now online and at Berglund Center box office.
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