RGV Killer Bees Select 25-man Roster

Published on September 3, 2013 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees News Release


HIDALGO, Texas - After a competitive 4-day training camp at State Farm Arena "Bee Hive", the 25 players who will begin the season with the North American Hockey League's RGV Killer Bees was revealed Monday. The roster is comprised of a blend of NAHL veteran players, 2013 NAHL Entry Draft picks and free agents.

"Camp was good," said RGV Killer Bees head coach Joe Coombs. "I had some tough decisions to make; it wasn't easy."

Coombs decided on a roster that includes 16 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies. Five of the players on the roster played in the NAHL last season, including four who played in the NAHL's Robertson Cup championship game with the Wenatchee Wild (forwards Evan Schmidbauer, Nate Flynn and Tyler Bruneteau, as well as defenseman Dylan Abood). Defenseman Ian Janco also played in the NAHL last season with the Fresno Monsters.

Also making the roster were five players whom the Killer Bees selected in the 2013 NAHL Entry Draft, including forwards Trent Dillinger, Ben Greiner and Rob Marsanico, as well as defensemen Luke Bafia and Perry Holcombe.

"I think the roster is good," said Coombs, who must trim the team's roster down to 23 players by Oct. 1 to comply with league rules. "I like our top guys, and we think our depth is good. We're going to get started and give guys the opportunity to continue to grow and learn as we go."

Some key players to look for early in the season include Abood and Bafia on defense, and forwards Greiner, Croston and Bruneteau.

"I think Dylan Abood is going to be very solid. He has experience and is going to hog up a lot of minutes," Coombs said. "Another guy on the back end is Luke Bafia, a youngster. Up front, we have Ben Greiner and Anthony Croston. They're two kids with experience that we have coming in that will hopefully lead us offensively. Another guy up front is Tyler Bruneteau, who should be a good leader for us."

The Killer Bees open up the 2013-14 season Sept. 13-14 on the road with a pair of games against South Division foe Lone Star. The Bees will then take part in the NAHL's Showcase Tournament Sept. 18-21 in Blaine, Minn., where they will play four games in as many days. The Killer Bees' first home series at State Farm Arena "Bee Hive" is on Sept. 28-29 against Wichita Falls.

For ticket information contact the Killer Bees at (956) 843-5651 or email info@killerbeeshockey.com.

The complete RGV Killer Bees 25-man roster is below.

2013 RGV Killer Bees Roster

Name Pos. No. Shoots Hometown DOB Ht. Wt.

* Dylan Abood D 23 L Denver, CO 4/9/94 5-8 154

Anthony Croston F 21 L Phoenix, AR 6/13/94 5-11 175

Cole Anderson F 18 R Chicago, IL 4/17/95 6-1 193

^ Luke Bafia D 6 R Tampa, FL 1/19/96 6-1 196

Sami Pokka F 20 L Tornio, FIN 3/2/93 6'1 191

* Tyler Bruneteau F 22 R Omaha, NE 6/5/93 6-1 206

Austin Carroll D 3 R Sylvania, OH 12/14/93 6-1 202

Will Clark F 11 L Dallas, TX 1/27/93 6-5 233

Dak Dice F 14 L Breckenridge, CO 8/6/93 6-1 170

^ Trent Dillinger F 7 L Gillette, WY 4/25/95 6-2 165

* Nate Flynn F 12 R Hastings, MN 11/26/93 5-10 162

^ Ben Greiner F 9 R Newport Beach, CA 6/17/93 6-1 190

Austin Hoff F 19 R Snohomisch, WA 8/17/93 6-4 194

^ Perry Holcombe D 5 R Cumming, GA 6/16/93 5-11 204

* Ian Janco D 2 R Bloomington, MN 7/27/94 6-1 180

Olli Kalkaja G 31 L Oulu, FIN 3/13/93 6-4 194

Aleksi Luhtalampi F 17 L Rauma, FIN 8/18/93 6 183

^ Rob Marsanico F 15 L Allendale, NJ 2/16/96 5-7 172

Ryan Mulka G 35 L Brighton, MI 7/7/95 5-11 174

Connor Pelkey D 4 R St. Albans, VT 6/3/93 6-6 232

Dylan Rosen D 25 L Clarkston, MI 4/9/94 6-3 212

* Evan Schmidbauer F 10 L San Diego, CA 9/9/93 6-2 200

Nick Szopinski F 24 R Beaver Dam, WI 4/30/93 6-3 200

Jan Blasko F 13 L Trencin, SLK 8/13/94 5-11 186

Cam Ashley F 8 L Saginaw, MI 5/29/96 5-9 187

Head Coach: Joe Coombs

Assistant Coach: Matt Barth

Assistant Coach: Brad Lutsch

Athletic Trainer: D'arcy Wiart

* Denotes NAHL Experience

^ Denotes 2013 NAHL Entry Draft Pick

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