RoughRiders to Rotate Captaincy
Published on October 10, 2008 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders News Release
Cedar Rapids, Iowa- The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders will rotate the team captaincy among six players- each of whom will serve as captain for 10 games- this season. Mike Seidel, Robin Bergman, Greg Burke, Matt Donovan, Kyle Flanagan and Paul Phillips will all have a chance to wear the "C".
"This will be a very good set up for our group," said RoughRiders Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson. "Over the years I've found the captaincy to be a tall task for one individual, especially at this age. Our players have a lot going on- school, hockey, social life, being away from home."
The floating captaincy has been used successfully by a number of teams throughout hockey in recent years, including the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs.
"I like the fact that this gives six people the opportunity to wear the "C" and to develop their leadership skills," said Carlson. "These six players can work together to lead our team and we expect everyone to lead- especially by example. I am very excited about the way this has been put together."
Third-year Rider Seidel will act as captain for the first ten games of the season. Seidel, 20, picked up an assist last Saturday in the RoughRiders' 4-2 season opening win over the Indiana Ice after scoring 16 goals and totaling 43 points last season. The Burr Ridge, Illinois, native has scored 31 goals and collected 91 points in 115 career United States Hockey League games.
Bergman, 20, is also in his third season in Cedar Rapids. The Stockholm, Sweden, product did start last year at Notre Dame before returning to the Riders midway through the season. Bergman recorded eight goals and twenty points in 30 USHL games last year. In 2006-07 Bergman finished tenth in the league in goals (26) and collected a total of 43 points.
Burke, 18, is the only first year player who will serve as a Rider captain. Burke was selected by the Washington Capitals in the sixth round of June's NHL Draft with the one hundred seventy-fourth overall pick. Last year Burke (21-25-46) led the Eastern Junior Hockey League's New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs in point scoring. The Lee, New Hampshire, native will return to his home state to play college hockey at the University of New Hampshire.
Donovan, 18, notched a pair of assists in the Riders' opening night win. The Edmond, Oklahoma, native was named to the 2007-08 USHL All-Rookie Team after being tabbed by the Riders in the first round of the 2007 USHL Draft with the tenth overall pick. Last year Donovan finished second among USHL defensemen in goals (12) and tied for seventh among blue liners in points (30) and also led the Riders in plus/minus (+19). Donovan, who will play college hockey at Denver, was selected by the New York Islanders in the fourth round of June's NHL Draft with the ninety-sixth choice.
Flanagan, a 19-year old forward, led first year Riders in assists (25) and points (37) last season. The Canton, New York, native has gotten his second season off to a strong start- he scored one goal and assisted on another last Saturday. Flanagan will play college hockey at St. Lawrence. He was taken by the Riders in the fifth round of the 2007 USHL Draft.
Phillips, 17, is another Denver recruit. The second year blue liner picked up an assist last Saturday in Indianapolis after registering three points last season. He was selected by the Riders in the sixth round of 2007 USHL Draft with the sixty-seventh pick.
The Riders will travel to Bensenville, Illinois, tonight to take on the Chicago Steel before returning home for their tenth anniversary home opener against the Waterloo Black Hawks tomorrow night at 7:05.
Tickets for all RoughRiders home games- including tomorrow night's game- can be purchased in person at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ticket office, over the phone at (319) 261-4625 or online at www.roughridershockey.com. The ticket office is open from noon to 5:00PM on weekdays and from noon through the end of the second period on game days. Ticket prices range from $7 to $17 in advance and from $8 to $18 on game days.
The RoughRiders also offer the Flex Plan, which enables fans to purchase books of ten ticket vouchers that can be redeemed in any quantity for any regular season home game during normal box office hours. Fans who purchase the flex plan receive a significant discount ($21 off game day ticket prices) by investing in bulk tickets and can still enjoy the games of their choice in the seats they want.
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