RoughRiders' Dienes improves despite wrist injury

CEDAR RAPIDS - His improvement has been noticeable and a little stunning.

It's not that Chris Dienes ever has been a bad hockey player. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders defenseman has impeccable credentials and a scholarship awaiting him at Western Michigan University.

But that he has grown in his first USHL season despite not playing or practicing because of injury simply doesn't compute.

“Paying attention to the video, paying attention to the game, paying attention to practice and the things that we're trying to learn,” explained RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson. “He's come back, and he's a way better player than he was at the beginning of the year.”

Dienes broke his wrist in a fall during practice in late October. He missed two months, returning to the Riders' lineup Dec. 28, and scoring his first USHL goal in a win last weekend against Green Bay.

Again, the 18-year-old from Traverse City, Mich., is an improved player. Again, that's despite not being able to do any on-ice work, obviously, during his extended time off.

“I watched practice a lot, so that helped,” Dienes said. “So when I came back, I felt like I knew what was going on. It wasn't something where I really needed to pick up new things.”

“It's nice to see Dienesy doing what he's doing,” Carlson said. “We've obviously had a lot of players have tough breaks with the injuries. But he hung in there and worked real hard on his conditioning. You can tell that he paid attention. And by paying attention, he learned a lot. You can see he's got a lot of ability. He's going to keep getting better, and is going to be a good player.”

Dienes was a second-round pick of the Riders in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft. He began last season with Traverse City West High School but got “called up” by the hometown Traverse City North Stars of the junior North American Hockey League.

He's got size (6-foot-1, 188 pounds) and good puck skills. And he's got health, finally.

“It felt great,” Dienes said of his first goal. “But just being out there with the guys again and playing hockey is way better than that.”

In the crease

- The RoughRiders traded defenseman Michael Holland to the Sioux City Musketeers this week in an exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2012 USHL Entry Draft. Holland had a goal and assist in 21 games.

- Four members of Iowa's 1959 Rose Bowl football team will sign autographs at Friday night's game, including running back Ray Jauch, father of Riders co-owner Jeff Jauch. Bill Happel of the 1986 Rose Bowl team also will sign.