More roster changes for RoughRiders

CEDAR RAPIDS - He has been thrown a couple of curveballs in the early going of the United States Hockey League season. To keep with the baseball theme, some things have come completely out of left field for Mark Carlson.

'I think we've had an entire outfield now,” the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Coach/General Manager corrected. 'But that's life.”

Life thus far has meant roster changes each and every week for the Riders, who host Green Bay on Friday night and play Saturday night at Madison. The latest are deletions, as forward Charley Michalowski has left to join a team in the junior British Columbia Hockey League in Canada and defenseman Logan Von Ruden has retired.

You read that right. The Minnesota resident, who played parts of three seasons here, decided he didn't have the passion for hockey anymore and has returned home to move on with his life.

He had not made a college commitment.

'He just said he has given it all he has,” Carlson said. 'He doesn't love it like he used to. These things happen to all players at some point, you know? I appreciated Logan being here. I really enjoyed him. He was a good teammate and worked hard. But you move on with the guys you have. Get excited about them, and let's go get after it.”

Michalowski was in his first season with the RoughRiders and had two goals and an assist in eight games. Carlson said the Dartmouth commit simply wanted a change of scenery.

That also was the case recently with second-year defenseman Derek Daschke, who requested a trade and got one to the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks. Last week, the RoughRiders traded first-year forward Collin Rutherford to Tri-City for forward Sam Sternschein.

Two weeks ago, it was announced second-year goaltender Ryan Larkin would miss the rest of the season with a hip injury that required surgery. Second-year defenseman Bryce Hatten incurred a similar injury and surgery in the preseason.

Defenseman Simon Butala was acquired from Sioux City in a trade at the end of the preseason, played two games and moved on.

'Athletics are a microcosm of life,” Carlson said. 'Things are going to happen. It's how you react to them, how you deal with them, what kind of attitude you have. We've got great people here, we love our group.”

Carlson said the RoughRiders will play the weekend with the players they have, though an unspecified forward addition will be made soon. With only six defensemen on the roster, an addition there also is a priority.

The coach was asked how disappointed he was to have guys want to leave the organization, especially this early. He said he holds no grudges toward anyone and never will, pointing out trades are necessary sometimes.

'This is not an easy place to be. It always has been that way and always will be,” he said. 'I am certainly not going to make a big deal of guys who want a change, that's for sure. I'm not going to spend one second thinking about it.

'We have always said the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are not for everyone. We are proud of that. If you want to get after it, if you want to grind it, it's a great place.”

With the roster shuffling, Cedar Rapids is 7-4-1, its 15 standings points good for second place in the USHL's Western Conference. Dubuque leads with 18 points.

'We don't have any ill will toward anybody. We aren't mad at anybody,” Carlson said. 'Those things happen. Let's focus on the guys we have.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com