Forward Amine Hajibi has been productive for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders since being acquired in an early season trade from the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. Born in Montreal, the 18-year-old forward spends time each summer in Morocco, where his parents are from and where he lived as a youth.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have picked up just one win at home so far this United States Hockey League season. The club has a chance to right that ship with two home games this weekend. The Iowa Heartlanders secured one win last weekend on a three-for-three road trip.
The Iowa Heartlanders played four ECHL games in five days last week, in three different cities. But they beat Kalamazoo and Wheeling and lost to Fort Wayne in a shootout, picking up five of a possible eight standings points. Meanwhile, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders lost twice in their annual Thanksgiving home and home against Waterloo, one in overtime.
Former NHL player Adam Johnson died in late October when his throat was accidentally slashed by the skate of an opposing player in a professional hockey game in England. Since that tragedy, whether players of all ages should wear protective neck guards has become a hot topic.
Here is a look at the two hockey clubs representing the Corridor. The Iowa Heartlanders are on a winning roll, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders lost twice last week and have had their top goal scorer leave.
Defenseman Joel Kjellberg of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders played all last season with the club but didn’t have a goal. He already has six of them in 16 games this season.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders had one of those rough three-games-in-as-many-days weekends, all in three different cities. But they won twice and lost in a shootout, picking up five of six possible standings points.
Winger Pavel Novak was promoted last week to the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He returned to the ice after a season away two weeks ago with the Iowa Heartlanders, scoring a pair of goals in two games, his first after recovering from treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Defenseman Ryan Philbrick was a 12th-round pick of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in last year’s United States Hockey Leaue Phase I Draft. He didn’t make the team, but the Riders liked him so much they drafted him again this past spring in the seventh round.
In the first edition of Corridor Cross Checks for the 2023-24 season, we look back at the first two games of the ECHL season for the Iowa Heartlanders and the first nine games of the USHL season for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
Longtime professional coach Barry Smith helped run practice earlier this week for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, a guest of Riders Coach/General Manager Mark Carlson. Smith has seven Stanley Cup championships to his credit, has coached in Russia and Sweden. But the 72-year-old’s goal today is making younger players and coaches better.
See photos as the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders hosted the Green Bay Gamblers in USHL hockey Saturday night at ImOn Ice Arena.
Connor Smith suffered a concussion in a game early last season for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Then in his second practice back, he suffered a severe knee injury that ended his rookie USHL season. He’s back and healthy, hoping to provide offense for a hockey club devoid of experience at the forward position.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders open the home portion of their 2023-24 United States Hockey League season Saturday night against Dubuque. Offseason improvements at ImOn Ice include the replacement of over 3,000 original seats.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders begin the USHL regular season at the Fall Classic in Pittsburgh, with games Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon. The top 13 scorers from last season have departed, meaning there is a lot of unknown surrounding the team.
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