By the way, kid, you've been traded

CEDAR RAPIDS - It's difficult enough to find out you've been traded, but Nathan Widman did so accidentally.

The defenseman walked into Omaha Lancers Coach Bliss Littler's office last month to take part in a meeting with some teammates. He glanced up at a bulletin board that didn't have his name but Nolan Zajac of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders instead.

Oh, yeah, by the way, kid, you're headed to Cedar Rapids.

“My name wasn't on there, and I was like ‘What's going on?' Then I saw Zajac's name,” Widman said. “I honestly didn't know what team he was on. It was weird.”

Weird, but good, in the end. The 18-year-old from Naperville, Ill., has two goals and an assist in his first nine games with the RoughRiders (who host Waterloo Saturday night), halfway to his points total from last season.

More importantly, the 6-foot, 200-pounder has provided a strong defensive presence on the back end.

“I like him,” said Riders Coach Mark Carlson. “It's his leadership, I think. He's really good in his own zone. Big, strong, wins a lot of (puck) battles. He's a team-first guy, which, to me, is a huge compliment. He's a competitor. I just think he's a really good two-way defenseman.”

Carlson said he first saw Widman play two years ago for a Chicago Mission team that won the ‘AAA' national championship. Omaha took him in the 2010 USHL Entry Draft, and he played 48 games last season with the Lancers.

When the opportunity came to acquire him this fall, Carlson pounced.

“It took us a couple of years to get him, but we got him,” Carlson said.

“A lot of people describe me as being more defensive and stuff, but I feel like I can definitely make breakout passes and get involved (offensively),” Widman said. “I'm not just limited to throwing pucks off the glass, you know? But, yeah, I try to bring grit and a lot of toughness.”

Widman said his adjustment to a new team has gone smoothly, at least off the ice. He said his new teammates made that easy, immediately embracing him.

Off the ice has been another matter.

“(Omaha's system) was not nearly as aggressive as what we're doing here,” he said. “Just the whole game changed for me. It's a completely different style. That took me awhile. I spent a lot of time second guessing myself initially. But I've gotten a lot more used to what we're doing. Coach has helped out a lot, pulling me aside and letting me know when I'm not doing something right.”

ON TAP: The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders host the Waterloo Black Hawks Saturday at 7:05 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

SCOUTING REPORT: The RoughRiders (7-4-5, 19 points) have dropped five in a row after Thursday night's 8-4 loss at Waterloo. Three of the five losses have been either in overtime or shootout. Cedar Rapids' five extra-time losses leads the USHL. The RoughRiders are 0-2 this season against Waterloo in the battle for the Corridor Cup. Gerald Mayhew has taken over the team lead in points with 16 in 15 games (10 goals, 6 assists). Waterloo is 10-5-1, 21 points, second place in the Western Division.

PROMOTIONS: It's the annual Teddy Bear Toss, with fans asked to bring Teddy Bears to the game, which they can throw on the ice following the Riders' first goal. The Teddy Bears will be collected and donated to Toys For Tots.

TICKETS: $10 to $20 at the Ice Arena box office (261-4625) or online at www.ridertownusa.com.

ON THE AIR: KMJM-AM (1360), or online at team website.