Cedar Rapids RoughRiders go from zero returning players to a dozen

CEDAR RAPIDS — Twelve is better than zero. You’d think.

Yet Cedar Rapids RoughRiders head coach and general manager Mark Carlson warned that winning isn’t guaranteed just because his USHL hockey club has that former number of returning players going into Thursday’s regular-season opener, as opposed to that latter number his club had going into last year’s opener.

“Everybody always wants to talk in the USHL about how many guys do you have back,” Carlson said. “To me, it’s kind of an irritating subject. On any team, pick any team, people say ‘Well, they have this many back.’ The people not coaching think that automatically makes you good. And that is a major, major mistake to think that.”

Still, it’s got to be nice to have some sort of base to work with here. The RoughRiders took a sabbatical for the 2020-21 season because ImOn Ice was uninhabitable due to the derecho that devastated the city in August 2020, their players dispersed to other teams in the league.

The club restarted on-ice operations last season and went 29-29-2-2, placing sixth in the USHL’s Eastern Conference and qualifying for the playoffs. A first-round loss to Muskegon couldn’t erase all that was accomplished with virtually an entirely new player crop.

There’s a dozen guys on this opening-day roster who played at least one game here in 2021-22.

“Last year, we had an amazing group of guys, and I think this year is the same,” said forward Martins Lavins, one of those returnees. “Everyone is friendly, good guys in the locker room. Maybe it’s a little bit more of a skilled team this year. But we’ve got to match last year’s hard-work attitude. Combine those two things and have a good season.”

“Your second-year players, they’ve got to be leaders,” Carlson said. “They’ve got to be in unbelievable shape, and they’ve got to go out and make an impact every day. On the ice, in the weight room, in the dressing room, everywhere. I do think we’ve got a whole group of guys who are doing that. So we’ll see how that goes as we get going.”

The entire 16-team league hits Pittsburgh again to kick things off at the USHL Fall Classic. Each team plays twice at the event, which is played at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, practice facility of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.

The RoughRiders play Thursday afternoon at 1:30 against the Lincoln Stars, then play Friday afternoon at 2 against the Sioux Falls Stampede. The home opener is Sept. 30 against Team USA.

“We’ve got a lot of fast guys, we’ve got a lot more skilled guys,” said defenseman Eric Pohlkamp. “We’re still going to have that grit in us ... But definitely more skilled. Hard skill.”

Cedar Rapids led the USHL in penalty minutes last season.

“The physicality and the toughness are always going to be a staple,” Carlson said. “We had that for a long, long, long, long time, and, not totally by design, but I think we got away from it. Really, for me, about four or five years ago, we started taking steps back toward it. Last year, we had a real commitment to it. This team will be as physical and tough, in my opinion.”

If you believe good teams are built from the back up, the RoughRiders should be good. Pohlkamp is one of five defensemen who are back, joining Dominic Elliott, Liam Lesakowski, Will Brenner and Brendan Fitzgerald, who is the club’s leading returning scorer (31 points in 58 games).

Originally it was going to be six returning D-men, but Joe Fleming impressed enough at a rookie camp for the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights over the summer to procure an entry level professional contract. Fleming is spending the beginning of this season playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in Canada.

Bruno Bruveris also returns after splitting goaltender duties last season. Sam Scopa, a 17-year-old from Massachusetts, is C.R.’s other goalie to start the season.

Up front, Andy Moore is the leading returning scorer. The Northeastern commit had 12 goals and 15 assists in 58 games last season.

Lavins, Zaccharya Wisdom, Logan Morrell, Josh Karnish and Logan Renkowski are back as well. Renkowski played just one game for the Riders last season.

Karnish and rookie forwards Zion Green and Jacob Kraft will begin the season on the injured list.

“I think we have a really good team this year,” Lavins said. “We have really, really fast players that want to work hard. I’m excited to play for two points in Pittsburgh.”

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