RoughRiders fans love a big batch of 'Stuuuuu'

CEDAR RAPIDS - It took three years, but Stu Wilson has become a fan favorite at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

Whenever the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders center has the puck, the chant of "Stuuuuu" goes up. Sometimes when he doesn't have the puck, too.

"It's unbelievable," Wilson said. "I don't really notice it as much during the actual play. But every once in awhile, when I'm coming off the ice for a change, I'll hear people yelling stuff at me."

Maybe it's just Riders fans finally coming to appreciate Wilson's game. He's not the flashiest guy around, not a dude with great skating speed and terrific hands.

He's more of a cerebral, subtle player, one who takes big faceoffs and can play in all situations.

"He can play two forward positions, he takes faceoffs, he's dependable, reliable, a great person who is great with the guys," said RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson.

That's why Wilson, 20, was named RoughRiders captain this season via a team vote. It's a great honor, arguably the biggest in sports.

Wilson was asked what makes a good captain and brought up what he learned from captains Jeff Costello and Jayson Megna in his first two years in Cedar Rapids.

"That's a tough question. There's a lot to it, really," Wilson said. "I've been lucky in that I've been here long enough to be able to see a couple different guys. I learned a lot from both Jeff and Megna. I think a lot of it is just having a close relationship with every guy on the team. If you can deal with and communicate with guys well, that's the biggest thing.

"If you understand a guy's personality, you can help them through whatever problems they have. You can communicate and help them through anything. When things are going well, you can keep them grounded sometimes. I just think it's all about communication and relationships."

Wilson said another important part of being a captain is acting as a conduit between the players and coaching staff. He's also had to be a cheerleader, of sorts, this season, helping guys cope with injuries.

"There are a lot of parts to it, but you just do your best to do each in moderation. Do the best you can," he said. "The thing I was most humbled by was that it was voted on by the players. It's not a coach thing. I don't think I was voted for it because I was a third-year guy, an older guy on the team. I'd like to think, at least, that it was because guys thought I did a good job, respected what I did and everything."

Wilson - a Rochester, N.Y., native, who will play next season at Yale - has three goals and 12 assists in 40 games this season for the RoughRiders, who host Fargo on Saturday night. He has 17 goals in 138 career USHL games.

"I came here at 18 years old and now I'm 20," Wilson said. "I just feel like I've grown up so much here, as a person and as a player. Cedar Rapids is a huge part of my life now."

Riders ramblings

- Carlson said forward Andrew Poturalski has returned to the Buffalo Junior Sabres, his Junior 'A' team in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Poturalski was an emergency fill-in player last weekend for the RoughRiders and posted two goals and an assist in his first USHL game, a 6-3 win over Dubuque.

Poturalski, 17, probably won't be back with the RoughRiders until next season, according to Carlson, unless he is needed again because of injuries and/or suspensions. The University of New Hampshire commit was acquired in a trade from Sioux City, who selected him in last summer's league Futures Draft.

- Forward Tanner Pond had the cast on his broken wrist removed this week and has begun practicing again with the Riders. He and forward Dylan Gareau, who had minor knee surgery, were put through their skating/conditioning paces by assistant coach Francis Anzalone after Wednesday's practice.

- Injured center Nick Saracino still hasn't been cleared for any activity, yet. He suffered a concussion in an automobile accident three weeks ago and continues to have post-concussion symptoms.