Bob Thoms
The 2007-08 was a great one for the North Iowa Outlaws, until the abrupt end in the playoffs, when North Iowa lost in the opening round to Springfield . Still after capturing the Central Division Regular Season Title, the North Iowa Outlaws aren't satisfied with just that. Looking forward to next season, Head Coach Dave Boitz and Asst. Jeff Crouse have been busy building the 2008-09 roster around a strong returning class of 12 players. Combine the returning players with a strong tender class and last weeks NAHL Entry Draft, North Iowa will open their first tryout with a talented bunch of players to choose from.
Leading a returning class of 11 players is a trio of veterans who will be entering their third year in the NAHL. Defenseman Jon Crouse will anchor the blue line, while Nowy-Targ Poland native Krystian Dziubinski and Des Moines, Iowa's Joe Harcharik will be a strong force up front. Combine their experience with a strong batch of 07-08 rookies that have gained experience, and the addition of former Southern Minnesota forward, Brandon Brodhag the 08-09 season already has promise. Brodhag was acquired in an offseason trade for defenseman Reed Rushing.
Of all returning players, Harcharik led the team in scoring with 42 points, finishing third on the team. Dziubinski was close behind with 33 while Crouse, known more for consistent defense, had 12 points on the year while bolstering a +19 rating, best on the team among returning players. Alex Carlson led the 07-08 rookie class with 23 points with Jack Paul not to far behind with 14 points. Travis Peckskamp, AJ Knapp, Beau Braun, Derek Donohue, and Scott Barrera complete the returning class up front. In the net, Mason City's Austin Maginnis will look to pick up where Moss left off. In 13 appearances, Austin picked up 4 wins with 1 shutout while finishing with a 2.76 GAA and a .914 goals against average.
Adding to the players heading into tryouts are the Outlaws six tenders. A tender is a player who commits to the Outlaws, and agrees not to talk to or tryout for any other NAHL team, but is free to tryout in any other league. Tenders are not guaranteed a spot on the team but signing a tender is a sign that coaches see potential in that player. The Outlaw tenders are:
Cory Belisle 1989 Forward Anoka HS
Ryan Kesti 1989 Forward Red Wing HS
Matt Leer 1990 Forward Edina HS
Trent Krueger 1989 Forward St. Paul Johnson
Tom Callaghan 1988 Goalie Texas Tornado NAHL
Ryan Bohrer 1990 Forward Cretin-Durham Hall HS
In addition North Iowa added a few more players to their list on Wednesday, May 21, in the annual NAHL Entry Draft. The Outlaws used the draft to select the following players in alphabetical order.
Ryan Peltoma 1988 Defenseman Tri-city Storm USHL
Alex Charee 1988 Defenseman Lindsay Muskies OPJHL
Robbie Anderegg 1989 Defenseman Chicago Mission Midget Major
TJ Poganski 1990 Defenseman St Cloud Cathedral HS
Dan Durham 1989 Forward Ohio Blue Jackets USHL
Chris Walker 1989 Defenseman Pheonix Polar Bears WSHL
Brendan Sheehan 1988 Forward Bay State Breakers EJHL
Travis Baker 1990 Forward Irondale HS MN
Jacob Desano 1990 Defenseman Metro Jets CSHL
Rob Johson 1990 Forward Duluth East High School
Dustin Moser 1990 Roseau High School
Justin Cseter 1988 Forward Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets USHL
The Outlaws open tryout camp is June 20-22nd at Anoka Ice Arena in Anoka, MN. The final roster will be released after the Outlaws final camp in July.
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