Twenty-eight players from the United States, Canada and Russia will report to Green Bay this weekend for Gamblers Training Camp. First practice is Wednesday, September 4. Roster will be cut down to a 23 on or before Tuesday, September 24.
“This is an exciting time of year,” says Gamblers Head Coach/General Manager Pat Mikesch. “Camp will be competitive as we have a strong core of players with both USHL and junior experience. The staff will be left with tough decisions come September 24.”
Along with daily practices the Gamblers have four exhibition games. Schedule is as follows:
Friday, September 13 vs Sioux City – 7:05 PM – Appleton Family Ice Center – Appleton, WI.
Saturday, September 14 vs Sioux City – 2:05 PM – Cornerstone Community Ice Center – De Pere, WI.
Friday, September 20 vs Dubuque – 7:05 PM – Blue Line Family Ice Arena – Fon du Lac, WI.
Saturday, September 21 @ Dubuque – 7:05 PM – Dubuque, IA.
The Gamblers roster boasts 16 players who have played at least 40 USHL games. List includes forwards, Jesse Tucker, who is the team’s leading returning scorer, Kyler Grundy, Chad Hillebrand, Gleb Murtazin, Luke Mylymok, Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Paquette, Benito Posa, Jake Schmaltz, Mckade Webster, Dylan Wendt, Nicholas Zabaneh, defensemen, Xan Gurney, who has won two Clark Cups, Noah Ganske, Chris Giroday and Chase Pilawski. Together the 16 USHL veterans combined for 116 goals and 180 assists last season.
To bolster the blue line the Gamblers added junior veterans Nicolas Petruolo and Brady Ziemer with their 1st and 3rd round picks in the 2019 USHL Entry Draft. Petruolo played last season in the North American Hockey League (NAHL), and Ziemer played north of the border in the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.
Also hoping to make an impact is forward Camden Theising, defensemen Mason Lohrei and Dylan Moulton, all of whom saw action last season with the Gamblers.
With goaltender Maksim Zhukov signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Gamblers selected a pair of goaltenders in the USHL Entry Draft. Green Bay used its 2nd round pick to select junior veteran Gavin Enright. The 20-year old appeared in 87 games over the last two seasons with Kenai River of the NAHL. With their 4th round pick, Green Bay selected Nicholas Grabko, who also spent the 2018-19 season in the NAHL (Minot). To round out the goalie rotation, Mikesch traded for University of Maine commit Josh Langford.
“Veteran teams historically have faired very well in the USHL,” says Mikesch. “This is a group with a great deal of skill and toughness. Our fans are going to like the way we play, and I am optimistic about what this group can accomplish.”
For a complete roster click on the link below. https://gamblershockey.com/roster
The 2019-2020 season marks the Gamblers 26th year in Northeast Wisconsin. Since the team’s inception in 1994, the Gamblers have won five Anderson Cups and four Clark Cups. The Gamblers home opener is Friday, October 4, 2019. Ticket go on sale Tuesday, September 4, 11:00 AM at the Resch Center box office. Box office hours are 11:00 – 5:00 PM Monday – Friday and on Saturday beginning at 11:00 AM on Gambler game days.
