Head coach and general manager of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Jason Lammers, in conjunction with the United States Hockey League (USHL), has announced the 23-man roster for the upcoming 2016­–17 season, which begins on Saturday, September 24 against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

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The Saints return five players from last year, including forwards Dallas Gerads, Zach Solow, Colin Theisen, Cole Guttman, and goaltender Jaxon Castor. In addition, the Saints introduce 18 new faces to the lineup, including a brand-new defense corps led by Arizona Coyotes prospect and preseason-leading scorer Patrick Kudla, former B-ranked skater and Denver commit Michael Boyle, and Montreal Canadiens draft pick Casey Staum.

A young infusion into the lineup comes from defenseman Jacob Semik, who was Dubuque’s first-round Phase I draft selection this past May, and Alex Steeves, a Notre Dame commit who was acquired from the Sioux City Musketeers in exchange for a 2017 fifth-round selection in Phase II.

Up front, R.J. Murphy highlights the new forward group as the sole Dubuque representative in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. on Thursday, September 22. Quinn Preston, Austin Rueschhoff, Regen Cavanagh and Jacob Hamacher, all double-digit goal scorers at the North American Hockey League level, all take the next step to be on the opening night roster.

The first test of the regular season comes this weekend at The Stable. The Fighting Saints travel to Cedar Rapids to take on the RoughRiders on Saturday, September 24 at 7:05 p.m. Join all of the action on the USHL’s streaming video provider, FASTHockey.com.

The fun begins at home on Opening Night, presented by American Trust on Friday, September 30 at Our House, starting at 7:35 p.m. The Fighting Saints host the Green Bay Gamblers in a rematch of the 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinal. The first 3,000 fans will receive a magnetic schedule, thanks to American Trust. For tickets, call the box office at 563.583.6880, or by going to DubuqueFightingSaints.com.

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