The Louisiana IceGators have begun training camp with 24 players and will cut the roster to 18 before the first game on October 22nd in Mississippi. The 24 players will showcase their talents for the public Thursday night in an exhibition game against the Mississippi Surge at LA Ice in Carencro. The game will begin at 7:00 and admission is $5.00 at the door.

IceGators' training camp roster:

Forwards:

Anythony Amigone (F)- A forward that does not have any professional experience that needs an outstanding camp to end up in a Gators jersey.

Nolan Boike (F) - 6’1 195 pounds. Played hockey at the University of Maine. Boike does not have much experience - only played 18 games in France. In those 18 games he scored 8 goals and added 4 assists.

Luc Boissonneault (F) - 5’10 175 pounds. 22 year old spent the first 3 games last season in an IceGators jersey before the roster turnover began. He did not score in those 3 games but may have a slight advantage since he has been through camp before.

DJ Fimiani (F) - 5’6 150 pounds. The small forward played for Norwich University, appearing in 103 games. In those games he scored 25 goals and added 61 assists, for a total of 86 points.

Ryan Fultz (F) - 6’0 210 pounds. A recent veteran signing. Fultz will bring goals but more importantly will bring discipline and leadership. The 33 year old has plenty of ECHL experience and will lead by example for the younger players.

Randy Johnson (F) - Johnson is another forward without experience that will need to prove himself in camp.

Trevor Karasiewicz (C)- 5’11 185 pounds. One of the most proven players in the league. Trevor has been around the SPHL for many seasons and has always put up great numbers and will be one of the three IceGator veterans. He played the last 34 games with the Gators and scored 48 points - giving instant improvement to the offense.

Zech Klann (F) - 6’1 190 pounds. Klann has experience in the SPHL and the CHL, although only brief stints in each. Klann appears to be more of a role player, only having scored 4 points in 21 SPHL games (Fireantz in 08-09)

Beau McLaughin (LW) - 6’1 190 pounds. A very big pick up that will be an asset to this years team. McLaughin has played in the CHL, ECHL, and spent 07-09 in the SPHL, putting up great numbers. In 08-09, he scored 63 points in 58 games for the Richmond Renegades. He will add even more firepower to what seems to be a great offense.

Shawn McNeil (C)- 6’0 198 pounds. The sign of the season. McNeil will be an absolute standout in the SPHL. He has put up magnificent numbers in the ECHL, being one of the leading scores in the history of the IceGators (ECHL). McNeil fills another veteran spot and will more than likely be a captain. 

Donald Melnyk (C) - 5’10 180 pounds. A great addition to the offense. Has 4 years of SPHL experience, last year with the Knoxville Ice Bears. Has proven that he can put up big numbers - 77 points in 60 games in 08-09 season. He also has a few fighting majors to his name, will be an exciting player.

Dennis Sicard (W) - 5’11 183 pounds. Widely known around the league as an enforcer and some believe he is the best pound for pound fighter. Will bring toughness to the team but has shown last year that he can score too. Will be a fan favorite.

Mike Silletto (F) - A great story. The young man played club hockey and at a small school in Florida, not known for hockey. He was recently assigned to the IceGators from the Sound Tigers of the AHL. He is the first player in his school’s history to get a chance to play professional hockey.

CJ Tozzo (F) - 5’9 175 pounds. Smaller forward that gave great effort to the IceGators last season. He scored 12 points in 26 games, but in previous years has put up enormous offensive statistics - 96 points in 46 games for the Brooklyn Aces in 08-09. Might be the surprise of the season.

Defenders: 

Jeff Bieber (D) - 6‘2 215 pounds. Already listed as a signed player a few weeks ago. Spent most of the season in Mississippi but played the last 3 games of the season for the IceGators. Bieber is a defensive D-man that doesn’t put up many offensive numbers but does a great job of staying out of the penalty box - only 34 penalty minutes in 54 games.

Paul D’Agostino (D) - 5’11 190 pounds. A great returning defenseman that played very well in 21 games last season. His +- rating was top 10 in the league. D’Agostino will be a big key for the defense this season.

Aaron Davies (D) - Inexperienced defenseman that needs to mature fast in camp to contribute this season.

Luke Frey (D) - Young 21 year old defenseman has junior hockey experience but no professional experience. It will be interesting to see how well he adjusts to the game.

Tobias Carlsson (D) - 6’1 203 pounds. One of the only players to spend the entire season with the Gators last year. Appeared in 55 games and played well. He is a well disciplined defenseman.

Scott Sack (D) - Sack does not have professional experience but had solid numbers in Juniors. By his numbers he looks to be more of an offensive-minded d-man.

Josh Vanderbreggen (D) - 6’0 190 pounds. He has had SPHL experience in 05-07 with the Pee Dee Cyclones. Does not score much but manages to rack up a good amount of penalty minutes, might be an exciting addition.

Goalies: 

Scott Darling (G) - 6’6 190 pounds. Very big goalie played the last two seasons at the University of Maine. Had a 2.76 GAA in 08-09 and 3.10 GAA in 09-10. Both years he had a 89 save percentage. Looks like a solid young goalie.

Adam Dekker (G) - 6’3 205 pounds. The returning goalie for the Gators had a 4-1 record (best buy any Gator goalie last season) and posted a 3.00 GAA and a 93 save percentage.

Nevin Hamilton (G) - 6’2 210 pounds. Hamilton spent 4 college seasons at UMass-Lowell and played one game in the AHL for the Providence Bruins. In each season Hamilton boasted save percentages over 90% and GAA under 3. He may end up being a great goaltender.