The San Antonio Rampage, AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, have released their training camp roster, consisting of 20 forwards, 11 defensemen and four goaltenders. The club’s eleventh camp is scheduled to open on Monday, October 1st at the Northwoods Ice Center in San Antonio, TX.
Some of the better-known players include Florida prospects Quinton Howden, John McFarland, Drew Shore, Alex Petrovic, and Colby Robak. Petrovic led all Rampage defensemen in playoff scoring with six points (2G/4A) in nine playoff games. Shore and Howden will be facing their first full seasons in the AHL, and both are expected to play in top-six role.
Robak is entering his third American League season, the conclusion of which signals the end of his entry-level contract with the Panthers organization; he is expected to start the year as the club’s number one defenseman. Forward John McFarland will look to continue success found in his final season in the CHL. Rasmus Bengtsson and John Lee (drafted in 2007 by Florida) are currently listed as tryouts, and have yet to sign a contract with either the Panthers or Rampage.
The Rampage will face intrastate rival Texas Stars in a back-to-back preseason series beginning in Austin on October 5th, returning to San Antonio for the next match a day later. The 2012-13 regular season is set to start on October 13th, at home against those very same rival Stars. Training Camp Roster (35 players) is current as of 09/27/12:
Forward (20):
- Josh Birkholz, Francois Bouchard, Andre Deveaux, Jared Gomes, Jonathan Hazen, Quinton Howden, Jean-Francois Jacques, Mattias Lindstrom, Anthony Luciani, John McFarland, David Pacan, Greg Rallo, Jonathan Rheault, Eric Selleck, Drew Shore, Scott Timmins, Justin Vaive, Casey Wellman, Garrett Wilson, James Wright
Defense (11):
- Rasmus Bengtsson, Michael Caruso, Jason DeSantis, Andrew Hotham, John Lee, David MacDonald, Josh McFadden, Brian O’Hanley, Alex Petrovic, Colby Robak, Nolan Yonkman
Goal (4):
- Brian Foster, Dov Grumet-Morris, Michael Houser, Jacob Markstrom
Coaching Staff:
- Chuck Weber (head coach), Jason Cipolla (assistant; yes, only one assistant)/
Must-follow Social Networking & Media Links heading into the season:
- SARampage.com
- Rampage on Facebook
- Rampage on Twitter (@SARampage)
- Dan Weiss, team radio voice (@SARampage_Voice)
- San Antonio Express-News local Rampage Coverage/