ROANOKE, VA – The Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Thursday that forward Kyle Heitzner has signed a player tryout contract with the team. Additionally, forward Matt Dorsey was placed on the 30-day injured reserve this past Monday.
Heitzner arrives in Roanoke from just down the road in Wytheville, where he’s been playing for the FPHL’s Blue Ridge Bobcats this season. The five-foot-eleven forward brings prior experience from the FPHL, SPHL, Sweden’s Division 2, and the WOAA Senior League in Ontario. In 10 games for the Bobcats this season, Heitzner has been dominant, recording seven goals, four assists, 29 penalty minutes, and a plus-12 rating. The 26-year-old previously suited up in the FPHL for Delaware, Columbus, Danbury, Watertown, and Monroe – tallying 34 goals, 31 assists, 131 penalty minutes, and a plus-30 rating in 56 career FPHL appearances. Heitzner played in one game last season for the SPHL’s Macon Mayhem, but also appeared in 14 games for the SPHL’s Quad City Storm during the 2021-22 campaign, notching four goals, one assist, and 13 penalty minutes for the Storm. The Brechin, Ontario native played his junior hockey in the OHL, GOJHL, PCJHL, OJHL, and the GMHL.
Dorsey is in his first season for the Dawgs after playing for the SPHL’s Evansville Thunderbolts since March 2023. The six-foot-two center already has four goals in his first 10 games for Roanoke, along with one fighting major, and has tallied 19 goals, 33 assists, 160 penalty minutes, and an even plus/minus rating in 121 combined SPHL appearances for both Evansville and the Dawgs. The Wenatchee, Washington native also won the 2025 President’s Cup with the Thunderbolts, adding one goal and two assists in nine career postseason games during his tenure in Indiana. The 26-year-old forward played three seasons at the University of Windsor (USports) before starting his pro career, and featured in both the WHL and BCHL during his junior hockey playing days.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will visit the Macon Mayhem for three away games this weekend, starting on Friday, November 21, at 7:00 P.M. EST at the Macon Coliseum. Season ticket packages and group tickets are on sale by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs’ front office. Single game tickets for the season are on sale now online and at Berglund Center box office.