ROANOKE, VA. – The Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Monday that reigning SPHL Defenseman of the Year Brendan Pepe has returned to the team from his ECHL call-up with the Adirondack Thunder. Roanoke also activated defenseman Filip Hlaváč from the injured reserve, signed goaltender Justin Gortman as an emergency backup (EBUG), placed defenseman Matt O’Dea on the 14-day injured reserve (retroactive to 11/3), and released forward Curtis Abbott.
Pepe is back for his third full professional season with Roanoke, having started this season in the ECHL with the Reading Royals before he was waived and claimed by the Adirondack Thunder. Last year, Pepe led all SPHL defensemen with 13 goals, while his 41 points were tied for the league lead on his way to winning the league’s Defenseman of the Year award and being named to the All-SPHL First Team. The six-foot-three defenseman had the league’s largest increase in individual points from the 2022-23 season to the 2023-24 campaign, improving by 32 points from his nine-point total two seasons ago, and marking the largest single-season increase in points by a defenseman throughout the SPHL since Ed Snetsinger improved his point total by 33 points from 2010-2011 to 2011-2012 for the Augusta Riverhawks. The 28-year-old blue-liner also had a plus-24 rating in the 2023-24 regular season and was one of just 10 SPHL players to complete an ‘Ironman’ season by appearing in all 56 games for the Dawgs. Pepe had three power play goals and an assist in six postseason games last spring, and had two assists during Roanoke’s run to a President’s Cup in the 2022-23 season. The Essex Fells, New Jersey native previously played for the FPHL’s Danbury Hat Tricks and Stony Brook University (ACHA) before signing with Roanoke prior to the 2022-2023 season.
Hlaváč joined Roanoke this fall after playing professionally in his home country, the Czech Republic, for the past two seasons. In his first two weeks of this season for the Dawgs, Hlaváč has registered one assist and a minus-one rating in three games played. After developing primarily with his youth team, HC Poruba, the six-foot-two defenseman notched two assists, a plus-seven rating, and four penalty minutes in 17 games in the Czech second division for Poruba after turning pro. The 21-year-old blue-liner also tallied three goals, 20 assists, and 18 penalty minutes in 45 regular season games in the Czech third division for HC Kopřivnice over the past two years.
Gortman played three seasons at Liberty University (ACHA) from 2012-2015, and had played junior level hockey in the EmJHL, NAPHL, and MNJHL before his college career. The six-foot goaltender lives in the Roanoke Valley with his wife, working as a full-time multimedia consultant. He also owns and operates his own videography business that specializes in commercial, wedding, and real estate videography. Gortman has notably appeared in net for the ‘Hoses’ team for the annual Guns and Hoses game here in Roanoke, and has been added as an EBUG multiple times for Roanoke in the past.
One of the most versatile players in the SPHL, O’Dea is in his sixth professional season and his fifth in Roanoke, serving as one of the team’s alternate captains in each of the past three seasons. Through his first six games of this season, O’Dea has tallied two assists and 12 penalty minutes. Last season, the five-foot-eleven speedster tallied eight goals, 32 assists, a plus-six rating, and 16 penalty minutes in just 44 regular season games on his way to being named to the All-SPHL Second Team, and added five assists during the 2024 President’s Cup Playoffs. O’Dea was also named as the SPHL’s Player of the Week once last season. Since joining the Dawgs during the 2019-2020 season, the Orland Park, Illinois native is the all-time franchise leader among defensemen for goals (36), assists (85), points (121), and games played (182) by a Roanoke defenseman in team history. O’Dea has been among the best offensive producers from the blue line in the SPHL over the past three years, registering 31 goals (most among SPHL defensemen) and 101 points (second-most among SPHL defensemen). In 23 career postseason games for the Dawgs, O’Dea has two goals, 12 assists, and a plus-14 rating to go along with his 2023 President’s Cup championship ring. O’Dea also won the FPHL Ignite Cup with the Columbus River Dragons during the coronavirus-impacted season in 2021. O’Dea additionally played four seasons of college hockey (NCAA-DIII), starting at Concordia College before playing his last three seasons at Western New England University.
Abbott is in his rookie season after playing three seasons over four years at Morrisville State College (NCAA-DIII). Through six games played for the Dawgs this year, Abbott recorded one goal, two assists, and a minus-one rating. In 70 career collegiate games played from 2021-2024, the six-foot-two forward notched 21 goals, 30 assists, and 22 penalty minutes after his freshman season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. A native of Belmont, Ontario, Abbott played his junior hockey throughout the OJHL, CCHL, and GOJHL. Over the span of 210 junior games between the three leagues, Abbott recorded 62 goals, 89 assists, and 86 penalty minutes. Abbott was the eighth former Morrisville State player to sign with the Dawgs, joining the likes of CJ Stubbs, Nick DeVito, Chris Vella, Jordan Carvalho, Matt Beer, Jesse Anderson, and Henry Hearon.
The Rail Yard Dawgs are at home on Friday, November 15 against the Quad City Storm. Puck drop is slated for 7:05 P.M. EST at Berglund Center. Single game tickets for the season are on sale now online and at Berglund Center box office.
Photo Credit: Bryar Turner
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