Goatheads lock horns at first training camp ahead of Oct. 16 opener

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.

Twenty-six players have 10 days to carve their names into New Mexico Goatheads history before the franchise drops its first puck Oct. 16 in Rio Rancho.

Training camp opened Monday, Oct. 5, and players hit the ice Tuesday. Head Coach Zack Stortini and his staff will trim a group of 15 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders into the franchise’s first Opening Night roster, according to a team release.

The camp roster mixes offseason signings, players on professional tryouts and six players the Colorado Eagles assigned to New Mexico after AHL camp: Francesco Arcuri, Evan Friesen, Chris Hedden, Rilen Kovacevic, Hunter Miska and Isaiah Saville.

Plenty of the herd arrives with AHL miles on the odometer. Grant Ahcan, Noah Barlage, Maksim Barbashev, Lynden Breen and Jake Chiasson trained with the Eagles, while Dakota Seaman and Briley Wood skated at Manitoba Moose camp. Ahcan, Barbashev and Chiasson also suited up at Colorado Avalanche Rookie Camp.

The Goatheads open their inaugural regular season Friday, Oct. 16, against the Idaho Steelheads at the Rio Rancho Events Center. Single-game tickets for the opener have sold out, but limited seats remain through season ticket memberships. The teams meet again Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, with single-game tickets still available for both.

Goatheads Opening Weekend vs. Idaho Steelheads

• Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m. (single-game tickets sold out; season memberships only)
• Saturday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 18, 3 p.m.
• Where: Rio Rancho Events Center
• Single-game tickets: ticketmaster.com/new-mexico-goatheads-tickets/artist/4613617

Training camp roster

• Forwards: #11 Grant Ahcan, #15 Briley Wood, #18 Cameron Buhl, #19 Jake Chiasson, #21 Artem Pugachev, #25 Graeme McCrory, #27 Lynden Breen, #28 German Yavaş, #41 Tyler Drevitch, #47 Connor Szmul, #49 Maksim Barbashev, #75 Francesco Arcuri, #82 Evan Friesen, #83 Rilen Kovacevic, #88 Dakota Seaman
• Defensemen: #2 Trevor Zins, #4 Chris Hedden, #5 Derek Daschke, #7 Noah Barlage, #10 Brandon Chabrier, #22 Emmett Serensits, #44 Aaron Chiarot, #51 Edvin Nilsson
• Goaltenders: #32 Hunter Miska, #33 Brian Wilson, #40 Isaiah Saville