The Atlanta Gladiators have recently announced the signing of Joe Widmar, a forward who is re-joining the team for the 2023-24 season. Widmar’s professional career began in the 2017-18 season with the Peoria Rivermen of the SPHL. His exceptional performance, tallying 40 points (11g-29a) in 36 games, earned him a spot on the SPHL All-Rookie Team.
A native of Northbrook, Illinois, Widmar played for four teams during the previous season, including Norfolk, Allen, Florida, and Iowa. He started the season with the Iowa Heartlanders, scoring 23 points (7g-16a) in 39 games. In February, he was traded to the Indy Fuel, playing six games before being moved to the Norfolk Admirals in March. While with Norfolk, Widmar recorded 13 points (4g-9a) in 19 games.
Widmar has played for nine different ECHL teams, including Greenville, Atlanta, Wichita, Iowa, Indy, Norfolk, Allen, and Florida. In the 2018-19 season, he played in 31 games with the Atlanta Gladiators, registering 18 points, with seven goals and 11 assists. During the 2020-21 season, Widmar played for Cracovia Krakow in Poland. Throughout his 26 games, he accumulated a total of 11 points, consisting of six goals and five assists.
This upcoming weekend, the Gladiators will face back-to-back away games. First, they’ll be traveling to Savannah to take on the Ghost Pirates at 7:30 PM on Friday, December 8th. The following day, the Gladiators will head to Orlando for a rematch against the Solar Bears with a puck drop of 7 PM.
