The Toledo Walleye have announced the season-ending roster for the 2023-24 season. After a heartbreaking end to their season, Toledo is ready to retool and come back better next season. While the Walleye did not win a Kelly Cup, they did have a well-rounded roster that finished second in the Western Conference with 105 points, nine points behind the Kansas City Mavericks. Toledo finished first in the Central Division with a 19-point advantage over the Indy Fuel.
Forwards
Mitchell Lewandoski
Mitchell Lewandoski provided secondary scoring as a solid middle-six forward. His offensive production saw him post nearly a point per game last season, contributing 14 goals and 40 assists for 54 points in 57 games. He played nine playoff games, recording three goals and seven assists for 10 points. The Clarkston, Michigan native was solid from start to finish last season and is a player the Walleye could build around.
Brandon Kruse
Brandon Kruse started his ECHL career with the Newfoundland Growlers but set career highs in points with Toledo. He posted 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points in 70 games, beating his previous high in points by 10. In the postseason, he came through with four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 14 games. The Saline, Michigan native was tremendous with the Walleye in his first season.
Defensemen
Riley McCourt
Riley McCourt was known as just a pest before he came to the Walleye but he had an offensive surge last season. He posted career-highs across the board offensively with eight goals and 44 assists for 52 points. He also led the team with 120 penalty minutes, showing he can do more than provide offense. He has since committed to playing for the Augsburger Panthers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) for the 2024-25 season.
Michael Prapavessis
Michael Prapavessis was as good as McCourt last season, providing secondary scoring on a defense that was not offensively gifted. After scoring two goals and 17 assists for 19 points, he stepped up his game in the playoffs. He would go on to score one goal and eight assists for nine points. Before taking a year off of pro hockey, he spent his last season playing for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, posting 33 points in 39 games. A solid defenseman who plays well in all three zones.
The rest of the season-ending roster looks like this:
Defensemen (9):
Grant Gabriele, Jed Pietila, Jacob Graves, Brendon Michaelian, Matt Anderson, Cole Cameron, Thomas Farrell, Adrien Beraldo, and Will Cullen.
Forwards (7)
Jason Willms, Brady Gilmour, Orrin Centazzo, Sam Craggs, Dalton Messina, Darian Pilon, and Kirill Tyutayev.
Toledo will begin their quest for a Kelly Cup again next season as they open the 2024-25 season on the road against the ECHL’s newest team, the Bloomington Bison, on Friday, October 19th, and Saturday, October 20th. The first home game for the Walleye will be on Friday, November 1st against the Wheeling Nailers, followed by a game against the Cincinnati Cyclones on Saturday, October 2nd.
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