The Toledo Walleye announced on Tuesday morning their playoff roster for the 2024 Kelly Cup playoffs, consisting of 24 players. The roster is made up of two goaltenders, eight defensemen, and 14 forwards. The roster limit is 20 active players with a four-player reserve, meaning they can come in and play in the lineup as much as Head Coach Pat Miksech needs them to.
The Walleye Playoff Roster Deep With Rookies and Veterans
The Toledo Walleye playoff roster looks like this:
Goaltenders (2): John Lethemon and Jan Bednar
Defensemen: Cole Cameron, Matt Anderson, Brendan Michaelian, Michael Prapavessis, Jacob Graves, Riley McCourt, Jed Pietila, and Grant Gabriele.
Forwards (14): Sam Craggs, Riley Sawchuk, Chase Gresock, Brandon Hawkins, Dalton Messina, Trenton Bliss, Orrin Centazzo, Brady Gilmour, Jason Wilms, Conlan Keenan, Brandon Kruse, Darian Pilon, Alexandre Doucet, and Mitchell Lewandoski.
While most of the roster players have been in Toledo for most of the season, The roster does have six players who came in the second half of the season who have done well.
Defenseman Jacob Graves was added via trade with the Atlanta Gladiators in exchange for defenseman Jake Willets and forward Carson Denomie. Graves has been solid since his Walleye debut and will be one of the defensemen Toledo leans on as the first-round gets underway. He has provided Toledo with physical play along with a bit of offense. In 13 games, Graves has one goal and four assists for five points and 28 penalty minutes while recording a +8.
Forward Dalton Messina is one of the forwards added at the end of the season who made the playoff roster. Coming over from the Ohio St. Buckeyes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), he has provided some depth at the forward position. In 10 games, he has three goals and two penalty minutes.
Forward Brady Gilmour has provided secondary scoring with one goal and two assists for three points in seven games. Forward Jason Wilms has been a pleasant surprise with one goal and five assists for six points in seven games. Defenseman Jed Pietila has one goal and two assists for three points in five games, and defenseman Cole Cameron has been a solid, defense-first addition but is scoreless in eight games.
Forward Brandon Hawkins looks to continue his hot play, leading the Walleye with 93 points and winning the scoring title. Defenseman Riley McCourt leads the defense both in defensive play and offensive contributions. Goaltender John Lethemon will assume the starter role when the playoffs begin and looks to dominate between the pipes.
The playoffs begin on Friday, April 19 and 20, against the Kalamazoo Wings, with the first two games in Toledo. The series switches to Kalamazoo for games 3 and 4 on April 24 and 26, then to a 1-1-1 format, with Toledo grabbing games 5 and 7.
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