Coralville, Iowa- The Iowa Heartlanders welcomed two rookies to their ranks on Monday, August 5th. Zach Dubinsky, a left-handed forward from Highland Park, Illinois, and Ryan Miotto, a right-handed forward who played five games in 2023-24 for the Wheeling Nailers.
Zach, son of Steve Dubinsky, a journeyman who played in 386 NHL games for the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues, grew up watching his dad play wherever his services were needed. Zach has taken a similar approach, playing hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic, Michigan State, and Vermont, with a gap year playing for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. He averaged 16 points per season during this time and appears to be ready to make the step to professional hockey as a supporting forward, making key passes to goal scorers and sniping the tight shot when he can.
Ryan Miotto, a 25-year-old from Thorold, Ontario, played four years at Canisius University in Buffalo, including a 2022-23 season where he was a featured playmaker, scoring 18 goals and assisting on 17. He then met up with Dubinsky in Vermont for 2023-24 and the two shared the season where the Catamounts recorded a .580 point percentage. Miotto has the ability to spread the ice sheet wide when needed and has the chance to offer a new offensive tool to his line.
The Heartlanders now have 15 players on their roster, including ten forwards. Here is how things stack up right now:
Goaltenders (1): William Rousseau
Defensemen (4): Jules Boscq, Louka Henault, Bogdans Hodass, Chris Lipe
Forwards (10): Parker AuCoin, Nico Blachman, Will Calverley, Zach Dubinsky, Adam Goodsir, Ryan Miotto, Yuki Miura, Jack O’Brien, Dakota Raabe, Jonny Sorenson
