The Alpena Flyers recently announced that five roster spots will be filled with local players for the 2016-17 season. Nic Baranyai, Rhett Limback, Ryan Spencer, Noah VanDussen and Trevor Mcconnell have all signed and are eager to start the season with the Flyers.

Baranyai is a veteran defenseman who plays a physical game. Baranyai started last season as an alternate captain for the Flyers, but was promoted to team captain half way through the season. “Nic is a player who can change a game with his physical play. He really sets the tone from the back end and is a threat offensively as well. He plays a lot of special teams for us and I’m looking forward to him having a great season” said coach Russ Anderson. Baranyai tallied eight goals and 31 assists in 47 games last season.

Limback joins the team after finishing up his senior year playing for the Alpena Wildcats, scoring four goals and dishing out 22 assists in 24 games for the green & white. When asked about Limback, coach Anderson was enthusiastic, “I saw Rhett play in his senior year, he’s a player that brings great skating ability mixed with a sense of how to set up a play. He was a first line player for the Cats and will surely help us offensively. We were very excited when he decided to play for us this year. Work ethic doesn’t ever seem to be a problem for him, he has been a regular in the weight room this summer and never fails to practice hard,” Anderson said.

Spencer is another returnee to the Flyer lineup. Spencer played a limited amount of games last season due to injuries, but continued to work hard and battle his way back into the lineup late in the season. Spencer is more of a stay at home defenseman who moves the puck well and makes the simple plays according to his coach. “He can see the ice well and seems to make the simple play to get the puck up ice and out of our end almost all the time. I know he’s been in the weight room a lot this off-season and it should prove to keep him healthy. If he comes into the season with confidence, he will be a key piece of our defensive core,” Anderson said. Spencer ended the season appearing in 23 games contributing two Goals and five Assists.

VanDussen will be playing his first season of Jr. Hockey this season with the Flyers. The coaching staff had interest in VanDussen and are happy to have finally signed the gritty forward. “I’ve watched Noah play in a couple high school games this season and his compete level is what really grabbed my attention. He impressed me at our first camp in his on and off-ice testing too. He is a hard worker who gets to the tough areas and can play a physical game and will be a great fit in our program” Anderson said. VanDussen played in 39 Games for the Alpena Wildcats JV squad finishing the season with 39 Goals and 25 Assists.

Mcconnell comes to the Flyers in hopes of helping the team win some games with great goaltending. McConnell, known for his hard work and being a team guy, is ready to do whatever it takes to help the team succeed. His work ethic is something the coaching staff really loves seeing and can prove to be very instrumental in the Flyers success. “Whether Trevor is first, second or even third string for us, we know he will always compete and push to move into a higher role. He’s the kind of player who can bring his work ethic to the rink and push everyone to do better,” Anderson said. “I’m really excited to have him on the team and hopefully his attitude is contagious in the room with the guys.”

McConnell ended his 2015-16 campaign with the Wildcats posting a .844 save percentage and picking up five wins while splitting most of the season with his counterpart in net.

The Flyers will host their first games of the 2016-2017 season on Friday, September, 23 and Saturday, September, 24 against the Michigan Wild.