Idaho gains one, loses two

Boise, ID (10/15/14) – Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Brad Ralph announced a handful of transactions on Wednesday as the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads acquired forward Alex Belzile from the Alaska Aces in exchange for defenseman Quinn Sproule.

Ralph also announced that forward Jesse Root and defenseman Mike Dalhuisen have been recalled from Idaho by the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Texas Stars.

Belzile, 23, was recently released from training camp with the AHL’s Adirondack Flames.  Last season, the Quebec native was a member of the Kelly Cup champion Alaska Aces.  He had ten points (three goals, seven assists) in 18 post-season games, four of which (two goals, two assists) came against Idaho in the ECHL Western Conference semifinals, including a critical insurance goal during the third period in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series that was eventually won by Alaska.  The third-year forward has 59 games under his belt at the ECHL level and another 14 at the AHL level – the highest level of minor-league hockey in North America.

Root (goal, assist) and Dalhuisen (two assists) were the only two players to have points in both of Idaho’s pre-season games last weekend.  Both are under contract with the AHL’s Stars.

Idaho opens the regular season Friday night at Utah before returning home Saturday for the home-opener at CenturyLink Arena against the same Grizzlies team.  Tickets for Saturday’s game are on sale by contacting the CenturyLink Arena box office online or by calling 208-331-8497.

Group outings at a Steelheads game are a great way to gather friends, colleagues, or co-workers for a fun night out in downtown Boise. Ticket prices are discounted and you can get a Pepsi, Double-R Ranch Hot Dog, and bag of Tim’s Cascade Chips with each ticket. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.