Former-Steelhead Charlie Dodero returning to Idaho

Boise, ID (8/16/16) – Steelheads Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Neil Graham announced on Tuesday that former Steelheads defenseman Charlie Dodero has agreed to terms on an ECHL contract to rejoin the team this coming season.

Dodero, 23, is entering his fourth professional campaign. The Bloomingdale, Illinois native will be playing his second stint in Boise, having played 77 games for Idaho over parts of two seasons from 2013 to 2015. With the Steelheads, Dodero scored seven goals and racked up 31 points to go along with 156 penalty minutes. He added a goal and five points in 11 games during the 2014 playoffs.

“I’m very excited to welcome Charlie back to our team,” said Graham. “He’s always improving his game, and his work-ethic is exceptional.”

Dodero spent the 2015-16 season split between the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in the ECHL, where he collected two goals and seven points. In three professional seasons, Dodero has played 46 AHL games for Syracuse, recording a goal and five points, and 121 games in the ECHL for Greenville and Idaho. He has nine goals, 40 points, and 250 penalty minutes in his ECHL career.

“He moves extremely well and plays a hard-nosed game every night,” said Graham.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound defender spent four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League before turning pro for the 2013-14 season. Dodero played 248 junior games between the Kitchener Rangers and Sudbury Wolves, tallying 11 goals and 67 points. He served as assistant captain in Sudbury from 2011 to 2013.

Dodero is the third defenseman to join the Steelheads this off-season, with defensemen Zach Bell and Joe Faust already agreeing to terms. Dodero also joins Jefferson Dahl as the second player on the roster from the 2014-15 Steelheads season.