McParland Heads To Stockton, Dodero and Payne Join Steelheads

BOISE, Idaho – Idaho Steelheads Head Coach and Director of Operations Neil Graham announced three transactions Saturday. The Steelheads have signed defenseman Charlie Dodero to a Standard Player Contract (SPC), the Texas Stars have assigned forward Robbie Payne to the Steelheads, and forward Steve McParland has been loaned to the Stockton Heat (AHL).

Dodero, 26, returns to the Steelheads after starting the season with Tingsryds AIF of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden’s second tier, recording two goals and five assists for seven points with 24 penalty minutes and a plus-two rating through 19 games. The Bloomingdale, Ill., native played four seasons with the Steelheads from between 2013 and 2018, posting 17 goals and 55 assists for 72 points through 213 games. Last season, the 6-foot-2, 209-pound defenseman tallied four goals and 15 assists for 19 points through 46 games in Idaho. Dodero has totaled 86 points over his 278 professional games.

Payne, 25, makes his first appearance in the ECHL following 14 games over the last two seasons with AHL Texas, notching five assists with four penalty minutes. The Gaylord, Mich., product made his professional debut on Mar. 24, 2018 with Texas in San Antonio and added his first point on Apr. 13, 2018 with two assists in San Antonio. The 5-foot-11, 194-pound forward played four seasons at Northern Michigan University, posting 54 goals and 40 assists for 94 points through 158 games, serving as co-captain in his senior season. Payne was a 2018 Hobey Baker Award Nominee, recording 24 goals and 10 assists for 34 points through 43 games.

McParland, 27, makes his fourth stint in the AHL in his professional career and first this season following 23 games with the Steelheads, earning 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points with a plus-nine rating. The Schreiber, Ont., native leads the Steelheads in both goals and scoring and now owns 41 goals and 35 for 76 points with the Steelheads in 91 games. McParland has played seven games between Binghamton, Chicago and Texas during the last two seasons, recording one assist with Chicago.

McParland also becomes the fifth Steelheads ECHL contract to be called-up this season, joining Ryan Faragher (Stockton, twice), Kale Kessy (Manitoba), and Brady Norrish (Texas) to be brought to the AHL.

The Steelheads finish their weekend against the Utah Grizzlies tonight at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena.

The Holiday Hat Trick is here! Get tickets and a Steelheads cap as your perfect stocking stuffer for the holiday season! Single-game tickets and season ticket packages are on sale, with full-season packages starting as low as $300 per seat. Contact the Idaho Steelheads at 208-383-0080 for more information or log on to idahosteelheads.com.