Welcome to Tom's Takes - the official blog of the Voice of the River Dragons, Tom Callahan. It will chronicle the 2024-25 season as the River Dragons chase a chance at the Commissioners Cup!
Friday, October 11 - 9 am
Let's start off with the most important news of the day, and that's moving Nathan Balkwill to the injured reserve list. The defenseman returned to Columbus in a summer trade after being plucked in the dispersal draft, but was injured at the end of the season. Although Nathan is here with his teammates, he isn't ready for contact and continues to rehabilitate his injury. So for the River Dragons it means moving him to IR to create a roster spot in the meantime.
Another interesting situation revolves around who will wear the letters this season? Josh Pietrantonio served as the team's captain last year and leaves big skates to fill for whoever ends up with the "C" for this season. I would expect the team to name its leadership group some time next week, and it certainly will be interesting to see who is next to carry the torch.
Finally, tomorrow is the Team Zelmo's vs. Team Pepsi preseason exhibition game. Doors open at 5 pm and the game starts at 6 pm. There aren't many tickets left, but the Civic Center Box Office or TicketMaster.com are the places to check if there are. For me, the best part of this game is the losing team has to donate $300 (with a $300 match by the River Dragons) to the winning team's favorite charity.
Keep checking back in as the season goes along, I'll be updating regularly with thoughts on everything from games to our travel and things around the league. Let's Go Dragons!
FPHL 
