Grinbergs Joins Rivermen Blueline Corps
July 8, 2018 - 06:50 pm
Photo Credit: Dennis Sievers
Grinbergs Joins Rivermen Blueline Corps
6-foot-4 defender played in 51 games for Mississippi last season
Peoria, IL – The Peoria Rivermen announced Sunday that the team has signed defenseman Ralfs Grinbergs to a professional tryout agreement for the team’s October training camp. Grinbergs, a 6-foot-4 native of Riga, Latvia, tallied three goals and 14 assists in 51 regular-season games for the Mississippi RiverKings in 2017-18, his first season stateside.
Grinbergs, 22, made his North American debut last season after spending parts of six previous seasons in pro leagues overseas, including 8 games with Dinamo Riga in the KHL during the 2014-15 campaign. Last year with the RiverKings, Grinbergs logged 37 penalty minutes during the regular season before posting an assist while skating in all three of Mississippi’s playoff games.
“We’re very excited to get Ralfs into the fold for our defensive unit this season,” said Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel. “He’s a big body who works hard in his own end and can move the puck for us, we’ll be looking to him to be a big piece of our puzzle this season.”
Grinbergs becomes the second defenseman and third overall player to sign to Peoria’s training camp roster following QMJHL product Olivier Schingh-Gomez and former Evansville Thunderbolts winger Mark Petaccio. The Rivermen are expected to open training camp in early October prior to October 13’s preseason clash with the Quad City Storm and their October 20 regular-season opener against the Storm in Moline.
Group and season tickets for Peoria's 37th season of professional hockey presented by Midwest Orthopaedic Center are on sale at the Toyota Box Office in the Peoria Civic Center, or by phone at the Rivermen office, located at 201 S.W. Jefferson Street, or over the phone at (309) 676-1040. For the latest Rivermen news and notes, follow online at www.rivermen.net or through Facebook (www.facebook.com/PeoriaRivermen) - Twitter(https://twitter.com/Peoria_Rivermen)
