An early Dawg Park scouting report
We’re still a little ways away from training camp.
More players are going to be added. More pieces are going to fall into place. And there’s a very good chance the roster we see on the ice in October looks significantly different from the group we can identify today.
So let’s get one thing out of the way right now:
This is not a finished roster.
It’s not a prediction of the opening-night lineup, and it’s certainly not time to start predicting where the Dawgs will finish in the standings.
But with 11 players currently listed for training camp, we finally have enough to start getting an early feel for what this team might be trying to build.
And from a fan’s perspective, there are some things I really like.
There are also some pretty obvious questions.
The Current Group
As of now, the Dawgs have 11 players listed for training camp:
Goaltenders
- Dominik Tmej
- Brandon Milberg
Forwards
- Zac Sirota
- Jacob Brockman
- Zane Kindrachuk
- John Gutt
- Tim Manning
- Ryan Mahlmeister
- Gustav Müller
Defensemen
- Cole Brennan
- Trey Deloury
That’s obviously nowhere close to a complete roster.
But there are already some interesting pieces here.
Let’s Start in Net
The Dawgs currently have two goaltenders listed:
Dominik Tmej
5’11” | 174 lbs | 27 years old
Brandon Milberg
6’1″ | 181 lbs | 25 years old
This is probably the biggest question mark on the current list simply because we don’t know yet who is going to emerge as the guy.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Both players will have an opportunity to establish themselves in camp, and that’s one of the battles I’ll be watching most closely.
The Dawgs don’t need their goaltender to be flashy.
They need somebody who can give them a chance to win consistently.
With only two goaltenders currently listed, this is also a position where I wouldn’t be surprised to see another player added before camp.
Early assessment: Incomplete
There’s simply not enough here yet to make a real judgment.
The Forwards Are Where Things Get Interesting
Seven forwards are currently listed, and there is a pretty interesting mixture of size, age and experience.
Gustav Müller
Müller is probably the easiest player on this list to talk about because Dawgs fans already know what they’re getting.
At 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds, he’s one of the bigger forwards currently listed.
More importantly, he’s not coming into camp as an unknown.
He’s a familiar face, and having a player like Müller around gives this early group some experience and stability.
He’s also the only forward currently listed who immediately gives me the feeling of:
“I know exactly what this guy can bring.”
That’s valuable when you’re looking at a roster that otherwise contains a lot of question marks.
Ryan Mahlmeister
Mahlmeister is another interesting name because he’s not completely new to Dawgs fans.
At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, he isn’t going to overwhelm anyone physically, but he’s another player who already has experience in the organization.
That’s important.
When you’re putting together a roster, you need players who understand what the coaches expect and don’t need months to learn the environment.
I’m curious to see what kind of role Mahlmeister is able to carve out this time around.
Zac Sirota
Sirota is one of the new players I’m most interested in watching.
He’s 5-foot-10 and 174 pounds, so he’s certainly not coming into camp because of his size.
That means I’m going to be watching the other parts of his game.
Can he create offense?
Can he use his speed?
Can he play against bigger players?
Can he become somebody the Dawgs can rely on consistently?
Those are the questions.
At this point, I’d classify Sirota as an intriguing unknown.
And that’s exactly what training camp is for.
Jacob Brockman
Brockman immediately stands out physically.
6-foot-3.
194 pounds.
25 years old.
Compared with some of the smaller forwards currently listed, he’s a noticeably different type of player.
That makes him interesting.
The Dawgs don’t necessarily need every forward to look the same.
If Brockman can bring his size into the physical side of the game while still contributing offensively, he could provide some balance to a forward group that currently has several smaller players.
He’s one of the guys I’ll be watching closely in camp.
Zane Kindrachuk
Kindrachuk is another player who falls into the “let’s see what he can do” category.
At 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, he’s currently the lightest forward on the list.
So again, I’m not looking at physicality as the obvious selling point.
What I’m interested in is what kind of offensive game he brings.
Does he have enough skill and speed to make up for the lack of size?
Can he find a role on a line?
Can he contribute consistently?
There’s a lot we don’t know yet.
But that’s part of what makes this stage of the offseason fun.
John Gutt
Gutt is 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds.
Like Sirota, he’s not a player you’re going to look at and immediately think, “big power forward.”
That means the Dawgs are going to need other things from him.
Speed.
Skill.
Hockey sense.
Energy.
Whatever his particular strength is, camp will be where we start getting a better idea of how he fits.
At this point, he’s another intriguing piece rather than somebody I’d try to put into a specific lineup role.
Tim Manning
Manning gives the group another player who has already been around the Dawgs, but I think his value could go beyond what he does on the scoresheet.
At 5-foot-10 and 181 pounds, he’s another smaller forward physically, but Manning brings something that doesn’t show up in a roster listing — leadership and experience.
With several new faces expected to join this group before camp, having players who already understand the organization, the league and what is expected in a Dawgs uniform can be extremely valuable.
Manning has been around the game long enough to know that a successful team isn’t built solely around its top scorers.
There are going to be nights when the team needs energy.
There are going to be younger or newer players who need someone to lean on.
And there are going to be stretches of the season when leadership in the locker room matters just as much as what happens on the ice.
That’s where I think Manning could have a bigger impact than his statistics might suggest.
I’m also interested to see what kind of role the coaching staff gives him on the ice.
Who becomes the speed guy?
Who becomes the forechecker?
Who gets the tougher defensive assignments?
Who becomes the secondary scorer?
Those roles will start becoming clearer once camp begins.
But regardless of where Manning ultimately fits in the lineup, having a veteran voice and a player who knows what it means to wear the Dawgs sweater is something this developing roster can benefit from.
Defense: Two Very Different Profiles
The current defensive group is extremely small in number — just two players.
But they couldn’t be much more different physically.
Cole Brennan
5’10” | 194 lbs | 24 years old
Trey Deloury
6’5″ | 190 lbs | 26 years old
And that makes this group particularly interesting.
Trey Deloury
One of the more intriguing pieces on the early training camp list is Trey Deloury, especially because Dawgs fans have already seen him in a Roanoke uniform.
Deloury is a returning Dawg, and at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, he brings something the roster can’t teach — size and reach.
His long reach can make a difference defensively, particularly when he’s using that extra length to disrupt passing lanes, take away space and make it difficult for opposing forwards to get around him.
He’s also capable of bringing some physicality to the blue line.
That’s probably the part of Deloury’s game I’ll be watching most closely this season. Roanoke doesn’t need him to simply be the biggest guy on the ice. They need him to use that size effectively — winning battles, making life uncomfortable around the net and using his reach to close down plays.
And there’s something to be said for having a returning player who already knows the organization and what the SPHL is like.
With only two defensemen currently listed on the training camp roster, it’s impossible to know exactly what Deloury’s role will be once the blue line is filled out.
But I do know this:
A 6-foot-5 defenseman with a long reach and some physicality is a pretty useful piece to have.
If Deloury can take another step in his development and consistently use those physical tools, he could become an important part of the Dawgs’ defensive group.
Cole Brennan
Brennan is almost the opposite physical profile from Deloury.
At 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds, he’s much shorter but carries plenty of weight for his frame.
That makes him an interesting complement to Deloury.
Again, though, it’s simply too early to know what kind of defensive pairing or role the coaching staff has in mind.
With only two defensemen currently announced, I wouldn’t read too much into the current blue line.
What we can say is that the Dawgs have two very different types of defensemen to start with.
Now we need to see who joins them.
So What Kind of Team Is This Starting to Look Like?
This is where things get interesting.
Looking strictly at these 11 players, I don’t see a finished identity yet.
And that’s perfectly normal.
But I do see a few early themes.
1. There’s a lot of youth.
Most of the players currently listed are in their mid-20s.
That gives the Dawgs some room for players to potentially establish themselves and take on larger roles.
2. There’s a mixture of size.
You’ve got Brockman at 6-foot-3.
Müller at 6-foot-1.
Deloury at 6-foot-5.
But you’ve also got several forwards around 5-foot-10 to 5-foot-11.
So this isn’t an enormous roster across the board.
It’s more of a mixture.
3. There’s some familiarity.
Müller, Mahlmeister, Manning and Deloury give this early group players who already have some connection to the organization.
That’s valuable.
4. There’s a lot we simply don’t know yet.
And that’s probably the most important point.
The Biggest Question Right Now?
Where’s the offense going to come from?
Again, I’m not saying it isn’t coming.
I’m saying we haven’t seen it yet.
With only seven forwards currently listed, there is plenty of room for additional scoring.
And I think that’s something Dawgs fans should be watching closely as more announcements come.
I’d like to see another forward who can walk into camp and immediately make you think:
“That guy can put the puck in the net.”
Maybe one of the current players becomes that guy.
Maybe it’s somebody who hasn’t been announced yet.
That’s why it’s too early to make a serious judgment.
The Second Biggest Question?
Who is going to take control of the crease?
Tmej and Milberg are currently the only two goaltenders listed.
One of them could absolutely grab the job and make this conversation irrelevant.
But until we see them play, it’s impossible to know.
That’s probably going to be one of the most interesting training-camp battles.
And Then There’s the Defense
This one is easy.
Two defensemen isn’t enough.
Deloury and Brennan may both turn out to be excellent additions.
But the Dawgs obviously need more bodies on the blue line.
So I’m not worried about the defense yet.
I’m simply waiting to see what comes next.
The Player I’m Most Interested to Watch
If I had to pick one player from this early group who I’m particularly interested in seeing in camp, I’d probably go with Dominik Tmej.
With Austyn Roudebush leaving town, Dawgs fans are naturally going to be watching closely to see who steps into the crease and takes control of the starting job.
Tmej is an intriguing option.
At 27 years old, he’s not coming into camp as a kid trying to figure out professional hockey. He’s already got professional experience under his belt, and perhaps more importantly, he’s already won a championship in the FPHL.
That matters.
Winning at any level doesn’t guarantee that success will translate to the SPHL, but it does give Tmej something valuable: experience playing on a team that knows what it takes to win when the games matter most.
Now he’ll have an opportunity to take that next step.
The question is whether Tmej can come into camp and separate himself from Brandon Milberg and establish himself as the guy in the crease.
After seeing what Roudebush brought to Roanoke, fans are going to have high expectations for whoever takes over the net.
Can Tmej provide the consistency the Dawgs need over a long SPHL season?
Can he handle the pressure that comes with following a goaltender who became such an important part of the team?
And can that championship experience help him take control of the position?
Those are some of the biggest questions I’ll be watching when camp opens.
The crease is there for the taking.
And with a championship already on his resume, Tmej certainly has a reason to believe he’s ready for the opportunity.
Early Dawg Park Scouting Grades
If I were forced to grade what we have right now, I’d keep the grades extremely simple:
| Area | Early Grade |
|---|---|
| Forward group | B |
| Defense | Incomplete |
| Goaltending | Incomplete |
| Size | B+ |
| Experience | B |
| Potential | B+ |
| Overall | B — for now |
And that last part is important.
For now.
We’re judging 11 players.
Not a 20-plus-man roster.
The Bottom Line
If this is all we had going into the season, I’d have plenty of concerns.
Fortunately, it isn’t.
We’re still in August.
Training camp isn’t here yet.
More players are coming.
And that’s exactly why I don’t think there’s any reason for Dawgs fans to panic — or start celebrating — based on this list.
What we have right now is a sneak peek.
And honestly, I like the sneak peek.
There are some familiar faces.
There are some intriguing new players.
There are some interesting physical profiles.
And there are enough unanswered questions to make the next few signings really important.
For me, the players I’m most curious to watch right now are Dominik Tmej, Gustav Müller, Jacob Brockman, Zac Sirota and Trey Deloury.
Not because I’m predicting they’ll be the team’s best players.
Simply because each brings something different to the table, and seeing how those pieces fit together could tell us a lot about the direction of this team.
But we’re not there yet.
This roster isn’t finished.
And that’s probably the most important thing to remember when looking at it.
For now, I’d describe the 2026-27 Dawgs as:
Interesting. Incomplete. And worth watching.
And with more additions still to come, the fun part is seeing what the rest of the picture looks like.
Stay tuned to The Dawg Park as the roster continues to take shape.