LEWISTON – The roster started with close to 70 names.

A total of 27 skaters remain with the Lewiston Maineiacs after another round of cuts was announced Monday. The list included four veterans and two rookies.

Maxime Robert, 19, last year’s assistant captain, was the most notable name on the list.

Robert scored seven goals and recorded 19 assists in 63 games last winter as a center.

He was the team’s fourth leading faceoff man with a 53.6 percent success rate.

Kevin Talbot, 18, who also saw time in a Maineiacs uniform before being sent back to AAA hockey, was also on the cut list, as was Maxime Brunet, 18, a defenseman who also split his season between the Maineiacs and AAA hockey.

Neither Talbot nor Brunet tallied a point last season in 38 combined games.

Kevin Turgeon, who some say is still rattled by a sucker-punch in a game last year against Baie-Comeau, was also sent home.

Last year, Turgeon had a goal and two assists in 30 games while racking up 36 penalty minutes.

“They were tough decisions to make for sure,” said Maineiacs coach and general manager Clem Jodoin. “And the decisions were not one-man decisions. The scouts, the assistants and I all had input into what happened, and the decisions we are making, we feel, are in the best interests of our organization.”

When asked what helped him decide to cut the veterans, and in particular Robert, Jodoin would only say that it was the “overall picture.”

Two rookies also got the axe Monday.

Defensemen Mathew Ricard and Jonathan Cameron, both 17, were asked to leave, trimming the defensive roster back to nine. Jodoin has said he will look to keep eight defensemen.

On the front line, there are still 17 players, with the magic number at three. Among those forwards is Auburn resident and former Edward Little standout Colby Gilbert, who is one of five 19-year-old forwards left.

Three goalies – Jaroslav Halak (19), Jonathan Bernier (16) and Travis Fullerton (17) – remain in camp.

On the list of 27 players, there are two 16-year-olds, eight 17-year-olds, five 18-year-olds, nine 19-year-olds and three 20-year-olds.

In earlier statements, Jodoin had said he is looking to even out the age groups on the team.

The Maineiacs play their next exhibition game tonight against Moncton in St. John, New Brunswick, and return to the ice locally Friday at Kennebec Ice Arena for its final “home” exhibition game before the season opens in late September.