PORTLAND – Portland Pirates Head Coach Ray Edwards announced Thursday that forward Alexandre Bolduc has been named the 15th captain in team history.

Forwards Andy Miele, Jordan Szwarz, defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Summers will serve as assistant captains during the 2012-13 season.

Bolduc, 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, is in his second season with the Pirates after splitting time between Portland and Phoenix in 2011-12. The native of Montreal appeared in 23 games with Portland last season, registering 3 goals and 12 assists. Prior to joining the Coyotes organization, he spent six seasons (2005-06 to 2010-11) with the Vancouver Canucks organization. He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the fourth round (127th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Miele, a former Hobey Baker award winner with the Miami University Redhawks, enters his second season with the Pirates. In 69 games with Portland last season, the 5-foot-9, 180 pound center scored 16 goals and collected 38 assists to rank second on the team in scoring. Miele also made his NHL debut for Phoenix in 2011-12, appearing in seven games.

Szwarz enters his second season with the Pirates after a successful rookie campaign in which he appeared in 58 games with Portland in 2011-12, registering 7-13-20. The 5-foot-11, 200 pound native of Burlington, Ontario, spent four seasons with Saginaw (OHL) prior to joining the Pirates last season, winning team MVP in 2010-11. He was selected by the Coyotes in the fourth round (97th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Ekman-Larsson spent the entire 2011-12 season with the Coyotes. He appeared in all 82 regular season games, recording 13-19-32. The 6-foot-2, 193 pound native of Karlskrona, Sweden, also appeared in all 16 of the Coyotes’ postseason games, registering a goal and three assists. Ekman-Larsson was selected by the Coyotes with the sixth overall pick of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. This will be his first season with the Pirates; he last played in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage (2010-11).

Summers begins his second season with the Pirates, after splitting time between Portland and Phoenix last season. The Ann Arbor, Michigan native has spent parts of two seasons at the NHL level, tallying three assists. Summers played 28 games with the Pirates last season, collecting two assists to go along with 37 penalty minutes (PIM). He was drafted by the Coyotes in the first round (29th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Other Portland Pirates captains over the years include Chris Jensen, Jeff Nelson, Kent Hulst, Terry Yake, Dean Melanson, Todd Rohloff, Trent Whitfield, Graham Mink, Aaron Gavey, Kent Huskins, Tyler Bouck, Brad Larsen, Matt Ellis and Dean Arsene.

The Pirates open their 20th anniversary season, presented by Bill Dodge Auto Group, on the road against the Adirondack Phantoms this Saturday, October 13 at 7:00 P.M.

The Pirates’ first home game will be played in Lewiston at  Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. against the Worcester Sharks. The team will play its first game in Portland on Friday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. vs. St. John’s at Cumberland County Civic Center.

Ticket treasure hunt

The Portland Pirates will be holding a special 20th anniversary Ticket Treasure Hunt in Lewiston and Portland.

Pirates mascot Salty Pete will be at various locations around Lewiston and Portland with balloons containing tickets for the first Pirates fans who get to the location. Salty will be at each location for 10 minutes before moving on to another location in the city.

In Lewiston, each balloon will contain tickets for opening night in Lewiston at Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Oct. 19 vs. Worcester, while each balloon in Portland will contain four tickets to the opener at Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland on Nov. 2 vs. St. John’s. The locations of the balloons will be announced before the contest, but the times will remain a mystery.

The treasure hunts will take place in Lewiston on Tuesday, Oct. 16 and in Portland on Wednesday, Oct. 17, from noon to 4 p.m. each day.