The Twin City Thunder National Collegiate Development Conference team has added another big defenseman for the 2020-21 season.

The team announced the tender signing of Logan Radtke of the Dallas Jr. Stars U18 team where he had a goal and three assists in 23 games in the Tier I Elite League.

“He’s a big kid who skates real well and he’s real good with the puck,” Thunder co-owner and coach Dan Hodge said. “He’s a fitness fanatic. He loves to be in shape. He loves mountain biking. He loves all the things that keep the players in shape in the off-season.”

The 18-year-old from Aspen, Colorado is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds.

Radtke, like fellow tender signee Andriiy Yevtukhov, is a defenseman who plays with a shutdown mentality.

 

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“(Radtke) prides himself on (playing defense) and he prides himself holding the blue line,” Hodge said. “He’s a (defensive) zone first type of a (player) which is the kind of defensemen I like and he can jump up in the rush and add some offense. He’s more of a (player) who will take care of (things) in front of the net and make players pay a price coming over the blue line.”

Hodge has focused on defense-first defensemen this offseason because he thought the team gave up too many shots against last season.

Radtke is the sixth tender for the 2020-21 season. Hodge said he has been able to acquire a couple more tenders this offseason. The team traded one tender to complete trade with South Shore Kings in which the Thunder acquired defenseman Andy Antiles and forward Lucas Kucera during last season. Anthony Cineto decided to play at New England College next season after signing his tender with the Thunder a few weeks ago.

A tender is a contract that gives a team a player’s USPHL NCDC rights, and the player cannot be drafted or signed by another NCDC team. The player, however, can sign with another team in another junior league.

USPHL ANNOUNCES OPENING DATES FOR 2020-21 SEASON

The United States Premier Hockey League has announced its starting dates for the 2020-21 season.

The USPHL 18U full season midget league in which the Twin City Lighting play in will open with league games at the Tier 1 Labor Day Faceoff at Foxboro Sports Center in Foxboro, Massachusetts September 4-6.

The two Twin City Thunder teams, the NCDC and the Tie III Premier Division team will open up the weekend of September 27-29.


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