COVENTRY Blaze have announced the double-signing of American forwards Cole Donhauser and Kobe Roth for the 2023/24 Elite League season.
Donhauser will be turning professional with the Blaze after the 23-year-old spent the last four seasons in the NCAA with the Yale University Bulldogs, scoring 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 80 games.
And 26-year-old Roth spent the majority of last season with the Florida Everblades in the ECHL as well as Kalamazoo Wings, scoring 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 61 regular season matches.
Blaze head coach Danny Stewart said: “We are getting a very good all-around guy in Cole. He’s got good size, shoots the puck very well and is difficult to play against.
“His work rate is phenomenal, and he is a guy that plays in those hard areas. He will play the wing for us but is another player that can move around the line-up and play up the middle if needed.
“Kobe is an important signing for us. He’s a guy that will be relied upon to play all situations in our top six. He’s got a great skill set, a very high compete rate and a great head for the game.
“He skates well and plays 200-feet at a very good pace. He’s played top hockey in arguably the best conference in college hockey and has been part of some championship winning teams at Duluth.
“He’s been a captain and led his team in scoring his senior year. He got a taste of pro hockey last year, and I think is a guy that we are getting at the right time in his career.”
Donhauser, a 6ft left shooter, was named the David C.Noyes III award winner, presented to the player whose performance and attitude most inspired teammates through determination, grit and courage.
Prior to his collegiate career, Donhauser was a standout in high school representing Nichols School.
He also spent a year in the BCHL with the Chilliwack Chiefs where he scored 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 67 games.
Roth tried out with Texas Stars of the AHL prior to last season after turning professional last year.
The 5ft 9in left-shooter spent five years playing college hockey in the NCAA at the highly respected University of Minnesota-Duluth.
In five seasons at UMD, Roth had 97 points (54 goals, 43 assists) in 176 games from 2017 to 2022.
He helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back National Championships as a freshman in 2017/18 and a sophomore in 2018/19 and also won the NCHC conference’s Sportsmanship Award in 2019/20.
Before heading to the NCAA, Roth played with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL from 2015 to 2017, where he scored 34 points (15 goals. 19 assists) in 59 games.
During Roth’s time with the Buccaneers, they reached four consecutive Frozen Fours and had five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
