ESTERO, FL. – The Florida Everblades have signed defenseman Riese Zmolek to a standard player contract.
Zmolek, 29, re-joins Florida for his third season with the Everblades. Last season, the Rochester, Minnesota, native had 11 assists in 43 games with Florida, then appeared in one playoff game for the Everblades. Overall in his time with the club, Zmolek has four goals and 21 assists over 96 games with the Everblades, helping the team win the 2024 Kelly Cup.
Zmolek began his professional career with two seasons with the Iowa Heartlanders, garnering five goals and 22 assists over 78 games, while serving as the team’s captain in his second season. The left-shot blueliner has also played 22 AHL games in his career split between the Iowa Wild and Rochester Americans, getting one goal and three assists.
Prior to turning pro, Zmolek played four seasons of collegiate hockey at Minnesota State, being named as the team’s captain for his senior year. He also wore a letter in his junior days with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, where he spent two seasons. Zmolek won the Curt Hammer Award as the USHL’s Gentleman of the Year in 2017.
Zmolek’s father Doug played 467 NHL games with the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, and Chicago Blackhawks over a nine-year NHL career. Reise’s brother Will plays in the AHL with the Iowa Wild, while his other brother Bennett is captain at the University of North Dakota.
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