The Allen Americans added two centers to the roster yesterday: Riley Kidney and Zackary Shantz. Kidney was assigned to Allen by Belleville during last season's playoffs, tallying 3 points (2G, 1A) in 4 games against Kansas City. Shantz is a 20-year-old rookie who played on the WHL championship team (Everett Silvertips) last season and scored 65 points (27G, 38A) in 66 games. Player profiles are below.
- Here is the Allen Americans press release announcing Kidney and Shantz: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/09/americans-add-two-key-players-up-front
- The Allen Americans have now announced 17 players for the 2026-27 season. Here is the list with ages. The Americans will be one of the youngest teams in the league.
Goalies
- Brett Mirwald: 22 (rookie)
Forwards
- Divyne Apollon: 21 (rookie)
- Spencer Asuchak: 34 (veteran)
- Cole Bishop: 21 (rookie)
- Chase Coughlin: 21 (rookie)
- Hank Crone: 28
- Mathieu De St. Phalle: 26
- Michael Gildon: 25
- Riley Kidney: 23
- Anthony Rinaldi: 31
- Zackary Shantz: 20 (rookie)
- Lukas Sillinger: 25
- Brayden Watts: 27 (veteran)
Defense
- Andre Anania: 23
- Jackson Decker: 27
- Quinn Warmuth: 26
- Cal Uens: 21 (rookie)
- AHL experience of the 17 players who have been announced thus far:
- 132 games - Kidney
- 64 games - Asuchak
- 25 games - De St. Phalle
- 6 games - Rinaldi
- 5 games - Crone
- 5 games - Sillinger
- 4 games - Watts
- 1 game - Anania
PLAYER PROFILE - RILEY KIDNEY
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| Riley Kidney |
Riley Kidney is a 23-year-old, 5'11", 190-pound, left-shot center from Halifax, Nova Scotia. He played his junior
hockey in the QMJHL. In his final season in the QMJHL (2022-23), he averaged 1.83 points per game and ranked #2 in the league in assists (82) and #4 in points (110). He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round (#63 overall) of the 2021 NHL draft. He turned pro in 2023-24 at 19 and played the entire season with the Laval Rocket, totaling 20 points (7G, 13A) in 66 games.
Riley is only 23 years old and will be starting his fourth professional season. Thus far in his pro career, Kidney has played in 132 AHL games (39 points, 11G, 28A) and 46 ECHL games (33 points, 11G, 22A). He has more AHL games played than the rest of the current roster combined.
What do the scouting reports say about Kidney:
- Talented playmaker with good hands, high-pace scanning habits, and strong vision.
- A pass-first player who can pick apart opposing defenses.
- His transition game keeps the puck in the opponent's zone.
- He relies on his work ethic to outperform others.
- While his playmaking is his calling card, he has an accurate, deceptive shot.
- Great hockey IQ with the ability to use his creativity to find open teammates.
Steve Martinson's thoughts on Kidney:
- "I expect him to be a dominant player in our lineup
- "His last two years in the QMJHL, he was #1 and #2 in the league in assists and had 100+ points. My philosophy is if you scored like that in the past, you can do it again."
- "I really liked his game in the playoffs last season. He couldn't skate for a month, came off an injury, and the second he got cleared, he played. That says a lot to me."
- "One thing I noticed when I first looked at his stats is he always played well in the playoffs when games tighten up."
- "Kidney is an AHL-level player and is an AHL free agent, so he could get called up by any AHL team."
Here is a video interview from a few years ago, after Riley had been drafted by Montreal and traded midway through his last season in the QMJHL. You can hear him talk about his game in his own voice.
PLAYER PROFILE - ZACKARY SHANTZ
Zackary Shantz
Zackary Shantz is a 20-year-old, 5'11", 170-pound, right-shot center from Sucker Creek, Alberta. He played his junior hockey in the WHL and had a breakout season in 2025-26, helping his team (Everett Silvertips) win its first-ever WHL championship. Zakary had 65 points (28G, 38A) in 66 games.
What do the scouting reports say about Shantz:
- He is the kind of player whose motor never turns off.
- Great work ethic; rarely gives up on plays.
- Brings noticeable intensity to the faceoff dot, which shows up in draws.
- He has a shoot-first mentality and is good at getting pucks through traffic.
- A strong two-way game in the offensive zone. Patrolling empty space while also defending backwards as the third forward high in the zone.
Steve Martinson's thoughts on Shantz:
- "I expect him to be one of the top rookies in the league."
- "The only guys on his championship team last season in Everett who had more points than Zack were all high NHL draft picks."
- "One of the things I wanted to get better at this season is pursuing the puck when we don't have it, and Shantz's game will help with that. He is one of those types of forwards where puck pursuit is a strength."
- "He converted to center a long time ago and is good on faceoffs. I saw one report that his faceoff percentage last season was 57.1%.
Here are two get-to-know-you videos with Shantz.
- The first is an on-ice interview after his team won its first WHL championship (May 16, 2026) since joining the WHL in 2003. What a great smile.
- The second video honors his membership in Sucker Creek, Cree First Nation in northern Alberta, but it is also a Zackary hockey highlight reel. What struck me as I watched these highlights was how good he is around the net. Allen has had some very skilled indigenous hockey players over the years, Colton Yellow Horn, Judd Blackwater, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, and Eric Roy, to name a few. They may have another one in Shantz.
OTHER COMMENTS
- I have had several questions about the defensemen who will end up on the roster and why more haven't been announced. In addition to the four that have been announced, Coach Martinson could get up to four NHL/AHL contracted defensemen assigned, and Sam Sedley could be in Allen to start the season. Martinson also has a vet spot to hire an experienced defenseman if needed.
- I have also had questions about a Q & A session with Coach Martinson. Steve and Michelle will be in Allen the week of September 14 and plan to have one of these sessions that week.
- I have said this in the past as it relates to signing players. When recruiting, it is not as simple as finding the best 20 players you can find. The reality is finding the best players at the best value given the salary cap. The salary cap increased by $500 per week from last season. Spread over a 20-player roster, that is $25 per player, and you know the high-end players expect a raise of a lot more than $25.
- What Coach Martinson does is allocate his money to the areas where he thinks he will get the least amount of help from the AHL. It is also important to Martinson to have top players who are not looking to move up to the AHL. There is a premium for guys who just want to play in Allen. You don't want to have your whole team looking to be called up, even if they are good enough to be called up.
- Play has just started in Europe. There is a league called the Champions League that is made up of 24 top teams from 11 different leagues. This league goes on during each team's regular season. A team could play a regular season game one night and then travel to a different country to play a Champions League game. The Champions League ends in February with a 16-team playoff. That is a long, drawn-out way to say the Champions League just had its first games. HC Pilzen, which is the team Danny Katic plays for in the Czech Republic, beat a team from Sweden 4-0. And yes, Katic scored a goal.
- Zackary Shantz committed to St. Cloud State University last February, but decided to turn professional and sign with the Allen Americans. Ironically, Coach Martinson played his collegiate hockey at St. Cloud State.
