Why this former SPHL defenseman of the year is a key signing for the Peoria Rivermen

PEORIA — Nick Neville will be back on the ice for the Peoria Rivermen in the 2022-23 season.

The SPHL Defenseman of the Year in 2019-20, Neville signed with the Rivermen on Wednesday for a league title defense as the franchise heads into its 41st season.

"To me, Nick Neville is as important to our defense as (captain) Alec Hagaman is to our offense," Rivermen coach Jean-Guy Trudel said. "Nick goes out there and plays 23 great minutes every night. He's old-school, tough, and low-maintenance.

"Can't get better than that."

Neville is one of three Rivermen players to be named SPHL Defenseman of the Year, joining Dave Pszenyczny (2017-18) and Brandon Greenside (2015-16). Players like these are the hallmark of the Rivermen way under Trudel, who builds his teams at the foundation with goaltending, elite defense and top centers.

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"Neville runs our first power play unit and is one of the smartest defensemen in the defensive zone when it comes to angles and systems," Trudel said. "He plays on the penalty kill. He plays injured. He leads. You get everything you could hope for with him."

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Neville is 29 now, and heading into his sixth season with the Rivermen. He's played 157 regular-season games with Peoria and notched 13 goals with 94 assists. He added another 19 playoff games, with seven assists.

The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native has earned three ECHL call-ups during his time with Peoria, including a 36-game stint with Reading in 2017-18. He's played 57 games overall in the ECHL with Reading and South Carolina.

He led all SPHL defensemen last season with 18 power play assists. He has 43 power play assists in his last three seasons with the Rivermen.

Neville came to the Rivermen after his college career at University of Denver was complete. But his connection to the Peoria franchise was further back when he played junior hockey for the NAHL Texas Tornado in 2011-12 and 2012-13, where his head coach was former IHL Rivermen defenseman and captain Tony Curtale.

He is a two-time SPHL champion, having played for Pensacola's title team while the Rivermen were dormant in the 2020-21 season.

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Rivermen sign a second goaltender

Rivermen veteran goaltender Eric Levine was one of the first players to re-sign with Peoria this summer.

Now he has a partner in the net.

The Rivermen signed Josh Boyko on Wednesday. He is a 5-foot-11, 180-pounder from Mississauga, Ontario.

The 25-year-old played the last five seasons at NCAA Division III Aurora University, where among his teammates was Lordanthony Grissom, the big defenseman added to Peoria's roster for its title drive last spring.

Boyko was 16-9-1 with a .915 saves rate and 2.62 goals-against average at Aurora last season.

The rookie will head to ECHL Maine's camp this month.

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River Readings

The Rivermen will add a handful of additional players next week and then prepare for their 2023 SPHL training camp, which opens with first practice on Oct. 14 at Carver Arena. … Rivermen veteran winger Jordan Ernst has signed an AHL deal to attend Chicago Wolves camp.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.