HUNTERSVILLE, NC (April 12, 2017) – The Southern Professional Hockey League on Thursday announced its 2017-2018 All-Rookie Team as selected by a vote of SPHL coaches, general managers and media representatives.

F - Jacob Barber, Birmingham Bulls
F - Eliot Grauer, Knoxville Ice Bears
F - Joseph Widmar, Peoria Rivermen
D - Michael Chen, Knoxville Ice Bears
D - Derek Perl, Huntsville Havoc (tie)
D - Anthony Calabrese, Huntsville Havoc (tie)
G - Tomas Sholl, Evansville Thunderbolts

Jacob Barber of the Birmingham Bulls led all rookies in goals (24), assists (29 - tied), points (53), power play assists (12 - tied), game-winning goals (six) and shootout goals (five). Acquired from Peoria on January 23, the Dardenne Prairie, MO native was also second among first-year players with 166 shots.

Eliot Grauer of the Knoxville Ice Bears finished second among rookies with 42 points and seven power play goals (tied). The Mukilteo, WA was also third in goals (21) and fourth in power play assists (nine - tied) among first-year players while finishing second on the Ice Bears in scoring.

Joseph Widmar of the Peoria Rivermen finished tied for third in scoring among all first-year players with 40 points, despite playing only 36 games. The Northbrook, IL native’s 29 assists was tied for the rookie lead while his +17 rating was tied for third-best.

Michael Chen of the Knoxville Ice Bears was tied for third among all SPHL defensemen with 10 power play assists and was sixth with 29 points (6g, 23a). A native of Rockville, MD, Chen finished as the second-highest scoring blueliner on the Ice Bears despite only playing 46 games.

Teammates Anthony Calabrese and Derek Perl of the Huntsville Havoc finished tied for the second defenseman spot on the All-Rookie Team. Calabrese, a native of Bridgetown, NJ, tied for seventh in scoring among defensemen (6-22-28) while Perl, a native of Etobicoke, ON, was eighth (5-21-26).

Tomas Sholl of the Evansville Thunderbolts went 14-3-3 led all SPHL goaltenders with a 2.53 goals against average and 0.917 save percentage (tied). Acquired from Macon on November 1, the Hermosa Beach, CA native finished sixth among netminders with 14 wins, despite being called up to the ECHL on January 24 where he went 14-0-1-2 with a 1.54 goals against average and four shutouts with Adirondack and Idaho.

The league will announce its First and Second-Team All-SPHL rosters on Friday