IceCats sign four to contracts

St. Louis Blues Senior Vice President and General Manager/Worcester IceCats General Manager of Hockey Operations Larry Pleau announced today the IceCats have signed defenseman Mike Mottau and forwards Troy Riddle, Jeff Hoggan, Mark Jerant to AHL contracts.

A native of Quincy, Mass., and a former Boston College standout, Mottau skated last season with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks where he was second among team defensemen with 22 assists and 31 overall points. Originally drafted by the New York Rangers in 1997, the 26-year-old was the 1999-2000 Hobey Baker Award winner as the top collegiate hockey player in his senior season at BC.

In 271 career AHL games with Cincinnati, Saint John and Hartford, Mottau’s totals show 34 goals and 127 assists for 161 points, along with 218 penalty minutes. He participated in the AHL All-Star Game in 2001 and 2002, and was a member of the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2000-01.

Mottau has also played in 23 NHL games with the Rangers and Calgary, recording three assists.

Drafted by the Blues in the fourth round in 2000, Riddle has played the last four seasons at the University of Minnesota. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound right wing finished his collegiate career with 178 points ranking him 13th all-time on Minnesota’s career points list. Riddle, 23, won back-to-back NCAA titles with the Golden Gophers in 2002 and 2003, the first as a teammate of current IceCats forward Johnny Pohl.

A native of Hope, B.C., Hoggan skated in 77 games with the Houston Aeros last season, recording career highs with 21 goals, 15 assists and 36 points. A member of the 2002-03 Calder Cup champion Aeros, the 6-foot, 180- pounder played 142 games over the past two seasons in Houston, totaling 27 goals and 20 assists. Hoggan played three years (1999-2002) at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

A 6-foot-5, 205-pound native of Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich., Jerant appeared in 26 AHL games for the Hershey Bears in 2003-04, collecting two assists and 72 PIM in his first career AHL stint.