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Joe Cesario has returned to the team where he started his junior hockey career.
Last February, the forward from Denver, CO, was sent by the Minnesota Wilderness to the Anchorage Wolverines in a deal completed at the NAHL 2022-23 trade deadline. This week, in another trade with the Wolverines, the Wilderness brought Cesario home.
Cesario was re-acquired in exchange for future assets. He is expected to be a key ingredient to the Wilderness lineup in the 2023-24 season.
“I’m very excited to be back in such a great community with an outstanding fan base,” Cesario was quoted in a Wilderness social media post. “I look forward to being back with my teammates and making a run to win it all this year.”
In 22-23, Cesario, who turned 20 years old in March, played 41 games with Minnesota, and still managed to lead all team rookies in scoring, despite being on Anchorage’s roster for the season’s final two months. The 6-foot, 180-pound Cesario finished with 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points with Minnesota. With Anchorage, he played 14 games, scoring five goals and adding two assists for seven points. With the Wilderness, he also secured an NCAA commitment to play college hockey at the Air Force Academy.