Erne, Hadobas agrees to deals with Iowa

Coralville, Iowa – Defensemen Lincoln Erne and Zeteny Hadobas have agreed to ECHL contracts with the Iowa Heartlanders, Head Coach and General Manager Derek Damon announced Monday.

Erne, a second-year professional from Blaine, MN, generated 17 points (3g) and 55 penalty minutes split between Newfoundland, Idaho and Jacksonville in 2023-24. The right-handed shot played four collegiate seasons as Canisius from 2019-23 and helped the Golden Griffins qualify for their second-ever NCAA tournament as a senior. 

The 21-year-old Hadobas has spent the last four seasons splitting time between professional and junior leagues in Europe and has also represented Hungary multiple times internationally. This spring, Hadobas won a gold medal with Hungary at the 2024 IIHF World Championship Division I. The Budapest, Hungary native stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 205 pounds. This will be his first time playing North American professional hockey.

You may have heard we made some big news in our final game of the 2023-24 season – our first-ever sellout in team history! That game featured a pre-game tailgate and fireworks (literally and figuratively) inside Xtream Arena, and we are going to recreate that high-energy, 5-star fan experience at 5 specific games during the 2024-25 season. Join the fun of those 5 experiences by purchasing our new 5-Star Ticket Package.

Full-season tickets are currently on sale, and deposits can be placed for 18-game plans, group outings, birthday parties, suites and the United Iowa Financial Party Plaza. Call 319-855-1775 to discuss options, or visit this link to make your plans for the 2024-25 season! 

Stay tuned to Iowa Heartlanders social media (@goheartlanders) for upcoming theme night announcements and promotional calendar updates. Sign up here to be notified by text message for team news and updates ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season. 

2024-25 roster

Goaltenders (1): William Rousseau

Defensemen (6): Jules Boscq, Louka Henault, Bogdans Hodass, Chris Lipe, Lincoln Erne, Zeteny Hadobas

Forwards (10): Yuki Miura, Will Calverley, Jonny Sorenson, Adam Goodsir, Nico Blachman, Jack O’Brien, Dakota Raabe, Parker Aucoin, Ryan Miotto, Zach Dubinsky

Quotables

Head Coach & General Manager Derek Damon: “We feel good about the depth we are building on our blueline with these two signings. Lincoln was more of a defensive defenseman during his time at Canisius, but showed some good two-way ability as a rookie last season for some good teams. He’s a big guy at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds that we think is going to continue to develop and be even more effective this season as a second-year ECHL-er. 

“Zeteny has been on our radar the last few months and we’re thrilled for him to make this jump to North American professional hockey. One of the things that excites us is that he’s still so young, but he’s also been playing in good leagues in Sweden and Hungary the last few years and been one of the best players for his country in international tournaments. He’s a puck-moving, two-way defenseman that we believe will be a nice asset for our blue line.”

Erne captained Blaine High School (in Minnesota) in 2016-17. From 2017-19, Erne skated for Minot in the NAHL, then matriculated to Canisius. 

The last two years, Hadobas played professionally in the second and third tier of Swedish professional ice hockey (HockeyAllvenskan & Hockey Ettan) and also skated with the Swedish U-20 junior team Vasteras.  In 2022-23, Hadobas was named a top-3 player on Hungary’s World Championship team. That same year, was named the best defenseman at the U20 World Junior Championship Division I, leading all players with ten assists and 11 points. 

The Heartlanders have signed six defensemen and they are from five different countries: Jules Boscq (France), Louka Henault (Canada), Bogdans Hodass (Latvia), Chris Lipe (USA), Lincoln Erne (USA) and Zeteny Hadobas (Hungary).