'I'm settling in': Why Rivermen captain has signed on for another season

PEORIA — The Peoria Rivermen opened their A-list player signings for the 2026-27 season Monday with a guy who wears a C.

Peoria captain Alec Baer officially returned for another season, signing with the defending regular-season points champions.

The veteran center and one of the SPHL's elite offensive weapons returns for a seventh season with the Rivermen. He has played 284 regular-season games for Peoria, plus another 38 in the playoffs.

"I think just personally I had an exciting year, figuring out how to be the best captain I could be and offensive player," Baer, 28, said. "I'd like to find some more of that offensive powerhouse role I used to be. Where I am in my career I wouldn't play anywhere else."

Baer was named SPHL MVP in the 2021-22 season when the Rivermen won the President's Cup. The native of St. Louis Park, Minnesota is also a three-time SPHL first-team All-Star.

He led the Rivermen with 14 goals and 44 assists in 58 games last season, the third-best points total in the league.

He notched three goals and added four assists in 12 playoff games as Peoria fell short of a third SPHL title with a loss to Evansville in a decisive Game 5 last spring.

"It would be very fun to get into that position again, with a chance to win a championship," Baer said. "Those playoff runs are so much fun, just the best. I want to do that again."

Baer has helped Peoria to SPHL championships in 2021-22 and 2023-24, and will head into his third season as team captain.

He has 13 goals and 27 assists in his 38 postseason games with Peoria. His regular-season work includes those 284 games, with 109 goals and 221 assists.

If he appears in all 60 Rivermen games this season, he'll land in a Top 10 spot in all-time games played in the SPHL. Baer stands sixth all-time in assists in league history, and ninth all-time in points.

If the SPHL had a Hall of Fame, he'd be in it.

More: What the Rivermen have to say about new SPHL rules and new players

But he's a Rivermen player for now. And something else: A Peorian.

Baer has a girlfriend from central Illinois now and they just got a house together in Peoria.

"And I think being here full-time in the summer now, with her, it made sense for me to come back and play here again," Baer said. "I'm settling in here. I just got my real estate license, and am working for Maloof Realty. I like my path."

River Readings

The Rivermen will finalize a deal to bring back goaltender Connor McAnanama, and announce his signing later this week. He came in last season to fill in when Jack Bostedt was on ECHL call-up, and he dominated in the net, going 4-2-0 with a 1.41 goals-against and .953 saves rate.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star senior writer and 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 deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: 'I'm settling in': Why Rivermen captain has signed on for another season