Minot Minotauros forward Dane Ramirez has been named team captain for the 2026-27 season. This is Ramirez’s third year with the Tauros. He has appeared in 97 games, registering 39 points on 21 goals and 18 assists. Mike Kraft/MDN

The captain’s “C” is returning to the Minot Minotauro sweater after a two-year hiatus.

Third-year forward Dane Ramirez will serve as the Tauros’ team captain for the upcoming 2026-27 season, the team announced on Tuesday, June 30. Ramirez is the first captain since Trevor Stachowiak and Weston Knox were co-captains during the 2023-24 campaign.

“We talked a little bit at the end of last year about me being named captain, and honestly I was just super excited that they recognized me,” Ramirez said. “It’s such an honor with everything the Minot organization has done in the past, which speaks for itself how prestigious this organization is.”

Ramirez is one of the more experienced members of the Tauros on the roster this season, heading into his third year in the Magic City after suiting up for 97 games in his first two seasons.

“Dane is going into his third year,” Minotauros coach and general manager Cody Campbell said. “He knows what’s expected here. Anybody that looks at what he does is going to see a kid who is doing it the right way and doing the things required to have success in terms of all aspects: on-ice work ethic, details on the ice and off-the-ice work ethic, details in his daily life, his nutrition, his habits. If a kid needs to know what’s expected and what the bar is, they can look at Dane Ramirez and figure it out pretty quickly.”

The Tauros elected against having a captain each of the last two seasons, opting for a group of alternate captains to split the leadership duties. Last season, Ty James, Davin Nichols and Brady Zugec wore the “A” while with the Tauros. Zugec ended up playing just 17 games before being moved up to the USHL, logging 37 games with the Fargo Force.

Minot first elected to go without a captain the year prior, instead assigning the alternate captain designation to John Small, Adam Mahler, Jack O’Hanisain and Ian Spencer. Despite no true captain, Ramirez learned valuable takeaways from the leadership group over the last two seasons that he’ll continue to implement moving forward.

“Take responsibility and lead by example,” Ramirez said. “When I first got to Minot, there wasn’t a whole lot that needed to be said. All I had to do was look at the guys that have been through it and have been a part of the team and they paved the path for me and I think I kind of learned that that’s all that needs to be done is lead by example and show the new guys how things are done and the way things are supposed to be done. I’ve been part of the team the last two years and the leadership was great even though there wasn’t an official captain named, but the leadership group did a great job and it’s an honor they brought the ‘C’ back into the team.”

Ramirez is coming off his best season with the Tauros, registering 32 points. He finished fifth in team scoring among active players and led the Tauros with 19 goals. He was a mainstay in the lineup, appearing in 57 of 59 games. Only James played in more games last season (59). Ramirez finished the season scoring a goal in each of the final six contests, including a two-goal night in the penultimate contest.

“My game is very simple and very gritty,” Ramirez said. “Learning how to do the simple things to the best of my ability really helped improve my game. The more I kept it simple, the better I played. Learning how I play the best was one thing I focused on between Year 1 and Year 2 and I focused on doing that to the best of my ability.”

Ramirez’s rise to the top of the leadership room was anything but linear, as he experienced his fair share of hardships during his first year with the Tauros as he transitioned to the speed and skill of junior hockey. Ramirez was in and out of the lineup, suiting up for 35 games in the regular season while being on the sidelines for the other 24. He did play in all five postseason games against Austin that season.

“Dane didn’t have an easy path here,” Campbell said. “He was in and out of the lineup his first year. He went through the struggle of the transition to junior hockey and overcame that adversity and really developed into a player that we relied on the second half of last season. We only see that trajectory to go upwards. It’s a cool story to talk about where he’s come from in terms of when he first got with us to where he is now.”

Ramirez registered seven points on two goals and five assists his first year with the Tauros. His first career NAHL goal came against Watertown on Feb. 22, 2025.

“My first year, there were some ups and downs,” Ramirez said. “Coming in as a younger guy on an older team, you definitely have to learn a couple things, learn how the game’s played, how faster paced and more physical it is. It took me a little bit to learn how things were done, and the leadership group and the older guys taught me a lot. It definitely took some time before I was fully comfortable playing at this level, but I’m glad I got to learn here instead of with another organization.”

Prior to joining the Minotauros, the Wexford, Penn., native spent time playing for the Cleveland Barons’ 14, 15 and 16U AAA programs, as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 18U. In his time with the Barons between 2020 and 2023, Ramirez played in 87 games, totalling 73 points on 34 goals and 39 assists. With the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 18U team in 2023-24, Ramirez amassed 41 points on 15 goals and 26 assists in 51.

Ramirez was tendered by the Tauros, meaning they held his exclusive rights and could not be selected in the NAHL Entry Draft. Tendered players aren’t guaranteed a final roster spot, but do land on the team’s preseason protection list and receive an invitation to main camp.

Of all the teams Ramirez could be playing junior hockey for, he couldn’t imagine himself anywhere else by Minot.

“It’s cool just being a part of the town and being a role model in the town,” Ramirez said. “Everyone is so supportive of the Tauros in Minot. It’s really cool and you feel like a mini celebrity when you’re in town. There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that, so it’s really special to me to wear the logo around town and people recognize you and they’re excited for the next game. That’s the most special thing about being a Tauro is you’re not just playing hockey in a random part of America. You’re playing hockey in a town where the fans care about you, the boosters care about you, the kids care about you and look up to you. It’s really helped me to grow up from a kid in high school to a young man.”

Campbell said the rest of the leadership group will be named later in the offseason.