ESTERO — Logan Roe dwelled inside the walls of Germain Arena throughout his youth. Now he has returned to begin his professional hockey career.

The Florida Everblades signed the Fort Myers native to a contract prior to the beginning of training camp. The 23-year-old rookie defenseman went on to survive preseason cuts to make the team’s final roster, although he has yet to play in a game heading into Wednesday’s home contest against South Carolina at 7:30 p.m.

“This is something that I take pride in,” Roe said. “I’m just excited to have an opportunity to represent this team in the best way possible. I grew up here, and I was a huge fan of the Everblades. Over the past couple of years they’ve been a really good team and organization. Having the chance to continue that streak is something I really want to do.”

This isn’t the first time Roe has donned a jersey with the Blades logo. He played youth hockey — from mite (eight years old and under) to midget (16 and under) — at Germain Arena as a member of the Junior Everblades.

However, the moment he first threw on the jersey for the big club, it touched a special place in his heart.

“I actually snuck in the bathroom to take a look at myself in the mirror,” he said. “It’s pretty great. I just love coming out to practice because I can throw on the gear and represent the Everblades.”

While Roe is the first former Junior Everblade to begin the season with Florida, he isn’t quite a trailblazer.

Just last season, the Blades broke new ground when they tapped into the local hockey talent with the midseason signing of Bonita Springs native Bobby Preece.

“It’s nice that we have some homegrown products,” Blades sixth-year coach Greg Poss said. “It shows that there are kids playing hockey in Florida and that there are a lot of good ones.”

Preece, who made his ECHL debut on Dec. 19, was the first former Junior Everblades player to ever play a game for the Blades, paving the pathway for future local players. The 29-year-old defenseman finished last season with nine points and a plus/minus rating of +6 in 42 games for Florida, but he was not re-signed.

“He went to Bentley University, which is a school in my (college team’s conference), so our paths are really similar,” Roe said. “When he signed with the Blades, I thought it was really special. It was great to see that guys from my league can play professionally.”

Roe attended Fort Myers High School before transferring to the Kent School in Connecticut, where he played for two seasons. He went on to play for Canisius College in the Atlantic Hockey Association, a Division I hockey-only conference of the NCAA.

The Blades’ coaching staff scouted Roe during his senior year at Canisius and had him on their radar at the end of last season.

“He has a very high desire level, and he is very coachable,” Poss said. “He has all the tools to be a really good two-way, shutdown defenseman. All he needs is game experience.”

While Roe — one of the largest members of the Blades at 6-foot-4, 206 pounds — has yet to make an appearance in any of Florida’s six games this season, Poss said the team is taking their time with his development.

The rookie defender may get a chance to crack the starting lineup shortly due to an injury along Florida’s blueline. Matt Stanisz suffered an upper-body injury last Wednesday, leaving the Blades with only seven healthy defensemen for the next few weeks.

“We are bringing (Roe) along slowly, but I really think he will be a solid player for us,” Poss said. “He won’t play (on Wednesday), but there is definitely a chance he will play the following game.”