Stamps veteran and Cobras alumni Rob Cote returns as one of the team's captains for the 2017 season, it was announced this week.

Cote, the longest-serving player on the Stamps current roster, is in his sixth season as captain and joins Bo Levi Mitchell, Joshua Bell and Rene Paredes in fulfilling the role. They were selected in a players' vote.

The fullback joined the team in 2007 and has 178 games of experience and two Grey Cup rings with the Red and White. The 30-year-old Cochrane native is a two-time recipient of the Presidents’ Ring award, as voted by his teammates, for demonstrating excellence on and off the field.

With the spring camp and pre-season games behind them, the Stamps open their regular season on the road on June 23 in the first of two rematches against the Ottawa Redblacks, whom they faced in the 2016 Grey Cup. The two meet again in Calgary on June 29 for the Stamps' home opener.