Fort Wayne Komets

Fort Wayne Komets
2018–19 ECHL season
City Fort Wayne, Indiana
League ECHL
Conference Western
Division Central
Founded 1985 (Current ECHL franchise)
1952 (First IHL franchise)
Operated 1990–present (Current ECHL franchise)
1952–1990 (First IHL franchise)
Home arena Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Colors Orange, black and white
              
Owner(s) The Franke family
Head coach Garry Graham
Captain Jamie Schaafsma
Media WOWO (1190 AM)
WKJG (1380 AM)
Affiliates Vegas Golden Knights (NHL)
Chicago Wolves (AHL)
Franchise history
First IHL Franchise
1952–1990 Fort Wayne Komets
1990–1991 Albany Choppers
Current ECHL Franchise
1985–1990 Flint Spirits
1990–present Fort Wayne Komets
Championships
Regular season titles 12 (1959–60, 1962–63, 1972–73, 1977–78, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1986–87, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09)
Division Championships 2 (2016, 2018)
Conference Championships 1 (2012)
Turner Cups 7 (1963, 1965, 1973, 1993, 2008, 2009, 2010)
Ray Miron President's Cup 1 (2012)
Colonial Cups 1 (2003)

The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original International Hockey League, and the second International Hockey League. They have won four post-season championship titles in the original IHL in 1963, 1965, 1973 and 1993, four in the UHL/second IHL in 2003, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and one in the CHL in 2012. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Original Six teams of the NHL and the Hershey Bears of the AHL have played continuously in the same city with the same name longer than the Komets.

History

The original Komets franchise played in the previous iteration of the International Hockey League from 1952 until 1990. The original IHL franchise then moved to Albany, New York in 1990 as the Albany Choppers. Only two days later, the Franke family of Fort Wayne bought the Flint Spirits, moved them to Fort Wayne, and took the Komets name and history. The Albany Choppers would only play part of one season before folding on February 15, 1991.[1]

In 1999, the second IHL Komets franchise joined the United Hockey League (which later took the IHL name in 2007). In 2010, the UHL/IHL ceased operations and the Komets joined the Central Hockey League along with the surviving members of their former league. They left the CHL for the ECHL in 2012.

For the 2014–15 season, the Komets entered into a one-year affiliation with the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, providing a direct line to Colorado's American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters.[2][3] After a successful season and partnership proving beneficial to all parties, on July 21, 2015, the Komets announced a continuance of the affiliation with the Avalanche and new AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage on a two-year deal through the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons.[4] However, the Avalanche and Komets mutually agreed to end the affiliation one season early in 2016.[5] After a season operating independently of an affiliation, the Komets agreed to a one-year affiliation deal with the Arizona Coyotes and their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners,[6] but did not extend the affiliation after the deal ended.[7]

On August 21, the Komets announced a new one-year affiliation agreement with the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights and AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves.[8]

Season-by-season results

This is a partial list of the last ten seasons completed by the Fort Wayne Komets. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Fort Wayne Komets seasons

SeasonLeagueGPWLOTLSOLPtsGFGAPIMPlayoffs
2008–09IHL764618391042882131678Won Championship
2009–10IHL765021141052631831589Won Championship
2010–11CHL66312753701872041352Lost in Quarterfinals
2011–12CHL66401916832281871272Won Championship
2012–13ECHL72333513702052461385Did not qualify
2013–14ECHL7236247584215215954Lost in Conference Semifinals
2014–15ECHL724818241022512001033Lost in Conference Semifinals
2015–16ECHL72402372892402001196Lost in Conference Finals
2016–17ECHL72451962982642101292Lost in Division Finals
2017–18ECHL72462051982902161078Lost in Conference Finals

Records as of the conclusion of the 2017–18 season.[9]

Retired numbers

The Komets have honored over 40 personnel in three sections - Executive Builders, Team Personnel and Media - in the Komets Hall of Fame established in 1988. They have also retired numbers to honor 16 people over the course of their history.[10]

Fort Wayne Komets retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure Date of honor
1Chuck AdamsonG1962–1967October 26, 2013
2Guy DupuisD1991–2011October 29, 2011
5Terry PembrokeD1964–19781988
6Lionel RepkaD1958–19691988
11Len ThornsonC1957–19691988
12Reg PrimeauC1960–19691988
16Eddie LongRW1952–19661988
18Rob LairdLW1974–1989March 6, 2002
26Colin ChinC1986–1996November 17, 2007
30Robbie IronsG1967–19811988
33Nick BoucherG2007–2012October 26, 2013
40Bob ChaseMedia1953–20161993
58Ken UllyotOwner1958–19821988
59Colin ListerOwner1959–19851988
77Steven FletcherLW1990–2002November 17, 2007
91Colin ChaulkC2002–2013February 19, 2017
504[lower-alpha 1]Al Sims[11]Coach1989–93, 2007–13March 25, 2017
  1. ↑ For his career wins as coach

Current roster

Updated August 17, 2018.[12]
# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
4 United States Jason Binkley D R 26 2016 Powell, Ohio Komets
8 United States Taylor Crunk LW L 23 2016 San Jacinto, California Komets
– United States Thomas Ebbing C L 24 2018 Troy, Michigan Komets
– Canada Trent Fox LW L 21 2018 Chatham, Ontario Komets
– United States Charley Graaskamp C R 22 2018 Eau Claire, Wisconsin Komets
– United States Kevin Gibson D L 28 2018 Grosse Pointe, Michigan Komets
– United States Lukas Hafner G L 26 2018 Toledo, Ohio Komets
– United States Kyle Hayton G L 24 2018 Denver, Colorado Komets
88 Canada Justin Hodgman C R 30 2017 Brampton, Ontario Komets
– United States Jeff King D R 22 2018 St. Clair, Michigan Komets
– United States Alexander Kuqali D L 27 2018 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Komets
– United States Nicholas Kuqali D R 33 2018 Dallas, Texas Komets
71 United States Ryan Lowney D L 24 2017 Redford, Michigan Komets
– Canada Kevin Miller LW L 24 2018 Stony Plain, Alberta Komets
– Canada Brandon Morley LW L 24 2018 Burnaby, British Columbia Komets
– United States Danny Moynihan C L 22 2018 Boston, Massachusetts Komets
– Canada Mathieu Nadeau RW R 21 2018 Lac-Etchemin, Quebec Komets
36 United States Anthony Petruzzelli LW L 25 2018 Federal Way, Washington Komets
– United States Chase Phelps LW L 22 2018 Edina, Minnesota Komets
– United States Garret Ross LW L 26 2018 Dearborn Heights, Michigan Komets
21 Canada Marco Roy C L 23 2017 Boisbriand, Quebec Komets
22 Netherlands Jamie Schaafsma (C) F L 35 2015 Chatham, Ontario Komets
44 Canada Cody Sol (A) D L 27 2014 Woodstock, Ontario Komets
29 United States Joseph Widmar C R 23 2018 Northbrook, Illinois Komets

Franchise records

Scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; * = still active with the team

PlayerPosGPGAPts
Len ThornsonC7634128071219
Eddie LongRW801425427852
Colin ChaulkC581187497684
Terry McDougallC507249395644
Colin ChinC660246390636
John GoodwinLW480200387587
Guy DupuisD945126417543
Reg PrimeauC452200342542
Merv DubchakRW437321218539
Robbie LairdLW520223276499

Regular season

  • Most goals in a season: Merv Dubchak, 72 (1965–66)
  • Most assists in a season: Len Thornson, 93 (1966–67)
  • Most points in a season: Len Thornson, 139 (1966–67) & Terry McDougall, 139 (1978–79)
  • Most penalty minutes in a season: Andy Bezeau, 590 (1995–96)
  • Most wins in a season: Kevin St. Pierre, 43 (2003–04)
  • Most shutouts in a season: Kevin Reiter, 7 (2007–08) & Kevin St. Pierre, 7 (2003–04)

Team records

  • On March 28, 2008, the Komets set a new professional hockey record of 23 straight home wins. They defeated the Kalamazoo Wings 4–3.[13] The record ended at 25.
  • On April 12, 2008, the Komets set a new Fort Wayne hockey record of 56 wins in a season. The previous record of 53 was set in 2003–04.[14]
  • On May 15, 2010, the Komets defeated the Flint Generals in Game Five of the IHL Turner Cup Finals to win the series, 4 games to 1, earning the Komets a "three-peat" after winning the Turner Cup in 2008 and 2009 as well.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Chuck Miller THE IHL'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: THE 1990-91 ALBANY CHOPPERS
  2. ↑ "Komets announce affiliation with NHL's Avalanche and AHL's Monsters". WANE-TV. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  3. ↑ "Colorado affiliation could be different and better for Komets". News-Sentinel. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  4. ↑ "Komets put together two-year deal with Avalanche". News-Sentinel. 2015-07-21. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
  5. ↑ "Komets, Avalanche Terminate Affiliation". OurSports Central. July 19, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Coyotes Announce ECHL Affiliation With Fort Wayne Komets". tucsonroadrunners.com. July 31, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Fort Wayne Komets, Arizona Coyotes and Tucson Roadrunners end affiliation". The News-Sentinel. June 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Komets announce affiliation with NHL's Vegas Golden Knights". Komets.com. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  9. ↑ "Fort Wayne Komets Standings". hockeydb.com. 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
  10. ↑ "Komets Hall of Fame". Fort Wayne Komets. 2015-08-15. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
  11. ↑ "Sims thrilled about Komets saluting 504". The Journal Gazette. March 24, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Cody Sol deighted to wear an 'A' with Komets - Veteran defenseman has more-defined leadership role". News-Sentinel. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Komets Historical Win". Fort Wayne Komets. 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  14. ↑ "54th win sets new Fort Wayne franchise record". Fort Wayne Komets. 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
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