Professional minor league ice hockey team in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne Komets
|
---|
|
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, white
|
---|
Owner(s)
| The Franke family/Scott Sproat
|
---|
Head coach
| Jesse Kallechy
|
---|
Media
| WOWO
(1190 AM)
WKJG
(1380 AM)
|
---|
Affiliates
| Edmonton Oilers
(
NHL
)
Bakersfield Condors
(
AHL
)
|
---|
Website
| komets
.com
|
---|
|
First IHL Franchise
|
1952?1990
| Fort Wayne Komets
|
---|
1990?1991
| Albany Choppers
|
---|
Current ECHL Franchise
|
1985?1990
| Flint Spirits
|
---|
1990?present
| Fort Wayne Komets
|
---|
|
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 titles
| 2
(
2016
,
2018
)
|
---|
Conference titles
| 2
(
2012
,
2021
)
|
---|
Turner Cups
| 7
(1963, 1965, 1973, 1993, 2008, 2009, 2010)
|
---|
Ray Miron President's Cup
| 1
(
2012
)
|
---|
Colonial Cups
| 1
(2003)
|
---|
Kelly Cups
| 1
(
2021
)
|
---|
Current season
|
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
(CHL), the original
International Hockey League
(IHL), and the second
International Hockey League
(UHL/IHL). Founded in the original IHL 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, one in the CHL in 2012, and one in the ECHL in 2021. 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
[
edit
]
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, 2018, the Komets announced a new one-year affiliation agreement with the NHL's
Vegas Golden Knights
and AHL affiliate
Chicago Wolves
.
[8]
The affiliation was later extended for the 2019?20 season.
[9]
The affiliation with the Golden Knights ended on May 19, 2022.
[10]
On July 27, 2022, the Komets announced a new affiliation agreement with the NHL's
Edmonton Oilers
and their AHL affiliate, the
Bakersfield Condors
.
[11]
Season-by-season results
[
edit
]
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
Regular season
|
Playoffs
|
Season
|
GP
|
W
|
L
|
OTL
|
SOL
|
Pts
|
GF
|
GA
|
PIM
|
Standing
|
Year
|
1st round
|
2nd round
|
3rd round
|
Kelly Cup
|
2012?13
|
72
|
33
|
35
|
1
|
3
|
70
|
205
|
246
|
1385
|
4th, North
|
2013
|
Did not qualify
|
2013?14
|
72
|
36
|
24
|
7
|
5
|
84
|
215
|
215
|
954
|
3rd, North
|
2014
|
W, 4?1,
REA
|
L, 2?4,
CIN
|
?
|
?
|
2014?15
|
72
|
48
|
18
|
2
|
4
|
102
|
251
|
200
|
1033
|
2nd, North
|
2015
|
W, 4?1,
KAL
|
L, 3?4,
TOL
|
?
|
?
|
2015?16
|
72
|
40
|
23
|
7
|
2
|
89
|
240
|
200
|
1196
|
1st, Midwest
|
2016
|
W, 4?3,
CIN
|
W, 4?0,
UTA
|
L, 1?4,
ALN
|
?
|
2016?17
|
72
|
45
|
19
|
6
|
2
|
98
|
264
|
210
|
1292
|
2nd, Central
|
2017
|
W, 4?1,
QC
|
L, 1?4,
TOL
|
?
|
?
|
2017?18
|
72
|
46
|
20
|
5
|
1
|
98
|
290
|
216
|
1078
|
2nd, Central
|
2018
|
W, 4?1,
CIN
|
W, 4?2,
TOL
|
L, 3?4,
COL
|
?
|
2018?19
|
76
|
36
|
26
|
4
|
6
|
82
|
233
|
248
|
1132
|
3rd, Central
|
2019
|
L, 2?4,
TOL
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
2019?20
|
62
|
31
|
23
|
6
|
2
|
70
|
218
|
220
|
1044
|
3rd, Central
|
2020
|
Season cancelled due to
COVID-19 pandemic
|
2020?21
|
51
|
29
|
17
|
3
|
2
|
63
|
170
|
136
|
925
|
3rd, West Conf.
|
2021
|
?
|
W, 3?2,
WIC
|
W, 3?1,
ALN
|
W, 3?1,
SC
|
2021?22
|
72
|
40
|
25
|
6
|
1
|
87
|
267
|
225
|
1271
|
2nd, Central
|
2022
|
L, 3?4,
WHL
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
2022?23
|
72
|
34
|
31
|
4
|
3
|
75
|
270
|
275
|
1450
|
4th, Central
|
2023
|
L, 3?4,
CIN
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
2023?24
|
72
|
35
|
30
|
3
|
4
|
77
|
224
|
226
|
996
|
5th, Central
|
2024
|
Did not qualify
|
Records as of the conclusion of the 2023?24 regular season.
[12]
Players
[
edit
]
Current roster
[
edit
]
Updated May 1, 2024.
[13]
Team roster
No.
|
Nat
|
Player
|
Pos
|
S
/
G
|
Age
|
Acquired
|
Birthplace
|
Contract
|
17
|
|
Daniel Amesbury
|
F
|
R
|
33
|
2024
|
Maple Ridge, British Columbia
|
Komets
|
36
|
|
Brett Brochu
|
G
|
L
|
21
|
2023
|
Belle River, Ontario
|
Komets
|
90
|
|
Xavier Cormier
|
C
|
L
|
23
|
2023
|
Pont-Rouge, Quebec
|
Komets
|
37
|
|
Alexis D'Aoust
|
RW
|
R
|
28
|
2023
|
Trois-Rivieres, Quebec
|
Komets
|
8
|
|
Jack Dugan
|
LW
|
R
|
26
|
2023
|
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
|
Komets
|
21
|
|
Noah Ganske
|
D
|
R
|
25
|
2023
|
Bloomington, Minnesota
|
Komets
|
20
|
|
Jack Gorniak
|
LW
|
L
|
24
|
2023
|
West Salem, Wisconsin
|
Komets
|
71
|
|
Martin Has
|
D
|
R
|
23
|
2023
|
Prague, Czech Republic
|
Komets
|
25
|
|
Ethan Keppen
|
LW
|
L
|
23
|
2023
|
Whitby, Ontario
|
Komets
|
72
|
|
Ture Linden
|
C
|
R
|
26
|
2023
|
Great Falls, Virginia
|
Komets
|
28
|
|
Cameron Supryka
|
D
|
L
|
22
|
2023
|
Belleville, Ontario
|
Komets
|
27
|
|
Shawn Szydlowski
|
RW
|
R
|
33
|
2023
|
St. Clair Shores, Michigan
|
Komets
|
64
|
|
Nolan Volcan
|
LW
|
L
|
25
|
2023
|
Edmonton, Alberta
|
Komets
|
Retired numbers
[
edit
]
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.
[14]
- ^
For his career wins as coach
Notable NHL alumni
[
edit
]
List of Fort Wayne Komets alumni who played more than 100 games in the IHL and 100 or more games in the
National Hockey League
/
World Hockey Association
.
List of Fort Wayne Komets alumni who played more than 25 games in the ECHL and 25 or more games in the
National Hockey League
.
The first
NHL
player of Indian descent was
Robin Bawa
, who played for
WSH
,
VAN
,
SJS
, and
ANA
. Bawa played 313 games for the Komets.
Franchise records
[
edit
]
Scoring leaders
[
edit
]
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
Regular season
[
edit
]
- 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
[
edit
]
- On March 28, 2008, the Komets set a new professional hockey record of 23 straight home wins. They defeated the
Kalamazoo Wings
4?3.
[16]
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.
[17]
- On May 15, 2010, the Komets defeated the Flint Generals in Game 5 of the IHL Turner Cup Finals to win the series, four games to one, earning the Komets a "three-peat" after winning the Turner Cup in 2008 and 2009 as well.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Miller, Chuck.
"The IHL's Dirty Little Secret: the 1990-91 Albany Choppers"
.
Chuck the Writer
.
- ^
Bailey, Chuck (July 24, 2014).
"Komets announce affiliation with NHL's Avalanche and AHL's Monsters"
.
WANE-TV
. Archived from
the original
on July 29, 2015
. Retrieved
July 24,
2014
.
- ^
Sebring, Blake (July 24, 2014).
"Colorado affiliation could be different and better for Komets"
.
The News-Sentinel
. Archived from
the original
on July 29, 2014
. Retrieved
July 24,
2014
.
- ^
Sebring, Blake (July 21, 2015).
"Komets put together two-year deal with Avalanche"
.
The News-Sentinel
. Archived from
the original
on July 23, 2015
. Retrieved
July 22,
2015
.
- ^
"Komets, Avalanche Terminate Affiliation"
.
OurSports Central
. July 19, 2016
. Retrieved
July 19,
2016
.
- ^
"Coyotes Announce ECHL Affiliation With Fort Wayne Komets"
.
Tucson Roadrunners
. July 31, 2017. Archived from
the original
on August 1, 2017
. Retrieved
August 1,
2017
.
- ^
Sebring, Blake (June 18, 2018).
"Fort Wayne Komets, Arizona Coyotes and Tucson Roadrunners end affiliation"
.
The News-Sentinel
. Retrieved
June 18,
2018
.
- ^
"Komets announce affiliation with NHL's Vegas Golden Knights"
.
Fort Wayne Komets
. August 21, 2018. Archived from
the original
on August 21, 2018
. Retrieved
August 21,
2018
.
- ^
"Golden Knights And Fort Wayne Komets Renew ECHL Affiliation Agreement"
.
Vegas Golden Knights
. August 7, 2019
. Retrieved
August 7,
2019
.
- ^
"Komets Seek New Affiliation"
.
Fort Wayne Komets
. May 19, 2022
. Retrieved
June 15,
2022
.
- ^
"Komets Announce Affiliation with the Edmonton Oilers"
.
Fort Wayne Komets
. July 27, 2022
. Retrieved
July 27,
2022
.
- ^
"Fort Wayne Komets Statistics and History [ECHL]"
.
HockeyDB
. Retrieved
March 4,
2013
.
- ^
"Fort Wayne Komets Elite Prospects"
.
Elite Prospects
. Retrieved
May 1,
2024
.
- ^
"Komets Hall of Fame"
.
Fort Wayne Komets
. August 15, 2015. Archived from
the original
on January 10, 2018
. Retrieved
August 15,
2015
.
- ^
Cohn, Justin A. (March 23, 2017).
"Sims thrilled about Komets saluting 504"
.
The Journal Gazette
. Retrieved
March 24,
2017
.
- ^
"Komets Historical Win"
.
Fort Wayne Komets
. 2008
. Retrieved
March 28,
2008
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"54th win sets new Fort Wayne franchise record"
.
Fort Wayne Komets
. 2008
. Retrieved
April 11,
2008
.
[
dead link
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
|
Franchise
| |
---|
History
| |
---|
Personnel
| |
---|
Arenas
| |
---|
Rivalries
| |
---|
Affiliates
| |
---|
Media
| |
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Culture and lore
| |
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|
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Western Conference
| Eastern Conference
|
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Colonial Hockey League teams
(1991?1997)
| |
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United Hockey League teams
(1997?2007)
| |
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International Hockey League teams
(2007?2010)
| |
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|
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Teams
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Trophies and
awards
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