Fort Wayne area native Brandon Warner has agreed to terms for a second season with the Komets and will carry his rookie status over to the 2008-09 campaign. Warner, 25, skated his first pro season last year scoring six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 59 games. Warner appeared in all 13 playoff games enroute to the IHL Turner Cup championship. The defenseman is a native of Huntertown, Indiana, and graduated from Carroll High School.
The 2008 Fort Wayne Komets golf outing will be held Oct. 4 at Deer Track Golf Course. Registration is open to the first 36 teams and starts at 11:30 a.m. with lunch. A shotgun Florida scramble format will start at 1 p.m. followed by a dinner. The cost is $300 per team and includes greens fees, two carts per team, range balls, meals, beverages, tax and gratuity. For more information, call Josh Testin at 471-8432 or email to josh@komets.com.
He was named GM of the AHL's Norfolk Admirals today.
The Komets announced Monday that winger David Hukalo has agreed to terms and will return to the Komet lineup for 2008-09.
Hukalo, celebrating his 30th birthday today, will be entering his sixth pro season and fifth with the Komets. The left winger started his pro career in 2003-04 skating 40 games with the Kalamazoo Wings in the United Hockey League. He appeared in 11 games with the Wings at the start of the 2004-05 season before being traded to Fort Wayne.
Muskegon Fury forward Jason Baird was critically injured in a landscaping accident Thursday near Youngstown.
Details of the accident were not immediately available.
``Everybody in the Muskegon Fury family is shocked by this news,” Fury coach Bruce Ramsay said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Jason and his family. If there's anything we can do as an organization, we will do it.”
Check Saturday's edition of the Muskegon Chronicle for more information on this story.
Komets General Manager David Franke said there could be a few more signings announced next week, and that he believes forward David Hukalo will re-sign for next season.
"I'm almost 100 percent sure he's going to sign back here," Franke said. "We have one more time to meet, and I think that will finalize things. I'm real confident he's going to be back here."
He's also meeting today with goaltender Kevin Reiter, though Reiter told me he's going to be patient this summer and find the best deal. Who can blame him?
It went well. Tuesday was an unbelievably long day but Drs. Yahonda and Wright and their staff brought him through OK, thank the Lord. He's still in ICU, but things are looking up. His biggest complaint so far today is that he wanted the TV on and the remote, so we were all encouraged! LOL. Thanks again for all the prayers and well wishes.
Good to hear the Komets were able to re-sign Guy and Booooouuuucchhhhhh!
Visitation and services for Bloomington PrairieThunder defenseman Rob Guinn will be Wednesday, July 16, at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care in Ames, Iowa.
The Komets announced Tuesday that four players have been added to the 2008-09 roster. Inked to agreements for the upcoming season are the IHL's 2007-08 top defenseman Guy Dupuis and leading goaltender Nick Boucher. In addition, the Komets signed right winger Brad MacMillan and rookie defenseman Danko Mironovic.
Rob's wife is starting to put together a scrapbook about him for his daughter.
Why don't we try to collect some memories/thoughts in this thread and I'll combine them and pass them along? If you have any pictures or cards or anything like that you believe might be appropriate, send them to me and I'll ship them along. The address is The News-Sentinel, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802.
Can anyone think of anything else that might be appropriate?
Hartley McLeod, a left wing with the Komets during the 1950s, passed away this morning at age 80 after a long battle with Parkinsons. McLeod was also a long-time IHL linesmen and the owner of the restaurant Hartley's Place. During his best season, McLeod scored 28 goals and 66 points in 60 games in 1955-56.
Former Komets defenseman Rob Guinn, 32, was killed near Jefferson, Iowa, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, when a driver ran a stop sign and hit Guinn's Kia Sportage in the side, flipping the car onto the drivers side.
Guinn, who is survived by his wife Brooke and daughter Olivia, 5 months, was pronounced dead at Greene County Hospital.
My father is having some very extensive surgery on Tuesday. He's in very good spirits and we're all upbeat and trusting the Lord, but a little extra help never hurts. Thank you.
You can read today's story here, and it also includes the news that the Komets are negotiating a contract extension with Al Sims.
David Franke said he is not talking with Pascal Morency, Mario Larocque or J.C. Ruid for next year.
He'd like to re-sign both goaltenders but does not know yet if the club will be able to afford both.
The Komets expect to have a 20-man roster going into training camp, under the league limit of 21. The salary cap is remaining the same, meaning not everybody will be back because everyone understandably would like a raise.
Franke said he believes Mitch Woods will sign in the ECHL.
The Komets announced Monday that veterans Konstantin Shafranov and Kevin Bertram will be back in the Fort Wayne fold for 2008-09.
The International Hockey League (IHL) concluded the third and final day of its Annual Meetings Wednesday. The IHL Board of Governor's continued their meeting and the following items were discussed:
* The active roster will be increased to a maximum of 21 active players and will remain the same throughout the playoffs.
* Member Clubs will be allowed to dress 18 players (16 skaters, 2 goaltenders) for a game.
* The IHL Board of Governors agreed to continue the implementation of reciprocal agreements with the Central Hockey League (CHL) and the ECHL.
The International Hockey League (IHL) wrapped up the first day of its Annual Meetings this afternoon. The following items were discussed during the Board of Governor's meeting:
* The Executive Committee voted Michael Franke-Fort Wayne Komets, as Chairman of the Board and Frank Kinney- Port Huron Icehawks as Vice Chairman for the 2008-09 season.
* The IHL Board of Governors unanimously approved a proposal for the supervisor of officials, increasing supervision of all on-ice officials with additional staffing of supervisors so more IHL games will be supervised during the 08-09 season.
