The Komets announced Monday that defenseman Bobby Phillips has agreed to terms and will return to the Turner Cup Champion Fort Wayne Komets for 2010-11.
Phillips, 24, skated 66 games last year netting two goals and adding 14 assists for 16 points in his pro debut after a four-year stint with Mercyhurst College in the NCAA. He was also named IHL Rookie of the Week for the week ending Jan. 10.
Phillips appeared in all 12 playoff games en route to the IHL Turner Cup Championship contributing an assist and two penalty minutes.
The Komets also announced Monday that defenseman Kevin Bertram and left winger Konstantin Shafranov will not be returning.
Bertram, 33, is a veteran of eight seasons, seven with the Komets. He retired after six games of the 2004-05 season and became a member of Fort Wayne Fire Department. Bertram decided to lace the skates up again in 2007 and after a three-year layoff, skated with the Komets for three additional seasons and three straight league championships to add to his Fort Wayne championship of 2003. He was the Komets' Defenseman of the Year for 2001-02 and Unsung Hero for 2007-08. Bertram was also named the Komets' Unsung Hero for 2008-09 with P.C. Drouin. Bertram's Fort Wayne career consisted of 387 regular season games with 23 goals, 75 assists for 98 points and 944 penalty minutes.
Shafranov, 41, became a huge Fort Wayne fan favorite during three separate stints with the Komets starting in 1995-96. The forward returned in 1997-98 for a full season in Fort Wayne before returning to Russia for 1998-99. Shafranov returned to appear in two Fort Wayne playoff games in 1999 and complete parts of three seasons with the Komets in the old International Hockey League. Shafranov followed with 20 games with Fort Wayne during the Komets' inaugural 1999-00 UHL season. After eight seasons of play in the Russian elite league, Shafranov returned to Fort Wayne and skated the final three seasons of his career winning three straight IHL championships. Shafranov becomes one of only two players to have encompassed all three leagues the Komets have been members of over their 58-year history. Defenseman Guy Dupuis shares that distinction with Shafranov. Shafranov also shares the accolade of the longest goal-scoring streak by a Fort Wayne player with Merv Dubchak and John Purves. Shafranov scored at least one goal per game totaling 13 goals over a span of eight straight games during his first season with Fort Wayne in 1995-96.
The Komets will begin training camp the week of Oct. 4 and expect to open their 59th consecutive season the weekend of Oct. 16. The Komets will continue to be a member of the International Hockey League and participate in the Central Hockey League under the CHL moniker. As announced by the IHL and CHL June 1, both leagues have joined forces for the upcoming campaign. The circuit will consist of 13 CHL teams and five IHL teams for an 18-team coalition.
