FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2021
K-WINGS SUBMIT PROTECTED LIST
Kalamazoo includes 18 players who originally signed for 2020-21 season on its Protected List ahead of 2021-22 campaign.
KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings, proud member of the ECHL, announced Friday that the club has submitted its Protected List to the league office ahead of the 2021-22 season.
The K-Wings’ Protected List includes 18 players, consisting of one goaltender, six defensemen and 11 forwards who had originally signed contracts with the team last summer before Kalamazoo opted out of the 2020-21 season.
The ECHL previously announced that any player who had originally signed with one of the 12 member teams not participating in the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic shall have their playing rights revert back to the original team.
Here is Kalamazoo’s official Protected List:
Kalamazoo Wings Protected List
Goaltenders (1): Jake Hildebrand
Defensemen (6): Nick Bruneteau, Michael Davies, Ian Edmondson, Eric Kattelus, Kyle Rhodes, Matt VanVoorhis
Forwards (11): Bryan Basilico, Greg Betzold, Kyle Blaney, Mitch Hults, Matheson Iacopelli, Justin Kovacs, Logan Lambdin, Mathieu Roy, Tanner Sorenson, Justin Taylor, Brady Vail
Additionally, per league rules, any player who was issued a Qualifying Offer last summer by a team that elected Pandemic Voluntary Suspension, but never signed the Qualifying Offer, is a free agent for the 2021-22 Season.
Teams are allowed to include more than 20 players on their Protected Lists, but must submit their Season-Ending Rosters by July 8 that does not exceed 20 players. Season-Ending Rosters also cannot include any players that did not sign an ECHL contract in 2020-21.
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The Kalamazoo Wings are a professional hockey team located in southwest Michigan that has been a staple in the Kalamazoo, MI professional sports landscape since 1974. The K-Wings compete in the ECHL and are the AA affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks. Kalamazoo plays their 36 regular season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.
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