FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16, 2024

K-WINGS’ HUNTER VORVA CALLED UP BY ROCHESTER (AHL), BABIN SIGNED TO PTO

Kalamazoo’s homegrown netminder to get crack at the next level.

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, announced Saturday that goaltender Hunter Vorva signed a professional tryout contract with the Rochester Americans (AHL) and goaltender Trevor Babin has signed a Standard Player Contract. 

Vorva, 28, heads to Rochester after making 53 appearances for the K-Wings over the last two seasons. The Kalamazoo native went 13-9-2-1 with a 2.61 goals-against average (GAA) and .921 save percentage (SV%) in his rookie season.

The 5-foot, 11-inch stopper is 16-8-0-0 in 2023-24 and ranks second in the ECHL with a .924 SV% and fourth with a 2.36 GAA. Vorva was named ECHL Warrior Hockey Goaltender of the Week for the week of January 22-28 after going 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .975 SV% across two K-Wings wins.

The netminder will make his AHL debut if called upon by the Americans. He was also called up by the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) in each of the last two seasons.

Babin, 25, will make his professional debut with Kalamazoo if called upon. The righthand-catching netminder spent 2022-23 with the FPHL’s Motor City Rockers, posting a 20-12-0 (3.15 GAA, .915 SV%) record in 37 appearances. Babin also started one game at the SPHL level for Knoxville last season. This season, Babin is 17-8-0 in 43 appearances with the Rockers, garnering a 2.87 GAA and a .919 SV%.

The six-foot one-inch, 176-pound netminder is a two-time (2019, 2020) GMHL All-Star and one-time GMHL Goalie of the Year (2019). The former Bradford goaltender started 89 games for the Rattlers from 2017 thru 2020, going 65-20-0 with a 3.14 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Additionally, Babin won 17 GMHL playoff starts with Bradford.

The netminder was also a 2023-24 Kalamazoo Training Camp invitee. 

Kalamazoo is back in action Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EDT versus the Allen Americans (25-29-2-1) for Green Ice at Wings Event Center. Tickets to the game can be purchased HERE.

Take plenty of time to get to the Wings Event Center for Green Ice and make sure to use the Covington Rd. South Entrance for ease of parking. 

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The K-Wings close the weekend with Kids Day on Sunday, March 17! Nothing means more to the K-Wings than our kiddos. And after a long winter, there’s no better way to celebrate our biggest fans than hosting our ‘Kids Day’ game, presented by PNC Bank. The first 500 kids receive a kids K-Wings jersey, and stick around post-game for the ‘Kids & Players photo’ (Kids Club Only) and the last post-game skate this season (*$5 skate rentals available).

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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 and the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks. Kalamazoo plays their 36 regular season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.

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