FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 11, 2024

K-WINGS FORWARD ERIK BRADFORD NAMED TO 2023-24 ALL-ECHL SECOND TEAM

Kalamazoo’s Bradford earns ECHL regular season hardware with career campaign.

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, announced Thursday that veteran forward Erik Bradford has been selected to the 2023-24 All-ECHL Second Team. 

Bradford, in his ninth season, has amassed a career-high in goals (29), assists (56) and points (85) with two games remaining in the 2023-24 regular season.

The Orangeville, ON native earned league awards for Player of the Month in March ( 9g-13a), Player of the Week (3g-8a) in December and passed Trent Daavettila & Kory Karlander's 80-point (2010-11) single-season totals last week to make him the highest scoring Wing in the team’s ECHL era.

Last night, Bradford notched three assists versus Iowa, moving him to No. 17 all-time in franchise history for single-season assists.

The Award was determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media, who were asked to select a goaltender, two defensemen and three forwards. 

2023-24 All-ECHL Second Team

• G – Matt Vernon, Jacksonville Icemen (38 gp, 25-9-2, 2.59 GAA, .913 save pct.) 
• D – Kyle Mayhew, Utah Grizzlies (69 gp, 15g, 41a, 56 pts.) 
• D – Matt Register, Idaho Steelheads (69 gp, 10g, 51a, 61 pts.) 
• F – Erik Bradford, Kalamazoo Wings (70 gp, 29g, 56a, 85 pts.) 
• F – Jack Dugan, Fort Wayne Komets (67 gp, 20g, 57a, 77 pts.)
• F – Austin Magera, South Carolina Stingrays (68 gp, 29g, 45a, 74 pts.) 

Matt Vernon of the Jacksonville Icemen, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team yesterday, is No. 2 in the league with 25 wins, is seventh with a 2.59 goals-against average and is sixth with a .916 save percentage.

Kyle Mayhew of the Utah Grizzlies earns All-ECHL honors for the second consecutive day after being named to the All-Rookie Team yesterday. He leads rookie defensemen with 15 goals, 41 assists and 56 points. His 15 goals are tied for second among all blueliners while his 56 points are tied for fourth.

Matt Register of the Idaho Steelheads earns All-ECHL honors for the eighth time in his career after previously being named to the All-ECHL First Team in 2013-14, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2022-23 and the Second Team in 2018-19 and 2020-21. He is second among defensemen with 51 assists and 61 points and is tied for fourth with 23 power-play points.

Erik Bradford of the Kalamazoo Wings is tied for third in the league with 56 assists while ranking third with 85 points. His 85 points this season are the most by a K-Wing since the team joined the ECHL for the 2009-10 season. 

Jack Dugan of the Fort Wayne Komets is tied for the league lead with 57 assists and is fifth with 77 points. Dugan is third with 23 power-play assists and tied for sixth with 26 power-play points.

Austin Magera of the South Carolina Stingrays, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team yesterday, tops all rookies with 74 points, is tied for second with 29 goals and third with 45 assists. Magera’s 74 points rank seventh overall in the league while his 14 power-play assists are fifth among first-year players and his 21 power-play points are tied for fifth.

Kalamazoo is back in action Friday at 7:35 p.m. EDT against the Heartlanders at Xtream Arena. 

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Season Tickets for the 2024-25 Kalamazoo Wings season are now available! Secure yours HERE! More information about potential playoff scheduling and tickets will be made available when known.

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About the Kalamazoo Wings

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.

About the ECHL

Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 27 teams in 20 states and one Canadian province for its 36th season in 2023-24. There have been 751 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 11 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2023-24 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 28 of the 32 NHL teams in 2023-24, marking the 27th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com.

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