FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 6, 2025

K-WINGS LOANED FOUR PLAYERS FROM CANUCKS (AHL)

Kalamazoo’s first wave of loans from Abbotsford (AHL) loaded with proven offensive & defensive impact players.

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, announced Monday that the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) have loaned defenseman Jayden Lee, goaltender Jonathan Lemieux, forward Zach Okabe and forward Nolan Walker to the team ahead of the 2025-26 season. 

Jayden Lee, 24, is a 5-foot-9, 161-pound, North Vancouver, BC native who charted 32 points (8g-24a) last season as a rookie for South Carolina, helping lead the Stingrays to an ECHL Brabham Cup (Regular Season Championship).

Lee spent five seasons (2019-2024) at Quinnipiac University, scoring 16 goals and 57 assists through 172 games. The defenseman won an NCAA Championship (2022-23), is a four-time NCAA (ECAC) Regular Season Champion (2020-2024), was elected to the NCAA (ECAC) First All-Star Team (2023-24), and the NCAA (New England) All-Star Team (2023-24). The right-shot was also named team captain in 2023-24.

Jonathan Lemieux, 23, is a 6-foot 1-inch, 194-pound, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC native who recorded a 3.08 goals-against average (GAA), a .905 save percentage (S%) and added two shutouts in 40 appearances (14-19-4) for Kalamazoo in 2024-25. Lemieux also posted a 2.84 GAA with a .911 SV% in 39 games for the K-Wings in the 2023-24 season. 

The third-year pro spent 2022-23 at Concordia University (USports), posting a 16-4-0 record with a 1.98 GAA, a .933 S%, and three shutouts. His performance that season earned him selections to USports’ First Team All-Star, All-Rookie team, Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year in 2023-24.

Zachary Okabe, 24, is a 5-foot 9-inch, 170-pound, Okotoks, Alberta native who led all K-Wings in points scored (41) as a rookie (19g-22a) in 72 games for the K-Wings last season. The forward made his professional debut with Cleveland (AHL) during the 2023-24 season, scoring two goals and adding one assist in 10 games, including one playoff appearance. 

The second-year pro played five seasons at St. Cloud State University (2019-24), scoring 52 goals with 67 assists in 176 games. Okabe served as alternate captain in his final season for the Huskies (2023-24) and is an NCAA (NCHC) Tournament champion (2022-23).

Nolan Walker, 26, is a 5-foot-10, 181-pound, Anchorage, AK native who charted 11 goals and 23 assists last year in Sweden (HockeyAllsvenskan). The forward enters his third professional season, and is set to make his first ECHL appearance since scoring 68 points (34g-34a) in 63 games for Kansas City (Brabham Cup Winners) in 2023-24. Walker then joined Cleveland (AHL), appearing in four games to finish his second-year campaign. 

As a rookie, Walker posted 41 points (15g-26a) in 68 games, helping lead Newfoundland to the playoffs in 2022-23, scoring seven points (4g-3a) in 15 postseason games out of St. Cloud State (2018-22). The forward notched 87 points (31g-36a) in 135 games for St. Cloud State, earning selections to the 2018-19 All-Rookie team (NCHC) and the 2020-21 NCAA (Championship) All-Tournament team. 

Also, defenseman Robby Drazner, forward Andre Ghantous, defenseman Davis Pennington and defenseman Hunter Strand have been released from their Player Tryout Contracts by Abbotsford and will return to Kalamazoo.

Training Camp will be open to the public from 9:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Wings Event Center. Please enter through Door 1 or Door 10.

One preseason home game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 11 versus the Toledo Walleye at Wings Event Center. Tickets start at just $8. CLICK HERE to secure your first look at the K-Wings NOW!

The team will host the Season Opener on October 18 at 4:30 p.m. versus the Fort Wayne Komets at Wings Event Center. Click the link to secure your tickets today!

The Hungry Howie’s Friends and Family Ticket Package is also BACK for the Home Opener, including four tickets, four K-Wings knit hats and a $20 Hungry Howie’s Voucher. 

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Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season are available NOW! Head to kwings.com to check out this season’s epic promotional schedule and secure your tickets today. 

GRAB A 6-PACK!!! Your K-Wings started the Colored Ice game in pro hockey, and we’re giving you the opportunity to witness it in person at a price the whole family can afford! Click here to get tickets to all six of our painted ice events in 2025-26 WITH PERKS!

Season Tickets for 2025-26 are available NOW. Click here to join the ranks of the High Flyers and catch all the action next season with all the perks!

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The Kalamazoo Wings are a professional hockey team based in southwest Michigan, having 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 its 36 regular-season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.

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