Knight Monsters Acquire Forward from Nailers

The Tahoe Knight Monsters, proud ECHL Affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights announced today that the team has traded for forward Cal Kiefiuk from the Wheeling Nailers for future considerations.

The 24-year-old Kiefiuk comes to Tahoe after playing four games with the Nailers late last season. He made his professional debut with Wheeling on March 29 in Toledo against the Walleye. Kiefiuk played one postseason contest as well, and went pointless in his four matchups.

The native of Macomb, Michigan had a prolific five-year NCAA career from 2019-24, spending four seasons with UMass Amherst and one with Providence College. With PC, he played 25 games and recorded two goals and eight assists for 10 points.

Kiefiuk also brings a championship pedigree to Lake Tahoe. As a member of the UMass Minutemen, he won the NCAA National Championship in 2021, and captured conference championships in 2021 and 2022.

In 123 games with UMass, he scored 57 points (24-33-57).

Related: Adam Brings NHL Experience to Knight Monsters

Kiefiuk played three seasons of junior hockey in the USHL, posting 98 points (37-61-98) in 162 games during that span.

Kiefiuk spent the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns as a member of the Central Illinois Flying Aces, helping the team to two straight 40-point seasons. He served as an assistant captain for Central Illinois in 2018-19 and finished second on the squad in scoring.

At the World Junior A Challenge in 2018-19, Kiefiuk won a Gold Medal with Team USA, scoring twice over six games in the tournament.

The Lake Tahoe community is eagerly waiting to see the new team’s inaugural season. The club will play its home opener October 24 at the Tahoe Blue Events Center against the Jacksonville Icemen.

The Knight Monsters currently have nine forwards and six defensemen on their roster as of September 30. Check back often with The Hockey News ECHL page for the latest transactions, news and analysis.