Yahoo Sports After Missing Out On Playoffs, Komets Are Ready For Fresh Start In 2024-25
When Jesse Kallechy took over as the 30th head coach in Fort Wayne Komets history prior to the 2023-24 season, he inherited a team that hadn’t missed the playoffs since 2012-13. The club won a Kelly Cup in 2021 and six championships in four different leagues since 2002.
But Kallechy’s first season in Fort Wayne didn’t quite go as planned. The Komets finished 35-30-7 for 77 points, fifth in the Central Division. They tied for 15th in the ECHL in goals per game (3.11) and ranked 13th in goals-Against average (3.14).
The season was a roller coaster ride that saw the team go 7-2-1 in one stretch, only to wipe it out with a 2-5-0 mark in another.
Kallechy came to the Komets from the Florida Everblades, where he had spent the previous three seasons as an assistant under general manager and coach Brad Ralph. Florida had just won its second consecutive Kelly Cup, which put Kallechy behind in assembling a coaching staff and recruiting players for his new team.
Injuries certainly played a part in the Komets’ inconsistent season. Defenseman Jake Johnson broke his foot, and then-captain Morgan Adams-Moisan missed 22 games with a knee injury.
The Komets were also one of the ECHL’s youngest teams. At one point last season, they had 16 rookies on the roster.
But Kallechy refused to make excuses for his team’s performance and eventual elimination from post-season contention, which came following a 3-1 loss to the Toledo Walleye on April 13.
“We still had a good team, good players,” said Kallechy, who also coached in the SPHL and guided the Huntsville Havoc to a league title in 2018. “We just didn’t quite get the result we wanted.”
Overhauling The Roster
Still, changes were in order. Adams-Moisan was traded to the Trois-Rivieres Lions. Johnson left for the Tahoe Knight Monsters, and forward Ture Linden is playing in Sweden.
With a full summer to hit the recruiting trail, Kallechy and his staff put a priority on bringing in more veteran players. To boost the club’s offensive power, they signed All-Star forward Alex Aleardi, who potted 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points in72 games for the Rapid City Rush last season.
Forward Anthony Petruzzelli, who played for the Komets from 2017-23 and was a fan favorite, is back after spending 2023-24 in Europe. Over seven seasons with Fort Wayne, Petruzzelli totaled 211 points (100-111-211) in 323 games, helping the team win a Kelly Cup in the shortened 2020-21 season.
Center Odeen Tufto, who scored 22 points (3-19-22) with division-rival Iowa last season, gives the Komets added scoring depth.
The best news came in August, when team MVP Jack Dugan re-signed after finishing fifth in the ECHL with 80 points (20-60-80) in 70 games last season. He’s one of just seven players returning from last year’s roster.
“On any given night, he’s the best player in the league,” Kallechy said of Dugan. “He’s bought in, he wanted to be here. He turned down numerous call-ups last season to be here. He’s a guy we lean on for offense, for leadership (and) for driving the emotional bus of the team.”
Shoring Up The Back End
Defensively, the Komets brought in Kyle Mayhew, although he is starting the season on the reserve list. Mayhew finished fourth in Defenseman of the Year voting last season and made the ECHL All-Rookie Team after posting 57 points (15-42-57) for the Utah Grizzlies.
Noah Ganske returns for his third stint on the Komets blueline. The 6-foot-7 right-handed shooter provides an imposing presence on the back end. In 68 games with Fort Wayne, Ganske scored 22 points (5-17-22) and appeared in the Edmonton Oilers development camp last season.
In goal, the Komets have a competitive tandem to start the season in Brett Brochu and Connor Ungar. Brochu appeared in 20 games for the Komets as a rookie last season, posting a 7-11-1 record with a 2.66 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.
Ungar played at Brock University (USports) last season, going 20-6-0 with a 2.15 GAA and .932 SVP. He made the OUA West All-Rookie and First All-Star Teams and was named Goaltender of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Ungar signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Oilers.
If he feels any outside pressure to get the Komets back to the playoffs, Kallechy isn’t showing it. He’s focusing on the present, not the past.
“There’s no external source that’s going to put more pressure on myself than me,” Kallechy said. “I’m extremely competitive and I want to win every game no matter what the situation is. We’ve just gotta take it day by day. It’s an old cliché, but if we’re looking 72 games down the road from now, it could feel a bit daunting of what you have in front of you. My only focus is (the season opener) and making sure my team is ready to play when the puck drops.”
