Coach Al Sims and captain Colin Chaulk retired, and now so has the goaltender who backstopped them to four championships between 2008 and 2012.Komets general manager David Franke said today that filling his defensive corps is a priority right now, as the team puts together its roster for its first ECHL season.
"We're working on the defensive corps and a lot of things," Franke said. "We've got a lot of different things going on but, yes, defensemen is mainly what we're concentrating on right now."
That includes the team's continued negotiations with Frankie DeAngelis, who was on the CHL's all-league team last season, when the Komets won their fourth championship in five seasons.
Franke said that DeAngelis is considering several options, including playing in Europe. He had 18 goals and 46 points -- both career highs -- in 66 games last season, his third with Fort Wayne.
Franke hopes to have a decision from DeAngelis by next week.
The Komets have signed 15 players for next season and expect to have goaltender Kenny Reiter assigned from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. They have only four defensemen: Tyler Butler, Brent Henley, Daniel Maggio and rookie Kyle Atkins.
All of those players remain committed to play for Fort Wayne this season, despite internet rumors to the contrary. Also, Franke said, he hasn't had any other talks with Bridgeport about other players being assigned to the Komets.
