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Sam Ftorek Named Head Coach of SPHL's Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

April 29, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Kalamazoo Wings News Release


Kalamazoo Wings Assistant Coach Sam Ftorek
Kalamazoo Wings Assistant Coach Sam Ftorek
(Kalamazoo Wings)

KALAMAZOO, MI - Kalamazoo Wings assistant coach Sam Ftorek has accepted the head coaching position of the Southern Professional Hockey League's Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, the team announced Friday.

Ftorek, 41, heads to Roanoke after one season as Kalamazoo's assistant coach. In his only campaign with the Wings in a coaching capacity, Kalamazoo posted a 38-28-5-1 record and earned a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Originally of Phoenix, Arizona, Ftorek played professional hockey for 17 years before his retirement at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season. Spanning over eight leagues and five countries, his decorated playing career includes the record for most career games played in ECHL history with 837.

Ftorek spent six seasons with the Wings as a skater from 2009-15, and is at or near the top of most offensive categories in the Kalamazoo Wings' seven-year history in the ECHL. Ftorek ranks first in games played (402), points (269), and assists (198), while ranking second in the team's ECHL history in penalty minutes (338) and third in goals (71).

"We wish Sam the best of luck moving forward. His passion for the game and attention to detail are sure to give him success in his first head coaching job," K-Wings head coach Nick Bootland said.

"Sam, his wife Misty, and their three kids have been great members of the Kalamazoo community for seven years," Bootland added. "He was a consummate ambassador for the city and the team. We're very thankful for his time spent here."

The Roanoke region is no stranger to professional hockey, as the Roanoke Express played from 1993-2004 in the ECHL. After ceasing operations at the end of the 2004 season, Roanoke was once again reunited with pro hockey in the form of the Roanoke Valley Vipers, who played one year in the United Hockey League during the 2005-06 season.

The Rail Yard Dawgs are the first pro hockey team in the area since 2006, and the team is slated to play at the Berglund Center, a 10,600 seat arena built in 1971.

"With us being an expansion team, everything has to be done the right way. We're confident that everything, even the small details, will be done correctly with Sam, and that's going to get us off to a phenomenal start," Rail Yard Dawgs vice president Mickey Gray said.

"This is a family community," Gray added. "The Ftoreks are going to fit in real well in Roanoke."

2016-17 season tickets are now on sale! Tickets can be purchased at kwings.com or by contacting a Kalamazoo Wings ticket sales representative. For more details on becoming a Kalamazoo Wings High Flyer, visit https://kwings.com/seasontickets.

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Kalamazoo Wings Assistant Coach Sam Ftorek
Kalamazoo Wings Assistant Coach Sam Ftorek
   

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