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Draft and a Trade Make for Busy Day for Jr. K-Wings

May 31, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings News Release


Kalamazoo, MI- The Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings, proud member of the North American Hockey League, announces its selections in the NAHL Draft, which occurred earlier this afternoon.

While the Jr. K-Wings made its first pick in the fourth round, Draft Day proved to be a busy afternoon for Kalamazoo, who completed a trade with the Jamestown Ironmen for defenseman Mark Esshaki.

Esshaki earned six assists in 23 games with the Ironmen. The native of West Bloomfield, Michigan was a teammate of Jr. K-Wing Matt Wurst, where they were members of the HoneyBaked U18 AAA team that won the 2011 Michigan state Championship.

"Mark possesses a lot of poise and makes very good decisions with the puck," said general manager/head coach Marc Fakler. "He has the ability to be an asset in all situations."

In return, the Ironmen received forward Dan Cesarz and defenseman Matt Lanzillotti.

Making their first selection in the fourth round (81st overall), the Jr. K-Wings selected goaltender Nicholas Stuart from the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (MM-U18). In 21 appearances with the Jr. Flyers, Stuart kept his opponents at bay with a goals-against-average of 2.70.

Helping St. Ignatius High School (Cleveland, OH) to a perfect regular season, Patrick Spellacy was picked in the fifth round (98th overall) by the Jr. K-Wings. Spellacy, who was the captain of the Wildcats, finished the season with 43 goals and 46 assists.

Spellacy's accomplishments didn't go unnoticed, as the forward was named to the Cleveland Plain Dealer Hockey All-Star Team.

Keeping offensive in the sixth round (113th overall), Kalamazoo selected forward Mike Szmatula from the Summerside Western Capitals (PEI). Szmatula shined with the Western Capitals leading the entire MJAHL with 87 points (36 goals, 51 assists). The native of Commerce Township, Michigan kept his scoring prowess in the postseason notching 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) in the playoffs.

Szmatula is familiar to life in the NAHL, as the forward played for the Traverse City North Stars during the 2010-11 season.

In the seventh round (126th overall), Kalamazoo selected forward Brendon Kearney from the HoneyBaked Under-18 team. Kearney posted 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists) in 25 games with HoneyBaked a season ago.

Hearing his name for a second this spring in a hockey draft was goaltender Brandon Halverson, who was picked by the Jr. K-Wings in the eighth round (137th overall). Last month, Halverson was selected in the seventh round in the Ontario Hockey League by the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds.

A native of Traverse City, Michigan, Halverson played last season with the Little Caesars U-16 team.

Keeping with a balanced draft, defenseman Adam Larkin was the Jr. K-Wings pick in the ninth round (154th overall). Helping to guide Clarkston High School to a share of OAA Hockey Red Division Championship, Larkin was not only the Red Division's Most Valuable Player; he received First-Team All-State recognition from the Michigan Hockey School Hockey Coaches' Association.

Larkin also played three games last season with the Michigan Elite Under-18 team.

Staying defensive with its final selection of the 2012 NAHL Draft, the Jr. K-Wings selected defenseman Robert Mann. Mann, who has spent the past four seasons in the OJHL, most recently with the Markham Waxers, was a point-a-night player last season notching 19 points (2 goals, 17 assists) for the Waxers.

Mann has committed to play NCAA Division I college hockey at Robert Morris University (Pittsburgh, PA) once his Junior career is completed.

"We (Jr. K-Wings) were looking for a little bit of balance this afternoon and we are extremely pleased with the players we selected," said Fakler reflecting on the draft. "Losing some key 20 year-olds from last year's team, we feel that we have found some players that can fill those roles."

These draft picks join the following six players that signed to NAHL Tenders prior to the draft giving the Jr. K-Wings their right for the upcoming season:

Erik Francken, defenseman - Pittsburgh Hornets U18

Jesse Junttila, defenseman - Marquette Electricians U18 (who has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at Northern Michigan University following his Junior career)

A.J. Marcinek, forward - Compuware U18 (Byron Center, native)

Brennan Sanford, forward - Lansing Capitals

Will Shier, defenseman - Metro Jets Kyle Ware, defenseman - West Michigan Hounds U18 (Three Rivers native)

Kalamazoo's attention will now focus on their second and final tryout camp at Wings West in late June.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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