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ECHL Worcester Railers HC

Worcester Railers HC Sign Goaltender Justin Kapelmaster and Defenseman Zach Malatesta for 2021-22 Season

October 4, 2021 - ECHL (ECHL)
Worcester Railers HC News Release


WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester Railers Hockey Club (@RailersHC), proud ECHL (@ECHL) affiliate of the New York Islanders (@NYIslanders), and Railers HC General Manager and Head Coach David Cunniff officially announced today that the club has signed goaltender Justin Kapelmaster (@jpkappy) and defenseman Zach Malatesta (@zmala27) to ECHL contracts for the 2021-22 season.

Justin Kapelmaster, 25, enters his first full professional season after splitting the 2020-21 season between the ECHL and the AHL. The Coral Springs, FL native began the year in the ECHL with the Allen Americans appearing in 19 games posting a 2.96 goals against average (GAA) and a .905 save percentage (SV %). The 6-foot-1, 216lb goaltender then signed a PTO with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL on Apr. 28, 2021, and went on to win both games he started in while posting a 1.95 GAA and .933 SV%. Kapelmaster then went on to sign with the Fort Wayne Komets in the ECHL and was a member of the Komets Kelly Cup Championship team while appearing in three games. Prior to turning pro, he went 29-37-7 with six shutouts, a 2.71 GAA and a .921 SV% in 78 career NCAA appearances for Ferris State University and Robert Morris University in four seasons from 2016-20.

Zach Malatesta, 25, enters his fifth professional season after tallying 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in 51 games with the South Carolina Stingrays last season. The Wilmington, MA native also skated in four games with the Hershey Bears in the AHL last year recording one assist. The 5-foot-9, 174lb defenseman spent his first three professional seasons playing for the Atlanta Gladiators in the ECHL accumulating 67 points (20 goals, 47 assists) in 168 games. Prior to turning pro, Malatesta played three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Moncton Wildcats and Acadie-Bathurst Titan registering 92 points (25 goals, 67 assists) in 191 games.

The Railers now have 16 players signed for the 2021-22 season as Justin Kapelmaster and Zach Malatesta join Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman, Grant Jozefek, Nolan Vesey, Drew Callin, Ross Olsson, Liam Coughlin, Myles McGurty, Tyler Poulsen, Nick Albano, Anthony Repaci, Jacob Hayhurst, Karl Boudrias, John Furgele, and JD Dudek. All player signings are brought to you by Cintron World, with more announcements expected this week.

The Worcester Railers look forward to welcoming fans back to the DCU Center for their Home Opener on October 23 vs. the Maine Mariners! For all information regarding the upcoming season, visit RailersHC.com or call 508-365-1750 to secure your seats.

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