Alumn-ICE Report: April 28, 2025
Ben Zloty
Photo Credit: Zachary Peters/Winnipeg ICE
(Next week’s Alumn-ICE report will focus on former Wenatchee standouts in NCAA hockey – our American pro report will return with a playoff update in two weeks.)
A proud second-year member of the Western Hockey League, the Wenatchee Wild are continuing a celebrated WHL legacy that dates back to Edmonton, Alberta in 1996, continuing in Cranbrook, British Columbia and Winnipeg, Manitoba. These are the organization’s WHL alumni, including alumni from the Kootenay and Winnipeg ICE, making news as the American pro hockey playoffs continue:
NHL
SAM REINHART, 2010-15 – Tallied points in the first two games of the Florida Panthers’ opening-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring the second and last go-ahead goal in a 6-2 road win in Game 1 last Tuesday, along with an assist on Matthew Tkachuk’s power play goal early in the second period. His primary assist helped set up the first of two Florida goals in a 2-0 Game 2 victory on Thursday.
BRAYDEN McNABB, 2006-11 – Registered his first point of the playoffs Saturday, picking up an assist on Tomas Hertl’s go-ahead goal halfway through the third period of a 4-3 Vegas Golden Knights overtime win in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Minnesota Wild.
MATTHEW SAVOIE, 2019-24 – Was recalled by the Oilers on Saturday as a “black ace” player for the Oilers’ playoff run – a “black ace” refers to a player who is called up by the NHL club for the playoffs after his minor-league (or occasionally college or pro) season wraps up, and is expected to remain ready to step in should a player on its roster be unable to play.
ICE/Wild WHL Alumni Appearing in the NHL Playoffs
Sam Reinhart (FLA); Brayden McNabb (VGK); Conor Geekie (TB); Matthew Savoie (EDM)
AHL
JACK FINLEY, 2021-22 – Played in both games of the opening-round Syracuse Crunch series against the Rochester Americans, but did not register a point. Syracuse dropped both games in the best-of-three series and was eliminated from the playoffs.
CALE FLEURY, 2014-18 – Appeared in both games of the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ best-of-3 sweep of the Calgary Wranglers, but did not register a point in either game. Coachella Valley begins its best-of-5 series against the Abbotsford Canucks on Thursday.
ICE/Wild WHL Alumni Remaining in the AHL Playoffs
Luke Philp (Hershey); Chase Wheatcroft (Texas); Cale Fleury (Coachella Valley)
ECHL
CAM HAUSINGER, 2017-19 – Appeared in all four games of an Indy Fuel sweep at the hands of the Toledo Walleye, but did not post a point in the series. Toledo will face either Fort Wayne or Iowa for a Central Division championship, starting this weekend.
BEN ZLOTY, 2018-23 & GRAHAM SWARD, 2022-24 – Zloty notched four points, including a goal, in the Norfolk Admirals‘ five-game North Division semifinal win against the Wheeling Nailers. Zloty and Sward both appeared in all five games in the series, but Sward did not post a point. Zloty’s Game 2 marker came with 5:07 left in the first period of a 4-0 win, followed by an assist in the second period. He also picked up assists Friday in a 4-1 loss at Wheeling, and Saturday in Norfolk’s clinching 5-2 road win. The Trois-Rivieres Lions will host the first two games of their North Division Final series against the Admirals, starting on Friday.
ELI LIEFFERS, 2015-18 – Scored a goal in his final game of 2024-25 for the Wheeling Nailers, a 4-1 win Friday in Game 4 of their North Division semifinal series against the Norfolk Admirals. Wheeling fell out of the playoffs with a five-game loss in the series.
ISAAC JOHNSON, 2019-20 – Bumped his total of multi-point games up to three straight in the Tahoe Knight Monsters’ first-round playoff sweep of the Wichita Thunder in their Mountain Division semifinal. His two-assist game in Game 1 and two-point haul in Game 2 was followed by the opening goal and a game-tying assist with 3:22 left in a 5-4 overtime win in Game 3. The Knight Monsters poured it on in the overtime period, out-shooting Wichita 11-1 in Tahoe’s playoff home debut. The Knight Monsters await the winner of Kansas City and Tulsa’s first-round playoff series, with Kansas City ahead 3 games to 2.
ICE/Wild WHL Alumni Remaining in the ECHL Playoffs
Ben Zloty, Graham Sward (Norfolk); Isaac Johnson (Tahoe); Bobby Russell (Toledo); Gage Alexander (Reading)
Also on Wenatchee’s alumni list are the standouts from its Junior A era (2008-2023) – these players laid the foundation for the WHL’s future success in the Wenatchee Valley. These are Wenatchee’s Junior A alumni who are making news as the American pro hockey playoffs continue:
NIC DOWD, 2008-09 – Has played in all four games of the Washington Capitals’ first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, and earned his first point of the series Sunday with an assist on an empty-net goal in Washington’s 5-2 win. The Capitals lead the series 3 games to 1, and can close it out with a win on Wednesday.
SAM MORTON, 2016-18, 2019-20 & DEVIN COOLEY, 2016-17 – Played in both games of the Calgary Wranglers’ first-round playoff series against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, but did not pick up a point in either game. The Wranglers were eliminated in a two-game sweep.
SETH EISELE, 2017-18 & CHARLIE COMBS, 2015-17 – Eisele has played in one game of the South Carolina Stingrays’ South Division semifinal series against the Orlando Solar Bears, going the distance and then some in a 4-3 overtime win Thursday in Game 5. Eisele stopped 41 shots to briefly give the Stingrays the lead in the series, while Combs notched the winner halfway through the extra session, with a decisive Game 7 set for Tuesday in South Carolina. Combs has goals in two games in the series, with both standing as game-winners.
BRENDAN HARRIS, 2013-17 – Tallied three assists in a four-game Jacksonville IceMen sweep to the Florida Everblades in the South Division semifinals – in Game 1, he had two assists on the same shift, 74 seconds apart midway through a 3-2 overtime loss. His assist in Game 4 helped the IceMen force overtime in a 4-3 loss.
KYLE MAYHEW, 2016-17 – Returned to the stat sheet with an assist Sunday in Game 6 of the Fort Wayne Komets’ playoff series against the Iowa Heartlanders – Fort Wayne used a 6-1 rout to even the series at three games apiece, and hosts the decisive seventh game on Tuesday.
DAKOTA RAABE, 2014-17 – Picked up an assist to put the Iowa Heartlanders ahead in the first period of their Game 4 double-overtime victory against the Fort Wayne Komets. The teams went more than seven minutes into the second overtime period before the Heartlanders snared a 3-2 victory.
TROY LOGGINS, 2013-14 – Played in all four games of the Tahoe Knight Monsters’ first-round sweep of the Wichita Thunder, but did not post a point in the series. Tahoe will face either Kansas City or Tulsa in the Mountain Division final.
Wenatchee Junior “A” Alumni Remaining in the Playoffs
Nic Dowd (Washington, NHL); Bryan Yoon (Colorado, AHL); Drew Bavaro (Cleveland, AHL); Brett Chorske (Charlotte, AHL); Harrison Scott (Texas, AHL); Seth Eisele, Charlie Combs (South Carolina, ECHL); Kyle Mayhew (Fort Wayne, ECHL); Dakota Raabe (Iowa, ECHL); Marko Reifenberger, Gehrett Sargis (Norfolk, ECHL); Slava Demin, Troy Loggins (Tahoe, ECHL)
