Alumn-ICE Report: December 3, 2024
Marko Reifenberger
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 ICE alumni, who are now also members of the #WildFamily, making news in American pro hockey this week:
NHL
SAM REINHART, 2010-15 (25 GP, 18-16-34) – Scored goals in back-to-back Eastern Conference matchups for the Florida Panthers last week, starting with a shorthanded snap late in the second period of a 5-1 win over Toronto on Wednesday. His wrist shot two days later came 11:21 into a 6-3 win to start a home-and-home weekend against the Carolina Hurricanes.
ZACH BENSON, 2020-23 (10 GP, 2-1-3) – Played the setup role twice for the Buffalo Sabres in a 4-3 overtime loss Friday against the Vancouver Canucks – his shot with 2:27 left in the first period was tipped in by Bowen Byram for the game’s opening goal, and he nabbed the secondary assist on the game-tying goal from Alex Tuch with five minutes remaining in regulation.
AHL
CHASE WHEATCROFT, 2021-22 (17 GP, 4-8-12) – Scored his first goal in six weeks and ended a four-game scoring drought in Saturday’s 4-3 Texas Stars shootout win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds, touching off a three-goal scoring run for the Stars.
CALE FLEURY, 2014-18 (14GP, 4-7-11) – Racked up two primary assists in that same Coachella Valley Firebirds shootout victory, including a helper on the game-tying goal with 37 seconds remaining in regulation.
MICHAEL MILNE, 2018-22 (14 GP, 4-6-10) – Picked up a first-period assist for the Iowa Wild on Friday in a 5-3 loss at the Charlotte Checkers.
LUKE PHILP, 2015-17 (14 GP, 2-6-8) – Posted a primary assist on the power play Saturday in the Hershey Bears’ 5-4 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Philp’s apple came 39 seconds into the third period, on Hershey’s third of four game-tying goals on the evening.
ECHL
BRETT DAVIS, 2016-19 (16 GP, 6-5-11) – Gave the Rapid City Rush penalty kill a lift in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over the Allen Americans, tallying a game-tying shorthanded goal in the second period.
BRILEY WOOD, 2022-24 (17 GP, 3-8-11) – Picked up points in two of the Utah Grizzlies’ three games this weekend at home against the Indy Fuel. His assist in Friday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Fuel helped Reed Lebster tie the game with just over five minutes to go, while his goal Saturday was one of the few bright spots in the Grizzlies’ 4-1 loss to the Fuel.
CAM HAUSINGER, 2017-19 (15 GP, 4-4-8) – Rebounded from a scoreless week by notching goals in back-to-back Indy Fuel games at the Utah Grizzlies over the weekend, scoring a go-ahead goal late in the second period of a 4-1 victory over Utah on Friday. Saturday, his goal in the final four minutes of the first period touched off a three-goal scoring run, and he added an assist in a 4-1 victory over Utah.
BEN ZLOTY, 2018-23 (5 GP, 1-5-6) – Opened his time with the Norfolk Admirals by picking up assists in four straight games, and added a power play goal in the third period of Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Maine Mariners. He had an assist on the game-winner with a minute-and-a-half to go, and had the primary assist in Friday’s 3-2 overtime win over Maine, as the Admirals leaped out to the lead just 14 seconds in.
REED MORISON, 2015-17 (3 GP, 0-1-1) – Has had an eventful week, making his professional debut last Wednesday and heading across the country in a trade six days later. Last Friday, he set up Cade Nielson’s game-tying second-period goal for his first EHL point in a 4-3 Utah Grizzlies loss to the Indy Fuel. Tuesday, Morison was dealt to the Worcester Railers for defenseman Andrew Nielsen.
CHASE HARTJE, 2018-20 (8 GP, 0-1-1) – Cracked the ECHL scoresheet for the very first time Wednesday, with an assist in a 4-2 Utah Grizzlies loss to the Indy Fuel.
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 in American pro hockey this week:
DEVIN COOLEY, 2016-17 (12-3-0, 1.84) – Earned a pair of wins for the Calgary Wranglers at the Manitoba Moose, starting with a 17-save performance Friday in a 6-1 win. He posted 35 saves on Sunday in a 3-2 victory, in which the Wranglers took the lead on three separate occasions.
KYLE MAYHEW, 2016-17 (16 GP, 3-16-19) – Was one of the few Wild alumni to play on Thanksgiving night, notching an assist for the Fort Wayne Komets in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Florida Everblades. He followed that up with another helper the following night on the overtime winner, an Alex Aleardi goal with just 22 seconds left in the extra period.
CHARLIE COMBS, 2015-17 (18 GP, 5-10-15) – Buried his second game-winner in as many weeks on Wednesday, as the South Carolina Stingrays traveled to Jacksonville and took down the Icemen 4-1. Two nights later, he helped close out a five-goal South Carolina outburst in a 5-2 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
MARKO REIFENBERGER, 2018-19 (16 GP, 5-6-11) – Has points in nine of his 12 games with the Norfolk Admirals this season, adding to his total with a goal 2:09 into the Admirals’ 3-2 overtime win against the Maine Mariners on Friday. He tacked on two more assists the following night in a 4-1 victory in the rematch.
DAKOTA RAABE, 2014-17 (12 GP, 3-4-7) – Highlighted a six-game Iowa Heartlanders series against the Bloomington Bison with an assist in Iowa’s only goal of a 3-1 loss on Wednesday, and a pair of assists in Saturday’s 3-1 home victory. The latter of his two assists on Saturday came on the eventual game-winner in the second period.
P.J. FLETCHER, 2018-19 (17 GP, 1-3-4) – Made his first appearance in a professional scoring column Friday in the Atlanta Gladiators’ 6-3 victory over the Savannah Ghost Pirates. His unassisted tally 6:18 into the game briefly gave the Gladiators the lead before retaking it for good five minutes later.
SETH EISELE, 2017-18 (5-1-1, 1.57) – Made 23 saves Wednesday to guide the South Carolina Stingrays to a 4-1 Thanksgiving Eve win at the Jacksonville Icemen..
MICHAEL BULLION, 2014-15 (4-4-0, 3.13) – Made 45 saves, his highest count since February 24, 2023, in guiding the Worcester Railers to a 3-2 victory Friday at the Wichita Thunder.
