Alumn-ICE Report: October 22, 2025
Zach Benson
A proud third-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
ZACH BENSON, 2020-23 (3 GP, 0-6-6) – Missed the season’s first three games with a facial injury suffered in practice, but has more than made up for it since. He racked up four assists in his Buffalo Sabres season debut last Wednesday, including one on both the power play and penalty kill, in an 8-4 rout of the Ottawa Senators, followed by assists in both a 3-0 win over Florida Saturday and Monday’s 4-2 loss at Montreal. His six assists in his first three games matches a Sabres franchise high, set by Jack Eichel in 2020-21 and Thomas Vanek in 2012-13.
Zach Benson with a “hey how are ya” through-the-legs drop pass assist to Jiri Kulich who puts it home, Benny might have 65 apples this season pic.twitter.com/p3r2HtxVd0
— Conor Hurley (@CHurls13) October 21, 2025
NOAH PHILP, 2015-17 (4 GP, 2-0-2) – Got the Edmonton Oilers on the board Sunday with a tip-in goal in a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
PEYTON KREBS, 2016-21 (6 GP, 0-2-2) – Teamed up with former Winnipeg teammate Zach Benson on a third-period assist in the Buffalo Sabres’ first win of the season last Wednesday, an 8-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators, and added another in the second period of the Sabres’ 3-0 win over Florida on Saturday.
CALE FLEURY, 2014-18 (3 GP, 0-1-1) – Posted his first point since February 4, with an assist in a 5-2 Seattle Kraken win at the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. Jordan Eberle scored his first goal of the season with a deflection off of Fleury’s shot from the blue line.
CONOR GEEKIE, 2019-24 (6 GP, 0-1-1) – Made his debut on the stat sheet for 2025-26 with an assist on J.J. Moser’s game-tying goal with 3:43 left in Friday’s 2-1 Tampa Bay Lightning overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings. After a six-game stint with Tampa Bay to open the season, Geekie was reassigned to the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch on Tuesday.
MATTHEW SAVOIE, 2019-24 (7 GP, 0-1-1) – Earned his first assist of the season Tuesday, helping Jake Walman send the Edmonton Oilers past the Ottawa Senators by a 3-2 count with a power play goal midway through overtime.
ECHL
ISAAC JOHNSON, 2019-20 (3 GP, 1-3-4) – Has a three-game point streak to start the season, one month after swinging a trade to the Iowa Heartlanders – he opened his season with a third-period assist in a 2-1 win over the Tulsa Oilers on Friday, before notching a goal in Saturday’s 6-5 win at the Bloomington Bison, and racking up two assists in Sunday’s 5-4 home loss to the Oilers. Iowa nearly dug out of a 4-0 hole with eight minutes left in the second period of Sunday’s game.
CAM HAUSINGER, 2017-19 (3 GP, 3-0-3) – Opened his Greenville Swamp Rabbits season with a bang, posting the only Swamp Rabbits goal in a 3-1 loss to the Utah Grizzlies on Friday before doubling that feat the following night in a 5-4 shootout win at the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
NOLAN ORZECK, 2017-22 (3 GP, 1-2-3) – Also has a three-game point streak to start the season for the Iowa Heartlanders, starting with a game-tying goal Friday in a 2-1 home-opening win over the Tulsa Oilers. He tacked on assists in Saturday’s 6-5 win at the Bloomington Bison and in Sunday’s 5-4 home loss to Tulsa.
BRAYDEN EDWARDS, 2021-22 (1 GP, 1-0-1) – Made his pro debut one to remember, potting a final marker Saturday in the Wheeling Nailers’ 5-3 win at the Cincinnati Cyclones.
BRETT DAVIS, 2016-19 (2 GP, 1-0-1) – Opened the 2025-26 season for the Rapid City Rush with a game-tying goal midway through Friday’s 3-2 loss at the Kansas City Mavericks.
BEN ZLOTY, 2018-23 (2 GP, 1-0-1) – Scored the Norfolk Admirals’ first insurance goal of the year for a 2-0 lead in Friday’s 4-3 overtime win at the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
EASTON ARMSTRONG, 2022-24 (2 GP, 1-0-1) – Got his first season with the Tulsa Oilers started with a bang on Sunday, tallying a goal just 88 seconds out of the gate in a 5-4 win at the Iowa Heartlanders.
KENTA ISOGAI, 2023-25 (3 GP, 1-0-1) – Made his pro debut Friday with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and flipped that into his first professional goal two nights later, Greenville’s last goal of a 3-2 loss to the in-state rival South Carolina Stingrays. Wenatchee junior “A” alumnus JACOB MODRY (2016-19) tag-teamed with Isogai, earning the lone assist on that goal.
Kenta Isogai gets his first pro goal and it comes at a time when the Bits needed it!!
🚨K. Isogai
🍎J. Modry#GVLvSC https://t.co/1asgbxUate pic.twitter.com/04WDl4cYHY— Greenville Swamp Rabbits (@SwampRabbits) October 19, 2025
JAKE ELMER, 2016-17 (2 GP, 0-1-1) – Returned to the ECHL after three years in Slovakia and Scotland, and posted an assist on the first goal in Greensboro Gargoyles history on Saturday. That goal came with 99 seconds left in regulation, sending a home game against the Jacksonville IceMen to overtime, in which Jacksonville would prevail, 2-1.
David Gagnon scores the first-ever goal for the Greensboro Gargoyles!@GSOGargoyles | @ECHL #GSOGargoyles #ECHL pic.twitter.com/lCrmrlqnqQ
— FloHockey (@FloHockey) October 19, 2025
BRILEY WOOD, 2022-24 (2 GP, 0-1-1) – Notched a third-period assist Saturday in a 5-2 Rapid City Rush win at the Kansas City Mavericks.
TANNER FAITH, 2010-15 (1 GP, 0-0-0) – Made his professional debut in impressive fashion Sunday, skating in his first college or pro game since skating for the University of British Columbia in 2019, as part of the Tulsa Oilers’ 5-4 win at the Iowa Heartlanders.
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 (0-1-0, 2.29) – Took the loss last Wednesday in his Calgary Flames debut, making 29 saves in a 3-1 defeat against the Utah Mammoth.
NIC DOWD, 2008-09 (7 GP, 1-1-2) – Got on the stat sheet Tuesday for the first time this season, picking up a first-period tip-in goal and adding an assist in the Washington Capitals’ 4-1 home win over the Seattle Kraken.
Beautiful pass from John Carlson to find Nic Dowd in front 🤝 pic.twitter.com/msemx8ivUi
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 21, 2025
SAM MORTON, 2016-18/2019-20 (4 GP, 0-1-1) – Got his first assist of the season in the Calgary Wranglers’ three-goal comeback Saturday, as part of a 5-4 overtime loss at the Tucson Roadrunners.
BLAKE CHRISTENSEN, 2015-16 (1 GP, 1-0-1) – Made the most of his 2025-26 debut for the Kalamazoo Wings, scoring a third-period goal in Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the Fort Wayne Komets.
CRISTOPHE TELLIER, 2018-19 (1 GP, 0-1-1) – Opened the new season with the Savannah Ghost Pirates by picking up an assist in Friday’s 4-3 overtime loss against the Norfolk Admirals.
LUCAS SOWDER, 2016-19 (2 GP, 0-1-1) – Made his American pro debut for the Kansas City Mavericks on Friday after spending the 2024-25 campaign with the Vorarlberg club in Austria, assisting on the eventual game-winning goal in the Mavs’ 3-2 win over the Rapid City Rush.
