Fort Wayne Komets


The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original International Hockey League, and the second International Hockey League. They have won four post-season championship titles in the original IHL in 1963, 1965, 1973 and 1993, four in the UHL/second IHL in 2003, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and one in the CHL in 2012. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Original Six teams of the NHL and the Hershey Bears of the AHL have played continuously in the same city with the same name longer than the Komets.

History

The original Komets franchise played in the previous iteration of the International Hockey League from 1952 until 1990. The original IHL franchise then moved to Albany, New York in 1990 as the Albany Choppers. Only two days later, the Franke family of Fort Wayne bought the Flint Spirits, moved them to Fort Wayne, and took the Komets name and history. The Albany Choppers would only play part of one season before folding on February 15, 1991.
In 1999, the second IHL Komets franchise joined the United Hockey League. In 2010, the UHL/IHL ceased operations and the Komets joined the Central Hockey League along with the surviving members of their former league. They left the CHL for the ECHL in 2012.
For the 2014–15 season, the Komets entered into a one-year affiliation with the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, providing a direct line to Colorado's American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. After a successful season and partnership proving beneficial to all parties, on July 21, 2015, the Komets announced a continuance of the affiliation with the Avalanche and new AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage on a two-year deal through the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons. However, the Avalanche and Komets mutually agreed to end the affiliation one season early in 2016. After a season operating independently of an affiliation, the Komets agreed to a one-year affiliation deal with the Arizona Coyotes and their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, but did not extend the affiliation after the deal ended.
On August 21, 2018, the Komets announced a new one-year affiliation agreement with the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights and AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves. It was then extended for the 2019–20 season.

Season-by-season results

This is a partial list of the last ten seasons completed by the Fort Wayne Komets. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Fort Wayne Komets seasons
SeasonLeagueGPWLOTLSOLPtsGFGAPIMPlayoffs
2010–11CHL66312753701872041352Lost in Quarterfinals
2011–12CHL66401916832281871272Won Championship
2012–13ECHL72333513702052461385Did not qualify
2013–14ECHL7236247584215215954Lost in Conference Semifinals
2014–15ECHL724818241022512001033Lost in Conference Semifinals
2015–16ECHL72402372892402001196Lost in Conference Finals
2016–17ECHL72451962982642101292Lost in Division Finals
2017–18ECHL72462051982902161078Lost in Conference Finals
2018–19ECHL76362646822332481132Lost Division Semifinals
2019–20ECHL62312362702182201044Season cancelled due to COVID-19

Records as of the conclusion of the 2019–20 season.

Players

Current roster

Updated May 14, 2020.

Retired numbers

The Komets have honored over 40 personnel in three sections - Executive Builders, Team Personnel and Media - in the Komets Hall of Fame established in 1988. They have also retired numbers to honor 16 people over the course of their history.
No.PlayerPositionTenureDate of honor
1G1962–1967October 26, 2013
2D1991–2011October 29, 2011
5D1964–19781988
6D1958–19691988
11C1957–19691988
12C1960–19691988
16RW1952–19661988
18LW1974–1989March 6, 2002
26C1986–1996November 17, 2007
30G1967–19811988
33G2007–2012October 26, 2013
40Media1953–20161993
58Owner1958–19821988
59Owner1959–19851988
77LW1990–2002November 17, 2007
91C2002–2013February 19, 2017
504CoachMarch 25, 2017

Franchise records

Scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed regular season.
''Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; * = still active with the team
PlayerPosGPGAPts
Len ThornsonC7634128071219
Eddie LongRW801425427852
Colin ChaulkC581187497684
Terry McDougallC507249395644
Colin ChinC660246390636
John GoodwinLW480200387587
Guy DupuisD945126417543
Reg PrimeauC452200342542
Merv DubchakRW437321218539
Robbie LairdLW520223276499

Regular season