Posted: Apr 11, 2018

Four former Huskies on ECHL Kelly Cup rosters

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Four former Michigan Tech hockey players are on four ECHL teams for the 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Shane Hanna (Idaho Steelheads), Angus Redmond (Toledo Walleye), Riley Sweeney (Indy Fuel), and Cliff Watson (Colorado Eagles) are all playing in their first Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Playoff rosters consist of a maximum of 23 Players – a 20-man active roster and a three-man reserve list. Sixteen teams qualify for the Kelly Cup. The first two rounds will be played entirely within the division, with the division winner playing the fourth-place finisher and the second-place team meeting the third-place team in the Division Semifinals. The winners of each series will meet in the Division Finals, leading to the Conference Finals, and Kelly Cup Finals.

Hanna is currently with the Texas Stars (AHL) but can play for the Steelheads if he gets sent down. Idaho faces the Allen Americans in the Mountain Division Semifinal for their second playoff meeting in the past three seasons. The Steelheads hold the longest active playoff streak in professional hockey with 21 straight appearances.

Hanna has appeared in 41 games this year for the Steelheads. He has five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in his first pro season. Hanna has also played 19 games for the Stars recording three assists. The defenseman played 163 games in a Tech uniform from 2013-17. He never missed a game in his career, finishing two games short of a Tech record. Hanna was an All-WCHA selection all four years, a two-time alternate captain, and tallied 90 career points on 21 goals and 69 assists.

Redmond and the Toledo Walleye will face Sweeney and the Indy Fuel in the Central Division Semifinal series. The Walleye are affiliates of the Detroit Red Wings (NHL) and Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) while the Fuel is affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) and the Rockford IceHogs (AHL).

Redmond has appeared in 21 games between the pipes in his first pro season. After starting the season with the Utah Grizzlies, he joined the Walleye in late February and has a .910 save percentage in three games. Redmond set a Tech record for wins by a freshman after going 22-10-5 in 2016-17 with a 1.85 goals against average that ranked third in the country.

Sweeney started his first season of pro hockey playing six games for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits before joining Indy in mid-November. The defenseman has 13 points this season on two goals and 11 assists in 52 games. Sweeney played 157 games in a Tech uniform from 2011-15, tallying 38 career points.

Watson's Eagles face the Wichita Thunder in the other Mountain Division Semifinal. The Eagles are affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche (NHL) and San Antonio Rampage (AHL).

Watson has played for five different teams in his first pro season. He played 36 games for the Utah Grizzlies to begin the year and was named an ECHL All-Star. The defenseman was traded to Colorado on February 15 and has appeared in eight games for the Eagles. Watson has 30 points on 12 goals and 18 assists in 44 ECHL games this season. He has also played eight games for three different AHL teams. He was loaned to the Utica Comets in December, the San Jose Barracuda in late February, and most recently the Stockton Heat last week.

Watson played 162 career games over his four years in a Tech uniform, missing only one game from 2013-17. He was the captain over his final two seasons, an alternate captain as a sophomore, and tallied 42 career points on eight goals and 34 assists. He was named an ACHA All-American Scholar and WCHA Scholar-Athlete as a senior and appeared on the WCHA All-Academic Team three times.

Other former Huskies in the ECHL not in the playoffs

• CJ Eick played 58 games in his second full pro season, scoring a pair of goals and adding seven assists. He was traded from the Utah Grizzlies to the Kansas City Mavericks on February 14. Eick was a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete who played 108 career games for the Huskies from 2012-16. He had 11 goals and 22 assists as a Husky.

• Tyler Heinonen had 27 points in 53 games in his first full pro season. He scored 14 goals and added 13 assists for the Kalamazoo Wings. He also played two games in early February for the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) on loan. Heinonen signed with the Wings after Tech's season ended last year. He appeared in 122 games in a Husky uniform from 2013-17, tallying 66 career points on 38 goals and 28 assists.

• Eric Kattelus had 39 points for Kalamazoo in 54 games. In his seventh pro season, he scored 11 goals and added 28 assists. Kattelus appeared in 87 career games at Tech from 2007-11 and had 32 points (6 goals, 26 assists).

• Chris Leibinger played 45 games in his first pro season. He played five games for the Quad City Mallards before being traded to the Utah Grizzlies on October 31. Leibinger had 22 points (4 goals, 18 assists) in 40 games for the Grizzlies. He was claimed by Rapid City at the end of the season. Leibinger played four seasons (2013-17) for the Huskies, appearing in 158 games before signing with the Mallards after his senior season. He had 35 career points on 13 goals and 22 assists and was a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team selection.

• Michael Neville signed with Idaho in late February and appeared in 14 games for the Steelheads. He had two goals and an assist. Neville played 155 career games at Tech, tallying 60 points on 15 goals and 45 assists. He was a two-time alternate captain and had a career senior season with 23 points on seven goals and 16 assists. He also had a WCHA-best plus-22 rating as a senior, finishing his career plus-52 and was a three-time recipient of the team's Rick Yeo Unsung Hero Award.

• Jamie Phillips split time between Manitoba Moose (AHL) and the Jacksonville IceMen (ECHL), appearing in 16 games for each team. He had a 3.38 goals against average and .892 save percentage for the IceMen. Phillips played four seasons for the Huskies posting a 2.00 goals against average and .922 save percentage in his career. He had a .678 (57-25-8) winning percentage and is Tech's all-time shutout leader with 10. Phillips was a two-time All-WCHA selection and named the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete as a senior.