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Phillips, Leone added to bolster K-Wings blue line

Phillips, Leone added to bolster K-Wings blue line

Thursday, July 28th

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Kalamazoo Wings, ECHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lighting, have inked defensemen Adam Phillips and Chris Leone to standard ECHL contracts for the 2016-17 season.

Phillips, 25, gears up for his third season of professional hockey and his second with Kalamazoo. In 52 games with the Wings last season, Phillips tallied 21 points (9g-12a). Phillips has shown the versatility and creativity to play both forward and defense throughout his career.

Prior to turning pro, the native of Farmington Hills, Mich. played high school hockey at Farmington Hills Harrison where he was an All-League selection with 56 points in 23 games during his senior season in 2008. He joined the Indiana Ice (USHL) in 2009 for one season before spending the next four at UMass-Amherst, where he notched 50 points in 124 games.

Leone, 24, will suit up with the Wings for his first full season of professional hockey in 2016-17. The native of Dearborn Heights, Mich. made his professional debut against Kalamazoo in April of 2016 as a member of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. The 5-foot-11 defenseman registered four points (1g-3a) with Greenville in four games last year.

Before turning pro, Leone played three years in the North American Hockey league, including one with the Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings, where he wore the ‘C’ and registered 28 points in 59 games during the 2011-12 season. After completing his junior career, he played four years at Adrian College, and won back-to-back Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup Championships (2015-16). Leone’s performance during his senior season in 2016 earned him a spot on the CCM/ACHA All-America First team, and NCHA Championship MVP honors.