WHEELING, W.Va. - The Wheeling Nailers, ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced the team has re-signed forward Jordan Kwas to a contract for the 2016-17 season.
Kwas, 27, arrived in Wheeling in late January, when he was claimed off of waivers from the South Carolina Stingrays. The Nailers posted a 10-2-1 record in his first 13 games with the club. After compiling 12 points (2g-10a) in 27 games with Colorado and South Carolina earlier in the season, the Cochrane, Alberta native bettered his numbers in Wheeling, racking up 17 points (7g-10a) in 33 regular-season contests. Kwas' productivity continued in the playoffs, especially in key situations. He recorded one goal and two assists in Game 7 against Reading in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, before adding a third-period goal in Game 7 against South Carolina in the Eastern Conference Finals, making him the only Nailer to score a goal in both game seven victories.
The 2015-16 season was Kwas' second professional season, as he spent the entire 2014-15 campaign with the Colorado Eagles, accumulating 21 points (8g-13a) in 52 games. Prior to making the jump to the pro game, Kwas attended the University of Alaska-Anchorage for four years, where he majored in Marketing, while playing for the Seawolves. The best of those seasons on the ice came as a senior, when he amassed 32 points (13g-19a) in 38 games, while taking home the team's Coaches Award at the end of the year. Kwas netted his lone hat trick that year as well, completing the feat against Air Force. He compiled 90 points (30g-60a) in 124 career collegiate games.