O'Rourke rejoins K-Wings

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Kalamazoo Wings have signed defenseman Sean O’Rourkefor the 2017-18 season.

The K-Wings are the ECHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League and the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League.

O’Rourke returns to the K-Wings for his second season of professional hockey in the upcoming campaign. The 26-year-old appeared in 67 games last season with Kalamazoo and chipped in six points (1g-5a). He made his professional debut with the K-Wings during a playoff game against South Carolina in April 2016.

A native of Alta Loma, Calif., O'Rourke was heavily relied upon during the postseason, and led the Wings with a +4 rating in seven playoff games.

Before turning pro, O’Rourke tallied 100 points in 162 games with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the North American Hockey League, and was a member of the Ice Dogs’ Robertson Cup winning team in 2011. The following year, he was named to the All-NAHL team after posting 46 points in 48 games and a +21 rating.

Upon completion of his junior career, he attended Ferris State University and skated in 129 games over four years with the Bulldogs. As an alternate captain during his senior year in 2015-16, he helped lead Ferris State to a WCHA championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He was also selected to the WCHA All-Academic Team on three different occasions.