Komets sign five

Fort Wayne, Ind. - The Fort Wayne Komets announced that four players from last season’s Kelly Cup championship team will be returning to Fort Wayne. Forwards Anthony Petruzzelli, Zach Pochiro and Oliver Cooper will join defenseman Blake Siebenaler on the preseason roster. Rookie defenseman DJ King has also inked a deal with the team.

Petruzzelli, 28, will be entering his fifth season as a Komet. Last season, he scored 11 goals while taking home the Komets award for Best Defensive Forward and the Wiegmann Family "True Komet" Award. Petruzzelli has played 179 career games with the Komets tallying 108 points. Before turning pro, Petruzzelli played four seasons at the University of Vermont. 

Pochiro, 27, appeared in 32 games with the Komets last season registering 29 points. Pochiro was a fourth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2013. He has played portions of seven seasons in the ECHL totaling 240 games with the Komets, Kalamazoo, Alaska, Quad City, Norfolk and Allen.  He also played one season in Denmark with Esbjerg Energy.

Siebenaler, 25, a Fort Wayne native was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round of 2014 NHL Entry Draft.  Last season with the Komets, he registered 16 points in 47 games.

Cooper, 26, played four seasons at the University of New Brunswick before signing with the Komets last season. He played in 17 regular-season games, totaling four points (2g-2a) with 28 penalty minutes. In the Kelly Cup Playoffs, Cooper registered four points (3g-1a) in eight games. 

King amassed 140 penalty minutes in two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with Saginaw and Hamilton. The 20-year-old will be entering his first year as a pro.  DJ’s father, Derek King, played 830 NHL games with the New York Islanders, Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues.  He’s also served as head coach of the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs for the past three seasons.