Dudek rejoins Railers

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester Railers Hockey Club, ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, announced that the club has signed forward JD Dudek to a contract for the 2024-25 season.

Dudek signs with the Railers for his sixth professional season from the Coventry Blaze of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The 28-yeaer-old spent time with the Railers in both the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons, totaling 12 points (2g-10a) in 28 games played for Worcester. Dudek was under an American Hockey League contract with the Bridgeport Islanders while playing in Worcester for the 2019-20 season. He split time between the EIHL & HockeyEttan (Sweden) during the 2020-21, 2022-23 and 23-24 seasons. In 107 games overseas, Dudek scored 51 points (30g-21a).

Before playing professional hockey, the Auburn, New Hampshire native spent four seasons at Boston College, totaling 56 points (28g-28a) in 149 games. With the Eagles, he was a Hockey East regular-season champion (2017-18), Beanpot Cup champion (2015-16), reached the Frozen Four (2015-16) and received the James E. Tiernan award as the team's most improved player (2018-19). Dudek spent the 2014-15 season in the United States Hockey League with the Chicago Steel and Dubuque Fighting Saints, scoring 18 points (10g-8a) in 54 games. He was drafted in the sixth round (152nd overall) by the New Jersey Devils in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

JD's father, Joe Dudek, played football at Plymouth State and broke Walter Payton’s NCAA record for career touchdowns in 1985. Joe finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting, the best-ever finish for a non-Division I player. He was inducted into College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.