Steelheads sign Howarth

BOISE, ID – The Idaho Steelheads, ECHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars, announced that the club has signed forward Kale Howarth to a contract for the 2026-27 season.

Howarth, 29, joins the Steelheads after playing parts of four seasons in both the ECHL and the American Hockey League.

The Red Deer, Alberta native began his professional career with the Indy Fuel during the 2021-22 season, registering four points (2g-2a) in five games before joining the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. In 12 games with Rockford that season, he collected three points (2g-1a).

Howarth spent the next two seasons playing with Rockford and Indy. He’s amassed 50 games played in the AHL, grabbing six points (2g-4a) in that time. In the ECHL, which includes another year with Indy during the 2024-25 season, he’s collected 25 points (14g-11a) in 55 games, also picking up a goal in five playoff games with the Fuel.

Prior to his professional career, Howarth skated in 79 games over three seasons at the University of Connecticut from 2018-21. He racked up 34 points (16g-18a) in his time with the Huskies. At the junior level, Howarth appeared in 148 games over three seasons with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Trail Smoke Eaters, notching 146 points (66g-80a).

He was selected in the fifth round (148th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.