Toledo Walleye

Toledo Walleye
2015–16 ECHL season
City	Toledo, Ohio
League	ECHL
Conference	Eastern
Division	North
Founded	1991
Home arena	Huntington Center
Colors	Powder blue, navy blue, gold, white
Owner(s)	Toledo Arena Sports, Inc.
General manager	Neil Neukam
Head coach	Derek Lalonde
Captain	Jared Nightingale
Media	Toledo Blade WCWA (1230 AM) BCSN
Affiliates	Detroit Red Wings (NHL) Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)
Franchise history
1991–2007	Toledo Storm
2009–present	Toledo Walleye
Championships
Regular season titles	1 (2014–15)
Division Championships	2 (2014–15, 2015–16)
Conference Championships	0
Kelly Cups	0

The Toledo Walleye are a professional hockey team based in Toledo, Ohio. The Walleye are members of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the ECHL. The Walleye were founded in 1991 as the Toledo Storm and play their home games at the Huntington Center, which opened in 2009.

Since the beginning of the 2009–10 season, the team has been affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League.^[1][2]

The team is currently owned and operated by Toledo Arena Sports, Inc. The current ownership group is a subsidiary of Toledo Mud Hens Baseball Club, Inc., another ownership that owns and operates the Toledo Mud Hens.

History

Toledo Storm (1991–2007)

The Walleye were founded in 1991 as the Toledo Storm, playing their home games at Toledo Sports Arena across the river from downtown Toledo. The Storm were the first hockey team to play in Toledo since the International Hockey League's Toledo Goaldiggers suspended operations in 1986, eventually moving to Kansas City in 1990. In the Storm's inaugural season, the team won the West Division title and the Henry Brabham Cup after posting the league's best record in the regular season. The following year the Storm won its first Jack Riley Cup, defeating the Wheeling Thunderbirds in six games. The Storm came back the following season and won its second Riley Cup, defeating the Raleigh Icecaps in five games, becoming only the second team in league history to win back-to-back league titles (the first being the Hampton Roads Admirals in 1991 and 1992). The Storm were dominant in its first few years, winning four division titles in their first five seasons and posting a winning record in thirteen of the sixteen seasons the team played. The Storm won its second Brabham Cup in 2003 and made the American Conference finals during the 2005–06 season, ultimately losing to the Gwinnett Gladiators in five games. The Storm's final game came on April 19, 2007 during the 2007 North Division semifinals losing to in-state rival, Cincinnati Cyclones by a score of 4–0 getting swept in the series 3 games to 0. In sixteen seasons in the ECHL, the Storm posted a 610-395-103 record, winning two Riley Cups, two Brabham Cups and six division titles.

Sale to Toledo Arena Sports and Two Year Suspension

In 2007, Toledo Arena Sports, Inc., an Ohio-Not-For-Profit Corporation, purchased the rights to the Toledo, Ohio Territory from the ECHL. The new ownership group was planning to build a new state-of-the-art arena in downtown Toledo to replace the aging Sports Arena. Shortly after the sale, Toledo Arena Sports announced that after the 2006–07 season, the Storm would not compete again until the arena was completed and the ECHL granted the Storm a two-year voluntary suspension from competition.

In February 2008, General Manager Joe Napoli announced that former Storm goaltender, ECHL Hall of Famer and head coach from 2003–2007 Nick Vitucci would return to coach the franchise when it returned to the ice in 2009.^[3] One week after announcing Vitucci as head coach, Toledo Arena Sports Inc. renamed the Storm the "Walleye," in reference to the popular game fish that is abundant in the area.^[4]

Toledo Walleye (2009–Present)

Inaugural season logo promoting Opening Weekend, 2009

At the ECHL Mid-Season Board of Governors meeting, the league announced that the Walleye would be members of the American Conference's North Division along with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Elmira Jackals, Johnstown Chiefs, Wheeling Nailers^[5] and Kalamazoo Wings.^[6] During the NHL's award ceremonies in Las Vegas, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland stated that the Walleye would become Detroit's ECHL affiliate for the 2009–10 season and that the Wings would send one of their three goaltender prospects (either Jordan Pearce, Thomas McCollum or Daniel Larsson) to Toledo for the season.^[7][8] On June 21, 2009, the Walleye announced the schedule for their inaugural season which opened on October 16 as the Walleye hosted the defending Brabham Cup champion Florida Everblades in the first of a three-game series. The Walleye would play fifteen of their first twenty-one games at home.^[9] On August 5, 2009, the Walleye announced a second affiliation agreement, becoming the ECHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago's AHL affiliate the Rockford IceHogs.^[2] On August 26, 2009, the Walleye signed their first player, centre Malcolm MacMillan. The six-year veteran joined the Walleye from the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom and had previous stints in the ECHL with the Florence Pride, Peoria Rivermen, Cincinnati Cyclones (all in 2003–04) and Reading Royals (2005–08).^[10]

Alternate logo

Prior to the Walleye's home opener against Florida, head coach Nick Vitucci named defenseman Ryan Stokes as the team's captain and named centers Malcolm MacMillan and Adam Hobson.^[11] Despite a strong effort, the Walleye dropped their opener to Florida 2–1 in front of a sell-out crowd of 8,000, the largest crowd to ever watch a pro hockey game in Toledo at the time.^[12] The Walleye would return the next night and rookie goaltender Jordan Pearce would stop 35 of 37 shots faced as the Walleye scored three goals in the final period to get past the Everblades for the team's first win, 5–2.^[13] The initial home series with Florida would end the next night in entertaining fashion as Toledo defenseman J.C. Sawyer scored the game-winning goal with 55 seconds left in overtime as the Walleye won two of three games of the weekend series, 4–3.^[14] On October 20, Toledo defenseman Jamie Milam was named the Sher-wood Player of the Week for his five-point performance over the three game series with Florida.^[15]

On December 31, defenseman J.C. Sawyer and forward Maxime Tanguay were selected to the American Conference All-Star team and played at the All-Star Game at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California on January 20.^[16] On January 20, Sawyer was named the captain of the American Conference All-Stars.^[17]

At the end of the regular season, defenseman J.C. Sawyer was named as a First Team selection to the All-ECHL team and won the Defenseman of the Year award,^[18] while center Maxime Tanguay was named to the All-Rookie team.^[19]

2012-13 home opener vs. Kalamazoo Wings.

The Walleye clinched their first playoff appearance on March 31, following a shootout loss to the Johnstown Chiefs, becoming the seventh of eight teams in the American Conference to clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup playoffs.^[20] The Walleye would finish the regular season in eighth place in the American Conference, guaranteeing the team a matchup with the American Conference regular season champions, the Charlotte Checkers, in the American Conference Quarterfinals. Toledo would host Charlotte in the first two games of the series, then the third game would be played at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, as well as games four and five if necessary.^[21] Toledo, behind a hat trick from winger Adam Keefe, claimed a 7–2 victory over top-seeded Charlotte in Game One of the series. Centre Tony Romano, defenceman J.C. Sawyer and wingers Akim Aliu and Derek Nesbitt would also contribute to the victory, the first for the organization since Game Two of the 2006 American Conference Finals against the Gwinnett Gladiators.^[22]

Mascots

On July 27, 2009, the Walleye introduced Spike, their costumed mascot at a Toledo Mud Hens baseball game. Spike is a yellow anthropomorphic walleye, adorned with a white Walleyes jersey, blue gloves, helmet and shoes and a gap tooth smile. Spike's nemesis is Cat Trick, a fuzzy blue cat, with a fishing vest and bright yellow boots. The two like to take cheap shots at each other during games.

Winterfest

The first ever ECHL outdoor hockey event was at Fifth Third Field on Saturday, December 27, 2014.^[23] The Walleye lost 2-1 to the visiting Kalamazoo Wings. On January 5, the Walleye fell to the Fort Wayne Komets 3-2 in a shootout. In addition to the Walleye games, the annual Battle of the Badges game between the Toledo Police Department and Toledo Fire Department occurred on December 31,^[24] the U.S. National Under 18 Team defeated Adrian College 6-1 in an exhibition on January 1,^[25] and Bowling Green played Robert Morris to a 2-2 draw on January 4.^[26] Anthony Wayne High School, Saint Ignatius High School, Saint John's High School, Whitmer High School, and many other youth and adult teams also participated in the Winterfest. Over 10 days, an estimated 45,000 to 50,000 people attended events at the stadium.^[27]

Season-by-season record

Opening night of the 2009–10 Toledo Walleye season

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Toledo Walleye. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Toledo Walleye seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
2011–12	72	28	38	2	4	62	189	258	1140	4th, North	Did not qualify
2012–13	72	37	26	5	4	83	224	195	982	2nd, North	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1–3 (Cincinnati)
2013–14	72	21	44	4	3	49	193	268	1020	5th, North	Did not qualify
2014–15	72	50	15	5	2	107	281	182	785	1st, North	Lost in Conference Finals, 3–4 (South Carolina)
2015–16	72	47	20	2	3	99	225	174	665	1st, North	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3–4 (Reading)

Current roster

Updated April 15, 2016.^[28]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace	Contract
10		Berschbach, ShaneShane Berschbach	F	R	24	2014	Clawson, Michigan	Walleye
28		Bonis, KyleKyle Bonis	F	L	27	2014	Lindsay, Ontario	Walleye
12		Catio, MattMatt Catio	D	R	22	2016	Coto de Caza, California	Walleye
72		Chouinard, JoëlJoël Chouinard (A)	D	L	26	2014	Sherbrooke, Quebec	Griffins
22		Czarnowczan, ScottScott Czarnowczan	D	L	24	2014	Macomb, Michigan	Griffins
3		Docken, DerekDerek Docken	D	L	25	2015	Northfield, Minnesota	Griffins
8		Gaede, MaxMax Gaede	F	R	24	2015	Woodbury, Minnesota	Huntsville Havoc
27		Jenks, AJAJ Jenks (A)	F	L	25	2014	Wolverine Lake, Michigan	Walleye
2		Leone, MichaelMichael Leone	F	L	28	2014	Detroit, Michigan	Walleye
1		Lerg, JeffJeff Lerg	G	L	30	2014	Livonia, Michigan	Walleye
7		Nastasiuk, ZachZach Nastasiuk	F	R	21	2015	Barrie, Ontario	Red Wings
18		Nightingale, JaredJared Nightingale (C)	D	R	33	2014	Jackson, Michigan	Walleye
35		Paterson, JakeJake Paterson	G	L	21	2015	Mississauga, Ontario	Red Wings
20		Prochno, AndrewAndrew Prochno	D	L	24	2015	Minnetonka, Minnesota	Walleye
86		Rankin, EvanEvan Rankin	F	R	30	2015	Portage, Michigan	Walleye
9		Saarijärvi, ViliVili Saarijärvi	D	R	18	2016	Rovaniemi, Finland	Red Wings
17		Schmitz, BeauBeau Schmitz	D	R	25	2015	Howell, Michigan	Walleye
25		Shalla, JoshJosh Shalla	F	R	24	2015	Whitby, Ontario	Walleye
16		Sikura, TylerTyler Sikura	F	L	23	2015	Aurora, Ontario	Walleye
24		Spink, TylorTylor Spink	F	R	23	2016	Williamstown, Ontario	Walleye
19		Spink, TysonTyson Spink	F	L	23	2016	Williamstown, Ontario	Walleye
4		Sova, JoeJoe Sova	D	L	27	2016	Berwyn, Illinois	Walleye
12		Walters, DaneDane Walters	F	R	27	2015	St. Paul, Minnesota	Rockford Icehogs
15		Wuthrich, AustinAustin Wuthrich	F	R	22	2015	Bakersfield, California	Walleye
14		Zombo, DominicDominic Zombo	F	L	25	2015	Ballwin, Missouri	Griffins

Leaders

Team captains

• Ryan Stokes, 2009–10
• Adam Keefe, 2010–11
• Kyle Rogers, 2011–14
• Jared Nightingale, 2014–

Head coaches

• Nick Vitucci, 2009–2014
• Dan Watson, 2014
• Derek Lalonde, 2014–

Awards and honors

All-ECHL First Team J.C. Sawyer: 2009–10 Shane Berschbach: 2015–16 All-ECHL Second Team Jason Lepine: 2010–11 Jeff Lerg: 2014–15, 2015–16 All-ECHL Rookie Team Maxime Tanguay: 2009–10 Andy Bohmbach: 2010–11 Tyler Barnes: 2014–15 CCM Defenseman of the Year J.C. Sawyer: 2009–10 CCM Rookie of the Year Tyler Barnes: 2014–15 ECHL All-Star Game Selection J.C. Sawyer: 2010 Maxime Tanguay: 2010 Peter Leblanc: 2011 Luke Glendening: 2013 Ben Youds: 2013 Tyler Barnes: 2015 Sportsmanship Award Randy Rowe: 2012–13 Shane Berschbach: 2015–16

North Divison Champions 2014–15 2015–16 Henry Brabham Cup ECHL regular season champion 2014–15: 107 Points John Brophy Award ECHL Coach of the Year Derek Lalonde: 2014–15 Executive of the Year Joe Napoli: 2012–13, 2014–15 ECHL Award of Excellence 2014–15 Reebok Athletic Trainer of the Year Brad Fredrick: 2014–15 Ticket Executive of the Year Brian Perkins: 2014–15

References

1. Monroe, Mark (August 4, 2009). "Walleye, Red Wings sign deal". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
2. Monroe, Mark (August 5, 2009). "Blackhawks, Walleye join forces". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
3. Vardon, Joe (February 13, 2008). "Ex-Storm coach Vitucci is first hire of next hockey team". Toledo Blade. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
4. Vardon, Joe (February 20, 2008). "Mud Hens snag catchy "Walleye" as moniker for hockey franchise". Toledo Blade.
5. "ECHL Concludes Mid-Season Board of Governors Meeting" (Press release). ECHL. March 30, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
6. Monroe, Mark (June 21, 2009). "New Walleye will revive old IHL rivalry with Kalamazoo". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
7. Sipple, George (June 19, 2009). "Alex Ovechkin has fun beating Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk". Detroit Free Press.
8. Monroe, Mark (August 3, 2009). "Red Wings link with Walleye". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
9. Monroe, Mark (June 21, 2009). "Walleye season starts Oct. 16". Toledo Blade. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
10. Monroe, Mark (August 27, 2009). "MacMillan is Walleye's first player". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
11. Angie, Marie (October 16, 2009). "Ryan Stokes named captain of the Toledo Walleye". Examiner.
12. Monroe, Mark (October 17, 2009). "Walleye iced in debut". Toledo Blade. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
13. Monroe, Mark (October 18, 2009). "Pearce shines in first win for Walleye". Toledo Blade. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
14. Monroe, Mark (October 19, 2009). "Sawyer's goal lifts Walleye in overtime". Toledo Blade. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
15. "Toledo's Milam Named Sher-Wood ECHL Player Of The Week" (Press release). ECHL. October 20, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
16. Staff (January 1, 2010). "2 from Walleye named ECHL all-stars". Toledo Blade. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
17. Staff (January 20, 2010). "Walleye's Sawyer all-star captain". Toledo Blade. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
18. Staff (April 8, 2010). "Walleye's Sawyer named top ECHL defenseman". Toledo Blade. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
19. "ECHL All-Rookie Team Announced" (Press release). ECHL. March 31, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
20. Staff (April 1, 2010). "Walleye lose, but qualify for playoffs". Toledo Blade. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
21. Monroe, Mark (April 4, 2010). "Walleye get Charlotte in first round of playoffs". Toledo Blade. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
22. Monroe, Mark (April 7, 2010). "Keefe ignites Walleye". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
23. "Outdoor hockey coming to ECHL, Toledo". ECHL. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
24. "Toledo Safety Officials Battle at Winterfest". Toledo Blade. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
25. "U.S. team shows off skills against Adrian". Toledo Blade. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
26. "Frozen, wet Falcons tie Robert Morris". Toledo Blade. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
27. "Toledo Walleye Winterfest". Toledo Blade. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
28. "Toledo Walleye - Team Roster". Retrieved April 15, 2016.

External links

• Toledo Walleye official website
• ECHL official website