Fort Wayne Komets

Fort Wayne Komets

Company type	Minor league ice hockey team
Industry	Sports
Predecessor	Flint Spirits (1985–1990)
Founded	1952 (original franchise), 1985 (current franchise as Flint Spirits)
Headquarters	Fort Wayne , United States
Area served	Fort Wayne, Indiana
Products	Ice hockey team

The Fort Wayne Komets represent a minor league ice hockey franchise competing in the ECHL. Their home venue is the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Within North American professional hockey, only the NHL's Original Six teams and the AHL's Hershey Bears boast longer uninterrupted tenures in the same city under an unchanged team name.

History

The Fort Wayne Komets name has been associated with two separate franchises. The original Komets debuted in 1952 as part of the International Hockey League. This team relocated to Albany, New York in 1990, becoming the Albany Choppers, but ceased operations midway through their inaugural season in February 1991.

The current Komets organization traces its roots back to the Flint Spirits, established in Flint, Michigan, in 1985. In 1990, just two days following the departure of the original Komets from Fort Wayne, the Franke family acquired the Flint Spirits, moved them to Fort Wayne, and revived the Komets name and heritage. The team competed in the IHL until 1999 before shifting to the United Hockey League (UHL). When the UHL rebranded as the International Hockey League in 2007—resurrecting the defunct IHL moniker—the Komets remained there until 2010. After that league folded, they joined the Central Hockey League (CHL) and subsequently transitioned to the ECHL in 2012, where they continue to play.

Affiliations

During the 2014–15 season, the Komets entered into a one-year partnership with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and their AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. This collaboration was successful enough to warrant a two-year extension starting in 2015 with Colorado’s new AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. However, this affiliation was mutually ended after just one season in 2016.

Following a year operating independently, Fort Wayne signed a one-year affiliation agreement with the Arizona Coyotes and their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. This relationship was not renewed after its conclusion.

In August 2018, an affiliation was announced with the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights and their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. This partnership was extended through the 2019–20 season but concluded in May 2022.

On July 27, 2022, a new affiliation was formed with the Edmonton Oilers and their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. This agreement was further extended for the 2024–25 season as of May 28, 2024.

Season-by-season results

Selected summary of Fort Wayne Komets’ most recent ten completed seasons. For comprehensive records, refer to List of Fort Wayne Komets seasons

Regular season											Playoffs
Season	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Standing	Year	1st round	2nd round	3rd round	Kelly Cup
2012–13	72	33	35	1	3	70	205	246	1385	4th, North	2013	Did not qualify
2013–14	72	36	24	7	5	84	215	215	954	3rd, North	2014	W, 4–1, REA	L, 2–4, CIN	—	—
2014–15	72	48	18	2	4	102	251	200	1033	2nd, North	2015	W, 4–1, KAL	L, 3–4, TOL	—	—
2015–16	72	40	23	7	2	89	240	200	1196	1st, Midwest	2016	W, 4–3, CIN	W, 4–0, UTA	L, 1–4, ALN	—
2016–17	72	45	19	6	2	98	264	210	1292	2nd, Central	2017	W,4–1,QC	L,1–4,TOL	—	—
2017–18	72	46	20	5	1	98	290	216	1078	2nd, Central	2018	W,4–1,CIN	W,4–2,TOL	L,3–4,COL	—
2018–19	76	36	26	4	6	82	233	248	1132	3rd, Central	2019	L,2–4,TOL	—	—	—
2019–20                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          62 |31 |23 |6 |2 |70 |218 |220 |1044 |3rd, Central |2020 | colspan=4 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 |51 |29 |17 |3 |2 |63 |170 |136 |925 |3rd, West Conf. |2021 |— |W,3–2,WIC |W,3–1,ALN |W,3–1,SC
2021–22 |72 |40 |25 |6 |1 |87 |267 |225 |1271 |2nd, Central |2022 |L,3–4,WHL |— |— |—
2022–23 |72 |34 |31 |4 |3 |75 |270 |275 |1450 |4th, Central |2023 |L,3–4,CIN |— |— |—
2023–24 |72 |35 |30 |3 |4 |77 |224 |226 |996 |5th, Central |2024 colspan=4*Did not qualify

Statistics are current through completion of the 2023–24 regular season.

Retired numbers

Since 1988, the Komets have celebrated the achievements of more than 40 individuals across Executive Builders, Team Staff, and Media by inducting them into their Hall of Fame. To honor pivotal figures in the team's history, they have retired a total of 16 jersey numbers.

Fort Wayne Komets Retired Jersey Numbers

No.	Player	Position	Years Active	Date Honored
1	Chuck Adamson	G	1962–1967	October 26, 2013
2	Guy Dupuis	D	1991–2011	October 29, 2011
5	Terry Pembroke	D	1964–1978	1988
6	Lionel Repka	D	1958–1969	1988
11	Len Thornson	C	1957–1969	1988
12	Reg Primeau	C	1960–1969	1988
16	Eddie Long	RW	1952–1966	1988
18	Rob Laird	LW	1974–1989	March 6, 2002
26	Colin Chin	C	1986–1996	November 17, 2007
30	Robbie Irons	G	1967–1981	1988
33	Nick Boucher	G	2007–2012	October 26, 2013
40	Bob Chase	Media	1953–2016	1993
58	Ken Ullyot	Owner	1958–1982	1988
59	Colin Lister	Owner	1959–1985	1988
77	Steven Fletcher	LW	1990–2002	November 17, 2007
91	Colin Chaulk	C	2002–2013	February 19, 2017
504	Al Sims	Coach	1989–93, 2007–13	March 25, 2017

Notable NHL alumni

Several former Fort Wayne Komets players have established notable careers by appearing in over one hundred games in both the International Hockey League (IHL) and the National Hockey League (NHL) or World Hockey Association (WHA).

Additionally, alumni who have participated in more than twenty-five games in both the ECHL and NHL include:

• Alex Belzile

Scoring leaders

Presented below are the franchise’s top ten point leaders, with statistics current through the most recent completed regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; * = currently active with the team.

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts
Len Thornson	C	763	412	807	1219
Eddie Long	RW	801	425	427	852
Colin Chaulk	C	581	187	497	684
Terry McDougall	C	507	249	395	644
Colin Chin	C	660	246	390	636
John Goodwin	LW	480	200	387	587
Guy Dupuis	D	945	126	417	543
Reg Primeau	C	452	200	342	542
Merv Dubchak	RW	437	321	218	539
Robbie Laird	LW	520	223	276	499

Regular season

• Highest single-season goal total: Merv Dubchak, 72 goals (1965–66)
• Record for most assists in one season: Len Thornson, 93 assists (1966–67)
• Top points scored in a single season: Len Thornson and Terry McDougall, 139 points each (1966–67 & 1978–79)
• Largest number of penalty minutes in a season: Andy Bezeau, 590 minutes (1995–96)
• Most wins by a goaltender in a season: Kevin St. Pierre, 43 victories (2003–04)
• Highest shutout count in one season: Kevin Reiter and Kevin St. Pierre, 7 shutouts apiece (2007–08 & 2003–04)

Team records

• On March 28, 2008, the Komets established a professional hockey milestone by achieving 23 straight home victories with a 4–3 win over the Kalamazoo Wings. This winning streak ultimately extended to 25 games.
• The Komets set a new Fort Wayne franchise record on April 12, 2008, by reaching 56 wins in a single season, surpassing the previous high of 53 wins from the 2003–04 campaign.
• By defeating the Flint Generals four games to one on May 15, 2010, the Komets captured their third consecutive IHL Turner Cup title, completing a "three-peat" following championships in both 2008 and 2009.

See also

• History of sports in Fort Wayne, Indiana