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The Kalamazoo Wings have announced the signing of goaltender Trevor Gorsuch and Gorsuch, 28, said it was a “no-brainer” to sign on the dotted line to return to the K-Wings for his second season.
“I felt like I had a great year but had some business that needed to be finished,” Gorsuch said. “I believe we have a great group this upcoming season and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Last season, the Western Michigan University alum posted a 23-24 record between the pipes with a 0.900 save percentage and a 3.35% goals against average.
Gorsuch finished last season number one in the ECHL in saves with 1420, number two in minutes played with 2815 and tied for second in wins with 23.
Joel Martin, Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the team is happy to have Gorsuch back in the fold.
“Trevor reintroduced himself to the Kalamazoo community after a couple years removed from WMU,” Martin said in a press release. “We’re excited to see Trevor improve from his breakout play last season.”
With the K-Wings now under the leadership of Martin, Gorsuch is excited at the prospects that lie ahead for him.
“First off I am beyond excited for Joel to be the next head coach,” Gorsuch said. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing for Nick but Marty was a goalie so we have this connection that is hard to explain. I believe Marty is going to have us be more detailed from the goalie crease outward instead of all the focus on offense and making defense secondary.”
For the K-Wings to be successful and make a run in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, Gorsuch feels the team needs to hit the ice swinging.
With the season quickly approaching, Gorsuch kept busy this summer preparing for the season while also helping the goaltenders of the future.
“This summer I’ve been working hard to get to the right level of fitness so that I can continue my solid play as I did the final stretch of last season,” Gorsuch said. “ I have also started my own goalie coaching business that has been a lot of fun.”
The K-Wings also signed defenseman Joe Masonius and forward Brandon Saigeon.
Masonius, 25, comes to the K-Wings after splitting his time between the Adirondack Thunder and Fort Wayne Komets last season. Masonius also played three games with the Utica Comet of the AHL.
The Spring Lake, NJ native laced up for 62 games last season, scoring six goals and adding 22 assists.
“Last season, Joe took a big step forward as an ECHL All-Star defenseman,” said Joel Martin in a press release. “He adds offensive ability to our back end, along with a tough and physical style of play that makes it hard on opposing teams.
Masonius played college hockey for the University of Connecticut, where he had ten goals and 40 assists in 96 games.
“My first time in Kalamazoo, I remember being really excited to witness this environment and hockey culture,” Masonius said. “I can tell it’s a great hometown community and that’s the type of people, and environment, I want to win for.”
Saigeon, hails from Grimsby, Ontario, will be entering his third season as a professional this year. In 49 games with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL last season, Saigeon scored seven goals and added 14 assists.
“Brandon fills a vital role at the Center position, and he’s highly motivated to prove he can be a consistent top player in this league and beyond,” said Martin.
Saigeon, 24, spent five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, where he won a championship with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2018. Saigeon also played for the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL during the 2019-20 season where he scored eight goals and netted 10 assists in 51 games.
“I’m really excited about coming to Kalamazoo, and I’m very impressed with the entire organization,” Saigeon said. “I really enjoyed playing road trips here in the past with the passionate fans, and I’m looking forward to helping the team in any way that I can.”
The K-Wings open their 48th season on October 22 at Wings Event Center as they host the Indy Fuel.
By: Mark C. McGlothlen
