Pack Add two to Roster
Mar 8, 2018
(Photo of Brenden Kotyk courtesy of Greenville Swamp Rabbits)
Wolf Pack general manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has recalled defenseman Brenden Kotyk from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, and has signed goaltender Jeff Jakaitis to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement.
Kotyk, a 6-6, 240-pound rookie out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, has skated in 51 games with Greenville this season and has scored seven goals and added ten assists for 17 points, while serving 41 minutes in penalties. The 26-year-old Regina, Saskatchewan native is second among Swamp Rabbit defensemen in goals, and is tied for fifth on the team in penalty minutes.
Last season, Kotyk helped lead UMD to an NCHC championship, and all the way to the NCAA Frozen Four championship game, in which they fell 3-2 to Denver University. In 41 games, Kotyk notched three goals and ten assists for 13 points and had 57 penalty minutes. He also was a +20 on the year. In three seasons with the Bulldogs, Kotyk suited up for 97 career games, totaling seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points, along with 85 PIM and a +25. Prior to transferring to UMD, he played one season with Division III St. Scholastica College.
Kotyk, 26, signed an AHL contract with the Wolf Pack June 8, 2017.
Jakaitis, an 11th-year pro out of Lake Superior State University, has played 23 games this year for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, and has compiled a 15-6-2 record with a 2.17 goals-against average, which is fifth-best in the league, a 92.0% save percentage and two shutouts.
The 34-year-old Rochester, MN native spent the previous two seasons with Lorenskog in Norway, where he posted a 1.98 goals-against average and a 92.0% save percentage in 45 games in 2016-17. Those numbers placed him second in the league in GAA and fourth in save percentage.
Jakaitis, 5-10 and 165 pounds, has seen action in 11 AHL games during his career, with the Portland Pirates, Worcester Sharks and Providence Bruins, going 5-4-1 with a 3.43 goals-against average and an 89.6% save percentage. In the ECHL, he has logged 226 total games, with the Columbia Inferno, Charlotte Checkers, Gwinnett Gladiators and the Stingrays. Jakaitis’ career ECHL stats include a record of 125-67-26, a 2.36 GAA, a 92.1% save percentage and 25 shutouts, and he has been named the league’s Goaltender of the Year three times, in 2011-12 with Gwinnett, and 2013-14 and 2014-15 with South Carolina. Jakaitis also earned ECHL MVP honors in 2014-15, after going 26-8-2, with a 1.96 GAA, a 92.4% save percentage and seven shutouts, and helping to lead the Stingrays to the ECHL finals.
Prior to turning pro, Jakaitis spent three seasons at Lake Superior State, amassing a 35-48-14 mark in 100 career games, with a 2.44 goals-against average, a 92.3% save percentage and seven shutouts.
The Wolf Pack’s next action is a back-to-back set in Charlotte against the Checkers, starting with a 7:15 PM faceoff at Bojangles’ Coliseum on Friday. All of the action can be heard live on News Radio 1410 WPOP, and on-line at www.newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.
The next Wolf Pack home game is next Friday, March 16th, a 7:15 PM contest vs. the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. As at all Friday-night Wolf Pack home games, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by Dave & Buster’s.
Tickets for all 2017-18 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.
Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2017-18 AHL campaign can be found on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com. To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.