The Tulsa Oilers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League, announced Friday that the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League has recalled forwards Axel Blomqvist and Jimmy Lodge.
Blomqvist, 21, has skated in 25 games with the Oilers, producing 10 points (5 goals and 5 assists). The Osby, Sweden native earned a three-point game for Tulsa on February 20 against the Allen Americans.
Standing six feet and seven inches, Blomqvist, has appeared in 14 contest with the Moose–inking two penalty minutes.
Lodge, since being assigned to Tulsa has tallied eight points in 13 games (1 goal and 7 assists) and 12 penalty minutes.
The Oilers are in Cincinnati tonight to face the Cyclones and Fort Wayne tomorrow.
Tulsa’s newest player, Jiri Fronk, has been assigned to the Oilers by their American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. Jiri is a forward that can best be seen dangling the opposing team like they are nothing but mites playing their first game. If you haven’t gotten out of the house to check out this Czech, no really- he is from the Czech Republic, you need to put it on the very top of your things to do in Tulsa list. His skills are out of this world.
In a recent pre-game interview with Rebecca Lane, Yiri expressed his gratitude for having the opportunity to play in Tulsa. He admitted that it is more difficult for him to play here because in Manitoba he didn’t receive nearly as much ice time. Tulsa is challenging him in the best possible ways with hopes of developing him into a more aggressive player for when he hits the sheet of ice back up north.
Jiri has been extremely impressive in his few games here in Tulsa. He has made assists, and at the most recent home game on February 23rd, he posted his first goal in the ECHL. Jiri is fun to watch. You can tell he has a true passion for the sport. Before coming to this side of the pond, Yiri played for several teams in the Czech Republic as well as juniors team in Cedar Rapids.
You can catch both Justin Mansfield and Yiri Fronk right here in Tulsa at one of upcoming games this season. Both Justin and Jiri have become extremely important to the Oilers in the limited time that they have been here. They make the game fun and exciting to watch. While both of these players are still considered rookies, their skill levels are quite impressive. You aren’t going to want to miss catching these two players this season. We only have five regular season games at the BOK Center. March 18th and 19th, as well as another back to back set March 29th and 30th. Our fan appreciation night will be on our final game of the regular season, Saturday, April 9th. These games are the perfect events for family fun. Mark some games in your calendar and make way for an incredibly fun thing to do in Tulsa.
From Bowling Green State University comes not one, but two of Tulsa’s best players. Forward Dan DeSalvo and defenseman Connor Kucera were both signed to the Tulsa Oilers for their first full season professional contracts. DeSalvo came directly from Bowling Green to Tulsa, while Kucera detoured to the Fort Wayne Komets for the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs.
Dan DeSalvo has long been a top contender on his teams. Before starting at Bowling Green State University, DeSalvo played a single season for the Des Moines Buccaneers. He was the team leader for points and tied for the lead in assists. As a freshman at Bowling Green, he led the entire team in goals with a total of fourteen and was one of four players to have over twenty points. As a junior, DeSalvo was the highest point scorer, coming in with a whopping thirty-points. DeSalvo set a record in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for the most playoff goals at ten, something the Oilers hope to take advantage of during the playoffs this season.
By the time DeSalvo made it to his senior year, he had becoming one of Bowling Green State University’s most reliable players. He was consistently leading the team in points whether it be through a goal or an assist. He was one of the few players that played every single during his sophomore and junior years. The team recognized everything he brought to the ice and in the locker room and made him their team captain. Not only did DeSalvo win the team’s Dr. Ron Zwierlein Leadership Award, he was recognized to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic Team. One of DeSalvo’s biggest honors was the Athletic Department’s Falcon Medal of Honor which is only awarded to one male and one female student athlete that the department feels captures the qualities that are truly important for student-athlete to acquire before they graduate.
Currently, DeSalvo is representing the Tulsa Oilers jersey extremely well. He kicked off the preseason at the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate team of the St. Louis Blues, training camp. He didn’t hesitate to start adding points to his profile; his first assist was at Allen on October 17th, only one day after the Oilers season started. The next week he showed his skills with his first multipoint game of his ECHL career, two assists at Quad City. His first career goal was at Colorado on November 6th and he hasn’t slowed down since. In fact, DeSalvo has done a bit of damage since December 13th. He has been on an eighteen home game streak, terrorizing the nets through both goals and assists, so far earning a total of twenty-four points,. He has had several multi-point games, one three point game and another four point game.
Another Bowling Green State University import is Connor Kucera. Not only did Kucera play with DeSalvo at BGSU, he also played with him during their juniors season at Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League. In a single season with the Buccaneers, he scored two goals and had five assists as a defenseman.
