BOISE, ID – The Idaho Steelheads have signed goaltender Jake Kupsky to an ECHL Standard Player Contract (SPC) for the 2021-22 season for his second stint in the Treasure Valley, marking the first goaltender announced for the upcoming season, Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Everett Sheen announced on Monday.
“I’m really looking forward to coming back and getting the season going,” Kupsky said. “Even though I was only there for a short stint during my first year, I felt the culture was bar none, which gets me more excited.”
Kupsky, 25, played 12 games between the South Carolina Stingrays and Greenville Swamp Rabbits during the 2020-21 season, posting a 3-6-2 record with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage and earning his first ECHL shutout on Feb. 3, 2021 with South Carolina against Greenville. The Waukesha, Wisc. native also spent time with the Pensacola Ice Flyers in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), tallying an 11-5-1 record with a 2.52 Goals Against Average, a .907 save percentage and one shutout en route to the SPHL Championship. This comes following owning the best Goals Agaist Average (1.84) and save percentage (.933) in the SPHL during the 2019-20 season.
The 6-foot-3 goaltender made his ECHL debut with the Steelheads on January 15, 2020 while starting in two games during that weekend, impressing with a win and a loss with four combined goals allowed while halting 58 of 62 shots (.935 save percentage) before returning to Pensacola. He later played six more games with Greenville and owned a 2.20 Goals Against Average and .915 save percentage along with a 3-1-1 record. Over parts of two seasons in the ECHL, Kupsky has a 7-8-3 record with a 2.60 Goals Against Average and .912 save percentage with one shutout.
“My first year was a great year, and I felt like I took a good step forward the second season. Less feeling things out and more just playing hockey. Last year was different for obvious reasons,” Kupsky said. “With fewer bodies in the stands at the start of the year the rinks were pretty quiet, but towards the end of the year, especially on the two playoff runs, the rinks were jamming and felt normal again.
“Last year made me much more grateful in general. I was grateful to have the opportunity to play and for how my life is. The pandemic gave me a bit of a perspective shift on how I view things, and it’s such a privilege to be doing what I love every day.”
“Jake has proven himself as a terrific goaltender over the last two seasons in this league,” Sheen said about Kupsky’s signing. “He moves well and is a big body that takes up a lot of net. His work ethic on and off the ice is unparalleled; he will come in ready to go.”
Prior to his professional career, Kupsky played four seasons at Union College from 2015-16 through 2018-19 and earned ECAC Third-Team All-Star recognition during the 2017-18 season, playing 25 games and owning his best statistical season of his collegiate career. In those four seasons, he put together a 23-22-5 record with a 2.86 Goals Against Average, a .900 save percentage with one shutout.
“The first few games back in Boise are going to be intense,” Kupsky said. “I can only imagine how loud and excited those fans are going to be, and it’s going to make it that much better for our team.”
Kupsky is the fifth Steelheads player and first goaltender announced to an ECHL contract for the 2021-22 season, joining forwards Zack Andrusiak, Will Merchant and A.J. White as well as defenseman Evan Wardley. Future announcements and signings will be announced throughout the summer, and you can follow who’s been added on the team’s Summer Signing Tracker.
The Steelheads are back for the 2021-22 season! Season tickets and flex plans are available ahead of the Home Opener on Friday, October 22nd against the Utah Grizzlies at Idaho Central Arena.
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