The Atlanta Gladiators announced today that they have acquired defenseman Jake Willets and forward Carson Denomie in exchange for defenseman Jacob Graves.
Jacob Graves will join Toledo after appearing in 45 games this year with Atlanta, where he scored one goal, provided 10 assists, and accrued 118 penalty minutes. Since starting his pro career in 2016, Graves has appeared in 314 career ECHL games with ten goals, 57 assists, and 611 penalty minutes. He has also collected another eight points (4G, 4A) in 42 career AHL contests. During the current season with the Atlanta Gladiators, he held the position of Team Captain.
Jake Willets made his professional debut with the Toledo Walleye this past March. He has played in 39 games for the Walleye this year, scoring two goals, providing seven assists, and accumulating 44 penalty minutes. Willets had made a strong start by scoring goals in his first two professional games, with his first goal on March 24 against Reading. He participated in ten games for the Walleye, earning four points (2 goals, 2 assists).
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Before his professional career, Willets contributed to four seasons of college hockey, spending two seasons with Ferris State University in Big Rapids before transitioning to Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie for his final two years. Willets notably contributed 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) to the Lakers’ performance in the 2022-2023 season.
Across 120 games played at both institutions during his collegiate journey, Willets amassed a total of 54 points (15 goals, 39 assists) and accumulated 89 penalty minutes. Of significance is Willets’ accolade as a member of the WCHA All-Rookie team for his exceptional performance with Ferris State University (2019-2020).
Carson Denomie has earned five assists with 12 penalty minutes across 18 games for the Toledo Walleye. Before joining the Walleye, Denomie played for the Iowa Heartlanders, contributing to 52 games and earning 20 points (5 goals and 15 assists) during the 2022-23 season. He had previously spent ten games in Orlando where he tallied a pair of assists, and spent another six games with Jacksonville.
Throughout the 2021-2022 season in Tulsa, Denomie achieved 13 goals and 24 assists in 63 games for the Oilers. In the playoffs, he equaled the team’s record with four game-winning goals in four games and stood out among the top Oilers rookies with seven power-play assists.
Before making his professional debut with Tulsa in October 2021, Carson Denomie took part in 222 games in the Western Hockey League, scoring 49 goals and providing 60 assists for a total of 109 points. An important milestone took place during the 2019-20 season, where he set personal bests in goals (21), assists (29), and total points (50) while representing Moose Jaw and Regina.
The Atlanta Gladiators are set to face off against the Savannah Ghost Pirates at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, March 13th, at Enmarket Arena.
