The Idaho Steelheads have announced that they have signed defenseman Mike Vorlicky for the 2024-25 ECHL season.
Collegiate Career
Mike Vorlicky started his collegiate career in the 2019-20 season playing Division I hockey at the University of Wisconsin. In his five seasons at Wisconsin, Vorlicky only played in four of the seasons as he missed the 2021-22 season due to having a lower-body injury. Vorlicky played in a total of 125 games with Wisconsin where he had four goals and 17 assists for 21 points. He had 89 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +10. In the 2020-21 season, Vorlicky and the University of Wisconsin were the NCAA B1G Regular Season Champions. Vorlicky captained the team in the 2023-24 season, his fifth and final season at the collegiate level.
Vorlicky finished his collegiate career with 130 blocks and 84 shots, averaging 1.04 blocks and .67 shots per game. Vorlicky should be a nice addition to the Steelheads adding more size to their roster, standing at 6’1″. Vorlicky is able to read the puck really well, and is not afraid to hold onto the puck a little longer than some players do in order to make a play or score a goal. He is also able to read his teammates and the ice really well to get his teammates on a breakaway, or to find the perfect deflection to get the puck in the back of the net. Vorlicky’s love for the game and hard work on the ice has allowed him to find a lot of success on the ice in previous seasons. He should continue to find success on the ice with the Steelheads as long as he continues to love the game and work hard, both on and off the ice. The 2024-25 season will be Vorlicky’s rookie season and first season playing professionally.