The Indy Fuel have signed 11 players for the 2023-24 ECHL season. Seven players are returning, and four are new to the team. The returning players include forwards Matus Spodniak, Darby Llewellyn, Andrew Bellant, Chase Lang, and Luc Brown, and defensemen Trevor Zins and Chris Cameron. The new players are forwards Samuel Ruffin and Jordan Martin and defensemen Luke McInnis and Santino Centorame.
Forwards
Returning forward, Matus Spodniak and Darby Llewellyn. The 2022-23 season was Spodniak’s first in the ECHL, where he picked up a goal in his first career game and finished the season with four games for the Fuel. It was also Darby Llewellyn’s first season with the Fuel as he heads into next season with five seasons of experience in the ECHL under his belt, where he’s spent time with the Atlanta Gladiators, Rapid City Rush, Tulsa Oilers, Kalamazoo Wings, and now the Indy Fuel. In 216 games, he’s put up 32 goals and 45 assists for 77 points.
Andrew Bellant has played for the Fuel for the past two seasons. In 2021-22, Bellant recorded a goal and two assists for three points in 13 games with Indy. The following season, he secured 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points in 64 games.
Chase Lang will be entering his eighth season in the ECHL. In 2016-17, with the Quad City Mallards, who are no longer a team, Lang put up four goals and two assists for six points in 12 games. With the Rapid City Rush in 2017-18, he recorded four goals and six assists for ten points in 18 games. The following season, with the Allen Americans, Chase obtained three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 51 games. In the 2019-20 ECHL season with the Jacksonville Icemen, Lang put up 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 total points in 57 games. He didn’t play in 2020-21, but in 2021-22, Lang recorded 17 goals and 11 assists for 28 points in just 43 games with the Norfolk Admirals. For the most recent ECHL season, in 2022-23, Chase secured nine goals and 11 assists for an even 20 points in 45 games with the Indy Fuel.
“Indy is a top notch organization with a great fan base. Looking forward to building off of last years playoffs and doing something special with a great group of guys and an awesome coaching staff. Ready to get things started in October!”
– Chase Lang
Luc Brown has played in the ECHL since the 2020-21 season. He first played for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, where he recorded two goals and an assist for three points in seven games. With the Idaho Steelheads in 2021-22, he put up 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in 57 games. The same season, with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Luc obtained one goal and six assists for seven points in 14 games. In 2022-23, Luc Brown secured 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points in 46 games.
24-year-old forward Samuel Ruffin will play his first-ever season in the ECHL in the upcoming 2023-24 season with the Indy Fuel. Jordan Martin has played a total of 13 games in the league as a loan with the Toledo Walleye and Iowa Heartlanders and recorded three points.
Defensemen
Trevor Zins only played six games in the ECHL and one assist after spending his last two seasons at the University of St. Thomas, where he put up four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 69 games. That was with the Fuel last season. Chris Cameron, a returning defenseman, has played his entire ECHL career with Indy. In 2021-22, Cameron obtained two goals and four assists for six points in 37 games with the Fuel. The following year, he scored five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 66 games.
Luke McInnis is one of the new defensemen for Indy. McInnis has played with the Orlando Solar Bears his whole time in the East Coast Hockey League. In his first season with Orlando, in 2020-21, he recorded a goal and three assists for four points in 46 games. The following year, in the 2021-22 ECHL season, Luke McInnis secured eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points in 64 games. In 2022-23, Luke only put up one goal but a whopping 24 assists for 25 points in 45 games with the Solar Bears. For a defenseman, McInnis is someone who can rack up points.
Lastly, Santino Centorame has only played one season in the league, and that was with the Trois-Rivieres Lions in the 2022-23 season. Centorame recorded three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 39 games.
