The Toledo Walleye have signed forward Casey Dornbach to a contract for the 2024-25 season. He is coming off a career year with the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL, scoring 13 goals and 29 assists for 42 points. He is the sixth player to commit to the Walleye for the upcoming season.
Dornbach started his career with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL), scoring 32 goals and 48 assists for 80 points in 117 games.
He then moved to Harvard University of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). He would play 98 games, scoring 27 goals and 63 assists for 90 points. He then played the 2022-23 season with the University of Denver of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). There, he produced 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points in 40 games. Dornbach would then make his pro debut with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) at the end of the season, going scoreless in two games.
Last season, He would split the year between the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL and the Iowa Wild of the AHL. He would combine 14 goals and 30 assists for 44 points in 66 games. The 27-year-old Dornbach will be entering his second ECHL season.
For Toledo, Dornbach will be a middle-six player who may play most of the time on the second line. The top two lines are loaded already, but he provides secondary scoring and will come in clutch during playoff time. With his style of play, he should fit in nicely with the current roster. His offensive production should be elevated with who the Walleye have returning for the season. Dornbach could also be useful on the power-play unit.
