Sam Ftorek (born November 30, 1974) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman, who last played with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL. He is the son of former NHL player and coach Robbie Ftorek.[1]

Sam Ftorek
Born (1974-11-30) November 30, 1974 (age 49)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Right
Played for AHL
Manchester Monarchs
ECHL
Augusta Lynx
Mobile Mysticks
Greensboro Generals
Gwinnett Gladiators
Fresno Falcons
Cincinnati Cyclones
Kalamazoo Wings
Norfolk Admirals
NLA
Kloten Flyers
BISL
Bracknell Bees
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1998–2015
2017—2018

He played with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL from 2009 to 2015.[2] On June 18, 2015, Ftorek announced his retirement from professional hockey after 17 seasons and was announced as an assistant coach with the Kalamazoo Wings.[3]

On April 29, 2016, after one season as an assistant coach in Kalamazoo, he was named the first head coach of the Southern Professional Hockey League's Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs.[4]

In December 2017, Ftorek was elected to the ECHL Hall of Fame.[5] 11 days later, on December 18, 2017, Ftorek was relieved of his coaching duties in Roanoke, in favor of Dan Bremner. Over 74 games in the Rail Yard Dawgs' two seasons, Ftorek's team finished with a record of 22–41–11. [6] He would return to the Norfolk Admirals as a player for 22 games, before retiring again at the end of the '17-'18 season. [7]

Awards and honors

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Award Year
All-ECHL First Team 2013–14 [8]
ECHL Hall of Fame 2018 [9]

References

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  1. ^ "Ftorek named first head coach in Rail Yard Dawgs history | SPHL Southern Professional Hockey League". www.thesphl.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016.
  2. ^ "Sam Ftorek player profile". ECHL. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ "Sam Ftorek named Kalamazoo assistant coach". MLive.com. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "Ftorek Named First Head Coach In Rail Yard Dawgs History". Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs. April 29, 2016.
  5. ^ Walls, Dave (December 7, 2017). "Rail Yard Dawgs coach Sam Ftorek named to ECHL Hall of Fame". WSET. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Walls, Dave (December 18, 2017). "Ftorek relieved of Rail Yard Dawgs coaching duties". WSET. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  7. ^ "Sam Ftorek Returns from Retirement, Joins Admirals". www.norfolkadmirals.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  8. ^ The ECHL – Premier 'AA' Hockey League | All-ECHL First Team announced
  9. ^ "11th Class Officially Joins ECHL Hall of Fame". ECHL. January 19, 2018.
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