Kalamazoo names Leone team captain

The Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings head into their opening weekend of play by selecting its team captains.

Leading the team and wearing the ‘C’ on his sweater will be Chris Leone. Leone, a two-year veteran of the NAHL has spent the last two seasons with the Wichita Falls Wildcats. Leone has 102 games of NAHL experience, tied for the most with Andrew Graves for the most on the roster.

After playing 51 games with the Coulee Region Chill last season, Chris Hughes has been named one of two full-time alternate captains for the Jr. K-Wings. Hughes, a natural scorer, was Michigan’s Mr. Hockey in 2010.

Joining Hughes as a full-time alternate captain is Graves. Graves has spent the last two seasons with the Motor City Metal Jackets. Last season, he was third on the team in scoring with 44 points (26 goals, 18 assists).

Along with the two full-time alternate captains, there will be one home and one away alternate captain for each game. The home game alternate captain will be Taylor Burden. Burden, a 19-year-old forward, spent time with the Traverse City North Stars after being their 12th overall draft selection in 2009.

Acting as the away game alternate captain will be Christian George. A rookie in the NAHL, George most recently played for the Chicago Fury 18U AAA Midget Major program.