Fort Wayne, IN-- The Komets announced today that they have signed forward Tyler Busch. Forward Matthew Barnaby has agreed to a tryout and defenseman Nick Boka has signed a contract with the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Boka’s ECHL rights have also been traded to Cincinnati for cash considerations.. The 70th anniversary season of Komet hockey will begin at home Saturday, October 23rd, against the Wheeling Nailers at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
Busch, 25, played last season in Sweden with Tranås AIF, scoring four goals in 17 games. Before heading to Europe, the 6’3 forward played four years at Arizona State University, appearing in 131 games amassing 249 minutes in penalties. Busch also served as captain for the Sun Devils in his final two seasons. The left hander had signed with Cincinnati for the upcoming season, but was released by the Cyclones.
Barnaby, 23, played the majority of last season with Huntsville of the SPHL. The 6’2 forward scored 13 goals, coupled with 12 assists with the Havoc. Barnaby also played three games with Greenville last season, posting one assist. The Buffalo, New York native is the son of former NHLer Matthew Barnaby, who played 14 seasons in the NHL, registering 2,562 penalty minutes.
Boka, 23, compiled 122 penalty minutes in 44 games with the Komets last season. He also scored four goals, while adding 14 assists.