Forward Kyle Schempp Re-Joins to Steelheads for 2019-20 Season

BOISE, Idaho – Forward Kyle Schempp has agreed to terms with the Idaho Steelheads, returning for the 2019-20 season, Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Neil Graham announced Tuesday.

“I’m excited and looking forward to get back,” said Schempp on his agreement. “I think we have some unfinished business from last year, and it’s a big motivator going into the summer the way we ended to push past where we were last year.”

Schempp, 25, appeared in 70 games with the Steelheads in 2018-19, tallying 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points with five power play goals, two shorthanded goals and a plus-10 rating. The Saginaw, Mich. native set new career-highs in all categories while playing all but two games for the first time in his career. He also finished tied for first on the team in shorthanded points (three), third in assists and fourth in overall scoring.

In 114 career ECHL games, the 6-foot, 183-pound forward owns 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points with seven power play goals and three shorthanded goals after making his ECHL debut with the Missouri Mavericks on Nov. 4, 2016. Schempp has also played in 46 AHL games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, making his professional debut in the 2015-16 season and grabbing nine points (3g, 6a). This will be his second season in Boise after signing as a free agent on Aug. 2, 2018.

“Our fan base is huge and the area of Boise—the downtown life and, for me personally, in 15 minutes being in the foothills around wildlife for fishing and hunting—just fits my personality really well and suits well for me and my wife.

“I think [Graham] gave me a really good opportunity coming in [last year]. I kind of started a little slow and picked it up in the second half of the year. It just gives me something to build off of and improve on heading into next year, which I’m looking forward to doing.”

“Kyle Schempp plays a 200-foot game; he is accountable and leads by example on the defensive side of the puck but also wins offensive battles and is extremely dangerous around the opponent’s net,” said Graham. “As a second-year Steelhead, we see Kyle taking another step with our group and couldn’t be happier to have him back.”

Prior to his professional career, Schempp played three seasons at Ferris State University, totaling 29 goals and 37 assists for 66 points through 121 games while serving as assistant captain in 2015-16 and being named to the NCAA All-Rookie Team in 2014. He was drafted 155th overall (6th Round) by the New York Islanders in the 2014 NHL Draft.

Schempp is the third player to be announced with the Steelheads this summer, joining defenseman Jeff King and Captain A.J. White. Future announcements and signings will be announced throughout the summer.

“The core that’s coming back is a great core and are great mentors for people coming in to the way the Idaho Steelheads do things,” said Schempp. “I’m most looking forward to just getting better and working to get better as a team every day. Those days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and finally it’s building for playoffs. We want to make it farther than last year, and that’s what unfinished business comes from.

“That core group is expecting to get further.”

The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Friday, Oct. 18 for the 2019-20 Home Opener against the Wichita Thunder. Season tickets and flex plans for the 2019-20 season are now available! Call the Steelheads Front Office at 208-383-0080 to plan your seats for next season. Stay connected to the Steelheads throughout the summer on idahosteelheads.com or by following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.