INDIANAPOLIS – The Indy Fuel, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks and the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs, announced that they have re-signed defenseman Braden Hellems and goaltender Gordon Defiel for the 2019-20 season.
Hellems made his professional debut with the Fuel last March after spending four years at Adrian College. In 75 career NCAA contests, the 25-year-old tallied 55 points (18g-37a).
Defiel arrived in Indianapolis last season after being acquired in a trade from the South Carolina Stingrays in late January. The 26-year-old played seven games for the Fuel, earning a 3.43 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. The third-year pro has appeared in 22 ECHL games split between the Orlando Solar Bears, South Carolina Stingrays and Fuel as well as 25 Southern Professional Hockey League games between the Pensacola Ice Flyers and Macon Mayhem.