CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays have acquired forward Tobias Kircher and a conditional draft pick from the Aston Rebels in exchange for forward Ryan Cusin, the team announced Saturday.
Kircher, 19, played seven games with the Rebels, recording one goal and two assists for three points with four penalty minutes and a -1 rating. The Mannheim, Germany, native played with Heilbronner Falken in the DEL2 during the 2014-15 season, recording four goals and three assists for seven points with 14 penalty minutes through 46 games. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound forward also played six games with Team Germany U18 in the 2013-14 World Junior Championships, recording four assists with two penalty minutes and a +1 rating. Kircher also played parts of three seasons with Jungadler Mannheim U18 in the Deutsche Nachwuchs Liga (DNL), recording 21 goals and 47 assists for 68 points with 28 penalty minutes and a +1 rating through 72 games. He helped to win the DNL for Jungadler Mannheim for four-straight seasons from 2012 through 2015 and was listed on the Anaheim Ducks Draft Prospects List in 2015.
Cusin, 20, played 10 games with the IceRays this season, recording two goals and three assists for five points with 16 penalty minutes and a -2 rating. The Westland, Mich., native played 68 games over his IceRays career over the past two seasons, recording 18 goals and 34 assists for 52 points with 92 penalty minutes and a -16 rating. Cusin finishes ninth on the IceRays franchise list in career assists and 10th in career points. The 5-foot-7, 178-pound forward recorded 16 goals and 31 assists for 47 points with 76 penalty minutes and a -14 rating during the 2014-15 season, finishing the season ranked seventh in team history for single-season points, eighth in single-season assists, and ninth in single-season goals. He also is the all-time IceRays leader in shootout-deciding goals with three.
“The move is something that we felt was both in the best interest of the team as well as Ryan’s hockey career,” said IceRays head coach John Becanic.
The IceRays head on the road on Friday, October 16 at 7:05 p.m. to continue their season series against the Amarillo Bulls in their first trip of the year to the Amarillo Civic Center. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM) and FASTHockey.com. Contact the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK or go to www.goicerays.com for details on season tickets along with pricing and seating. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Vine (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).
