Andy Willis – Fort Wayne Comets (ECHL)
Per: Justin A. Cohn; The Journal Gazette
Komets rookie Andy Willis goes from club hockey to Division I to ECHL in less than a year
It didn’t take long for Andy Willis, a rookie fresh out of college hockey, to make a good early impression with the Komets. Less than 13 minutes into his professional career – and already skating with the Fort Wayne power-play unit – he got the puck in open space March 17, stick-handled through two defenders, drew a slashing penalty on the Kalamazoo Wings’ Darby Llewellyn, earned another power play and even got off a decent shot in a 5-3 win.
Willis has now played three games for the Komets and, though he hasn’t tallied a point, shown he could be a valuable offensive addition as the playoff near. He skated during this week’s practices on a line with team captain Anthony Petruzzelli and Matt Alvaro.
Just a year ago, Willis wasn’t even sure he’d make the roster of his college team – Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri – so a professional hockey career wasn’t a part of the plan. Now he’d like a long one.
“The jump to the pros has been good,” said the 25-year-old forward, who is 6 feet tall, 185 pounds. “Obviously, coming from college, the guys here are bigger, the guys are stronger. But I’ve felt comfortable. I feel like, as time goes on and I get a few more games under my belt, I’ll be able to adapt to the size and speed of the older, bigger guys.”
Willis, who hails from Ballwin, Missouri, played junior hockey in the North American Hockey League, where he won a championship, then began his college career at the NCAA Division III level with St. Thomas (Minnesota) in 2019.
“I went there for a semester and it wasn’t really the right fit for me. So, I was going to transfer somewhere. I came home for that Christmas break and realized I just wanted to stay at home and go to Lindenwood,” said Willis, who lived only about 25 minutes from campus and joined the club hockey team. “Obviously, being on their club team, playing pro hockey wasn’t even a thought for me at that point. I was just going to finish up my (marketing) degree and go get a job.”
Toward the end of Willis’ sophomore season, in 2020-21, Lindenwood hatched plans to field an NCAA Division I hockey team that would begin play in 2022-23, and that changed Willis’ mindset. Willis had a year to get his game to a level it hadn’t been before and prove to the club team’s coach, Rick Zombo, who played 652 NHL games (mostly with the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings) and was going to stay on for the transition, that he was good enough to make the jump to Division I for his senior season.
“I figured I was going to have one year to play Division I hockey if I started working at it again and getting back into it more,” Willis said. “It really did change the course of my career. Obviously, my first goal was to stay on the team when it did carry over to Division I. When that happened, I realized that I could have one good year and end up signing a professional contract. I just wanted to put myself in the best spot I could. It really did change the course of my career because when I got to Lindenwood, there wasn’t even a single thought that I could end up playing pro.”
Willis was one of four club players asked to stay on for Division I hockey – he had eight goals and 23 points in 26 games as the team went 7-22-1 this season – after he’d totaled 32 goals and 74 points in 54 club games in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Willis is the first Lindenwood Division I player to sign a pro hockey contract.
The Komets (30-24-6), who have 12 games left in the regular season, begin a three-game set with the Rapid City Rush (29-30-1) 8 p.m. today at Memorial Coliseum and should have forward Mark Rassell and goalie Ryan Fanti back, after they were reassigned to Fort Wayne by Bakersfield of the American Hockey League on Thursday.
“(Willis’) game sense, he can see the game well – where players are going to be, how guys move positionally,” Komets coach Ben Boudreau said. “I think he’s able to read the game and when you combine that with vision and skill, and the ability to make passes when you have good hockey sense, it can make for a lethal offensive weapon. I think he’s made a lot of plays in the first three games, I just don’t think he’s gotten rewarded for his opportunities.
“The one thing we’re asking him to do is play a little bit heavier for somebody of his stature. That’s why we have him with Petey and Alvaro in practice this week, just to have him with a couple of former NCAA guys, who are similar in size, so he can see how they play at the professional level because they can make a good impression and rub off on him.”
To clinch a playoff spot this weekend, the Komets need to gain at least five points and the Wheeling Nailers to lose three times.
“Obviously, the playoffs are coming up, and we’re sitting in fourth place in the division right now,” Willis said. “We’re just trying to dial in our systems a bit and focus on what we need to do to sharpen up and be prepared for the playoffs.”
The Komets are still absent some offensive stars – Tye Felhaber is in the AHL with Milwaukee and Stefano Giliati is injured – so Willis should continue to get opportunities to produce his first pro point.
“I’m a skilled forward and like to make plays,” Willis said. “Obviously, I like being on the power play and … I want to produce and be able to provide offense for the team.”