Komets Open 2012-13 Training Camp

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FORT WAYNE, IN. (WANE) - The NHL may be in the midst of a lockout, but the ECHL is alive and well in Fort Wayne. The Komets took to the ice Saturday morning, officially opening training camp for the 2012-13 season. The presence of the lockout is very real though, as the labor strike in the NHL is having a trickle down effect on both the ECHL and the AHL.

Seven members of the Komets are currently in AHL training camps, including J.M. Rizk, Chris Auger and off-season acquisitions Brandon Marino and Charlie Effinger. Head coach Al Sims also added that he expects the talent pool in both leagues to be very strong early in the season, with many fringe NHLers beginning the season in the AHL, thus forcing fringe players from that league down into the ECHL ranks.

The Komets will hold their first intrasquad scrimmage tomorrow afternoon at Memorial Coliseum. The season opens October 12th when the K's host the Kalamazoo Wings.