WAYLON ESCHE EARNS USHL CALLUP TO YOUNGSTOWN

Utica, N.Y.— The Utica Junior Comets are proud to announce that goaltender, Waylon Esche (’05), has been called up to the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Esche becomes the first player this season with the Comets to earn a USHL roster spot.

Esche, a 2005 birth year, hails from Utica, New York. He currently leads the Jr. Comets in wins with seven while holding a .900 save percentage and 3.59 goals against average. The 17-year old, 6-foot-3, 200-pound goaltender is in his first full season of NCDC hockey. Earlier this season, Esche was named USPHL NCDC Player of the Week for October 19, 2022, when he stopped 81 of 86 shots including 41 of 43 in a 3-2 OT win on Sunday, October 16th. Esche previously played for the Jr. Comets USPHL 16U and Premier teams between 2019 and 2021.

Utica Junior Comets Head Coach, Louie Educate, is thrilled with the progress Waylon has made thus far in his rookie season, “It has been great to watch Waylon’s development the last couple of years. He has put in an immense amount of work to put himself in a position to earn this opportunity for Youngstown in the USHL,” said head coach Educate. “While in Utica this season, he has been eager to get in the net every day and continue to learn and get better; always striving for more and working to what’s next. I’m very excited to watch Waylon at the next level as he continues to develop.”

The NCDC Jr. Comets are back in action this week when they take on the PAL Junior Islanders on Friday, December 16, 17 and 18 inside the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York.