Jamie Schaafsma Not Returning To Fort Wayne

Jamie Schaafsma will not be returning to the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL, the team he has captained the past four years.

Schaafsma, a Blenheim product, who has played for Fort Wayne for the past four seasons, also serving as an assistant coach, released the following statement on social media.

I’m saddened to say my family & I are not returning to Fort Wayne next year. I would like to thank all of my teammates, the fans, the Komets staff, the media, & all the great people we met in the community that made our time in Fort Wayne so special. My apologies to anyone we did not get a chance to formally say goodbye to before leaving. To all my teammates, thank you for making my days at the rink so memorable and enjoyable. We never seemed to achieve our ultimate goal, but I don’t look back with regret, for I know how hard we worked & how difficult it is to win a Kelly Cup. Regretfully, with the new coach putting his own stamp on things, I will not be playing nor coaching, as they have decided to go in a different direction. Nevertheless, it was a great 4 years, & I will always look back amorously on my time as captain with the Fort Wayne Komets. Thank you Fort Wayne, we will miss you!

The 36-year-old is a 15 year pro hockey veteran having won an eCHL Kelly Cup title, CHL championships, and Dutch and Italian titles.

Last season he had 14 goals and 31 points in 67 games.