Sam Ftorek

Sam Ftorek (born November 30, 1974) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman, who last played with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL. He is the son of former NHL player and coach Robbie Ftorek.^[1]

Sam Ftorek
Born	(1974-11-30) November 30, 1974 (age 49) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position	Defense
Shot	Right
Played for	AHL Manchester Monarchs ECHL Augusta Lynx Mobile Mysticks Greensboro Generals Gwinnett Gladiators Fresno Falcons Cincinnati Cyclones Kalamazoo Wings Norfolk Admirals NLA Kloten Flyers BISL Bracknell Bees
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1998–2015 2017—2018

He played with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL from 2009 to 2015.^[2] On June 18, 2015, Ftorek announced his retirement from professional hockey after 17 seasons and was announced as an assistant coach with the Kalamazoo Wings.^[3]

On April 29, 2016, after one season as an assistant coach in Kalamazoo, he was named the first head coach of the Southern Professional Hockey League's Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs.^[4]

In December 2017, Ftorek was elected to the ECHL Hall of Fame.^[5] 11 days later, on December 18, 2017, Ftorek was relieved of his coaching duties in Roanoke, in favor of Dan Bremner. Over 74 games in the Rail Yard Dawgs' two seasons, Ftorek's team finished with a record of 22–41–11. ^[6] He would return to the Norfolk Admirals as a player for 22 games, before retiring again at the end of the '17-'18 season. ^[7]

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-ECHL First Team	2013–14	[8]
ECHL Hall of Fame	2018	[9]

References

1. "Ftorek named first head coach in Rail Yard Dawgs history | SPHL Southern Professional Hockey League". www.thesphl.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016.
2. "Sam Ftorek player profile". ECHL. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
3. "Sam Ftorek named Kalamazoo assistant coach". MLive.com. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
4. "Ftorek Named First Head Coach In Rail Yard Dawgs History". Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs. April 29, 2016.
5. Walls, Dave (December 7, 2017). "Rail Yard Dawgs coach Sam Ftorek named to ECHL Hall of Fame". WSET. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
6. Walls, Dave (December 18, 2017). "Ftorek relieved of Rail Yard Dawgs coaching duties". WSET. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
7. "Sam Ftorek Returns from Retirement, Joins Admirals". www.norfolkadmirals.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
8. The ECHL – Premier 'AA' Hockey League | All-ECHL First Team announced
9. "11th Class Officially Joins ECHL Hall of Fame". ECHL. January 19, 2018.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database