BOISE, ID – The Idaho Steelheads (@Steelheads), proud ECHL (@ECHL) affiliate of the Dallas Stars (@DallasStars), and Steelheads Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations Everett Sheen announced today that the club has re-signed forward Willie Knierim to an ECHL contract for the 2023-24 season.
Knierim, 25, enters his second professional season, second with Idaho, after tallying 29 points (17G, 12A) in 53 games last season along with 11 points (5G, 6A) in 20 Kelly Cup Playoff games including the game winning goal in Round One, Game Three on Apr. 26 at Utah. His 17 goals tied for sixth amongst Idaho skaters.
The 6-foot-4, 225lb forward signed his first professional contract with Idaho on Jan. 16, 2022 and would end the season tallying seven points (3G, 4A) in 16 games. The Skokie, IL native began his collegiate career at Miami Univ. (Ohio) where he played two seasons from 2016-18 registering nine points (4G, 5A) in 49 games. He then returned to junior hockey for the 2018-19 campaign playing for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League (USHL) notching 47 points (18G, 29A) in 60 games along with 140 penalty minutes while serving as an Assistant Captain. From there he went back to college hockey joining the Arizona State University Sun Devils for three seasons from 2019-22 where he accumulated 35 points (20G, 15A) in 69 games.
The Idaho Steelheads open the 2023-24 season in Boise at the Idaho Central Arena on October 20th vs. the Allen Americans. Call the Steelheads Front Office at 208-383-0080 for ticket packages for the upcoming season. Stay up to date with all things Steelheads on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram throughout the summer.
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