Forwards Ian Skinner and Kyrree Hellerud Along with Goaltender Caleb Wall All Signed to Tender Agreements
The New Mexico Ice Wolves® today announced the team has signed three players to tender agreements for the 2021-2022 season in forwards Ian Skinner and Kyrree Hellerud in addition to goaltender Caleb Wall.
Skinner has spent the last season playing for the Bay State Bobcats (NA3HL) in Holyoke, MA. The forward played 37 games in the 2020-21 season scoring 11 points (two goals, nine assists). Hellerud stayed in his home country of Norway last season due to COVID-19 restrictions and played in the Norway U21 league for Manglerud U21 where in seven games he scored two points with a goal and an assist. Hellerud comes to the NM Ice Wolves with NAHL experience after playing for the South Division’s Amarillo Bulls during the 2019-2020 season for 19 games in addition to playing for North Iowa Bulls (NA3HL) and Manglerud U21. Wall comes to the team having spent his 2020-2021season with the Arizona Bobcats (NAPHL 18U) playing nine games posting a 3.08 goals against average with a .899 save percentage.
Skinner is 20 years old and a Madison, NJ native who is looking forward to finishing his junior career in Albuquerque, NM. “I’m excited to become a part of the New Mexico Ice Wolves organization and I know that the exceptional coaching staff and ownership will help me finish off my junior career on a high note. I look forward to contributing to the team’s success,” said Skinner.
NM Ice Wolves head coach Phil Fox thinks Skinner has the skills the team is looking to add to the lineup next season. “I am very excited to sign Ian to a tender as he’s been on our radar for a while after he attended our first ever pre-draft camp back in 2019,” said Fox. “His development is exactly what we wanted to see. He is smart and hard-working and will be a great 200-foot player for us.”
Hellerud hails from Ski, Norway and the 19-year-old is excited to return to America to play again in the NAHL’s tough South Division. “I’m thrilled to sign with the NM Ice Wolves and get back to work developing my game and finding success with and for the team.”
Fox praised Hellerud’s smooth skating power and strong ability to play down the middle. “I liked Kyrre two years ago when he was in Amarillo as a young player,” said Fox. “He competes hard, plays an intelligent game and can produce offensively. Kyrre is familiar with the South Division and the style of play down here. We will look for him to have an immediate impact for us.”
Wall comes to the NM Ice Wolves from his home town of Chandler, AZ and is anxious to get back to work for the team. “This is a fantastic opportunity to sign with the NM Ice Wolves and I’m looking to make the most of it and take my career to the next level,” said Wall.
Fox said he saw great improvement with Wall after he joined the NM Ice Wolves at the end of the 2020-2021 season as an emergency backup goaltender. “Caleb absolutely progressed from the time he started with us until the end of the year,” said Fox. “I really like to see that from any player that comes to skate with us. He has a chip on his shoulder and really wants to do well in this league. He is a big body goalie who moves well and makes saves.”
Skinner, Hellerud and Wall join recently tendered players Grant Ellings, Aidan Emerson, Blayde Pogreba, Brenden Coon, Jake Keller, Sullivan Scholle, JD Metz and Brayden Ring in the recruiting class for the 2021-22 season.
Players interested in being part of the NM Ice Wolves organization can visit the team’s prospective players information page here and fans looking to see the next crop of potential NM Ice Wolves players can watch the NAHL Supplemental Draft on June 2, 2021 and the NAHL Entry Draft on July 14, 2021 on HockeyTV, NM Ice Wolves social media channels and NAHLDraft.com.