MARINERS ACQUIRE TWO FORWARDS, COMPLETING TRADES

PORTLAND, ME – January 31, 2023 – The Maine Mariners completed a pair of future considerations trades on Tuesday, acquiring forwards Zach Pochiro from the Allen Americans and Chase Zieky from the Wheeling Nailers. In an additional roster move, defenseman Nate Kallen has left the team to sign in Slovakia.

Pochiro, 28, is an ECHL veteran of nine seasons, playing 315 career games in the league since the end of the 2013-14 campaign. He’s played for Kalamazoo, the Alaska Aces, Quad City Mallards, Norfolk, Fort Wayne, and Allen. Along the way, Pochiro has also seen time in the American Hockey League with the Chicago Wolves and Bakersfield Condors. A St. Louis native, he was drafted in 2013 by his hometown Blues, in the fourth round, 112th overall. This season, Pochiro has 22 points (7 goals, 15 assists) in 36 games with Allen. The completed trade was originally the one that sent the rights to forward Pascal Laberge to the Kansas City Mavericks in October. In that deal, the Mariners acquired the rights to forward Bailey Conger and a future consideration (defenseman Dalton Gally), both of whom were swapped to Allen in December.

Chase Zieky joins the Mariners from the Wheeling Nailers to complete the Josh McKechney trade from November 10th, 2022.  It will be his third ECHL team this season, after starting the year with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. A 26-year-old forward from Avon, CT, Zieky made his professional debut last season for the Idaho Steelheads. He was later traded to Greenville where he finished the season, played in a playoff game, and re-signed for 2022-23. Between the Steelheads and Swamp Rabbits last season, he totaled 21 points (15 goals, 6 assists) in 44 games. On January 21st, Zieky was dealt from Greenville to Wheeling, and currently has 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) in 23 games between the two teams this season. Zieky played Division I college hockey at both Providence and RPI.