Allen Signs Forward Orca Wiesblatt - Player Profile With Unique Family Story and More

 

 Steve Martinson has added another forward to the roster, just announcing the signing of Orca Wiesblatt. The roster now consists of 20 players, one goalie, nine defensemen, and 10  forwards. 

Goalies

• #33 Marco Costantini 

Defensemen

• #86 Andre Anania 
• #22 Anthony Costantini
• #21 Jackson Decker 
• #28 Troy Murray 
• #43 Matt Register
• #6 Braidan Simmons-Fischer 
• #44 Kevin Spinozzi 
• #2 Quinn Warmuth 
• #9 Hudson Wilson

Forwards

• #26 Spencer Asuchak
• #18 Harrison Blaisdell 
• #11 Thomas Caron
• #91 Michael Gildon
• #7 Colton Hargrove
• #76 Malik Johnson 
• #77 Brad Morrison
• #8 Carter Savoie
• #29 Brayden Watts
• #?? Orca Wiesblatt

 

PLAYER PROFILE - ORCA WIESBLATT

Orca Wiesblatt

 

Orca Wiesblatt is a 25-year-old,  5'10", 185-pound, left-shot forward from Calgary, Alberta. He played for Steve Martinson last season and tallied 42 points (17G, 25A) in 37 games. He had 37 penalty minutes and had a plus/minus of +22. 

Orca played his junior hockey in the Western Hockey League for the Calgary Hitmen. In 138 WHL games, he had 79 points (27G, 52A). In 2019-20, his last full season with Calgary, he had 57 points (20G, 37A) in 64 games. 

Wiesblatt left Calgary early in the 2020-21 season to return home and help with some family matters, and didn't play hockey again until 2023-24. In 2023-24, after just four games in the SPHL he broke his ankle and was out for the season. Last season in Athens, he broke his wrist and missed 10 weeks. The bottom line is Orca has missed a lot of hockey since 2020-21and has a lot of room to grow. Here is what Steve Martinson had to say about Wiesblatt, "Orca was a top scorer on his junior team and can play any position in the lineup. He is a top penalty killer and another punishing body checker. He never has to be reminded to go through people after they pass the puck." 

Wiesblatt has a fascinating family story that is covered in the two videos below. I highly recommend you take the time to watch both of them. He has three brothers and a sister whose names all begin with the letter "O" and are unique. As Orca explains in the video, both of his parents are deaf and would be called hippies. All four of the Wiesblatt brothers play professional hockey, and as Orca says in the video, his youngest sibling, the only girl, hates hockey after spending so much time as a youngster at the rink watching her brothers play. Here is a rundown of the four brothers' hockey careers:

• Ocean (26) - played for Athens and another FPHL team last season. Unsigned for 2025-26.
• Orca (25) - see above
• Ozzy (23) - 1st round (#31 overall) draft choice of the San Jose Sharks in 2020. He is signed with the AHL Milwaukee Admirals for 2025-26. He made his NHL debut last season, playing five games with the Nashville Predators.
• Oasiz (21) - finished his WHL junior career last year, where he was the captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers. He had 103 points (36G. 67A) in 66 games. His team lost in the finals of the Memorial Cup. He has signed a three-year deal with the Milwaukee Admirals, so he will be playing with his brother in 2025-26.
• Oceania - the youngest of the family, prefers horses. 

   

Here is an interview with Orca from last season when he was in Athens. He talks about his family, hardships, injuries, and his journey. This is a must-watch, and you will be rooting for Orca after taking the time to watch this 18-minute video:

  Here is a real tear-jerker about the Wiesblatt family from 2019, when the boys were all playing junior hockey. The dreams have come true for Kim, as all four boys have  made it to professional hockey, and Ozzy has played in the NHL. Even better, there is more to come in the future for this hockey family. 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

-  With the addition of two more players being announced today, the Americans are one of five ECHL teams that have announced 20 or more players. These numbers change quickly, but the five teams that have announced 20+ players are Fort Wayne, Worcester, Toledo, Adirondack, and Allen. Makes you wonder if these teams don't expect a lot of help from their affiliates.

 

- At the opposite end of the spectrum are four teams that have announced fewer than 10 players according to elite prospects: 

• 6 - Cincinnati
• 9 - Greensboro
• 9 - Bloomington
• 9 - Tulsa

 

- I heard the Americans are planning a fancy cocktail party at the Tower Club in downtown Dallas for all season ticket members (STMs) and sponsors. I know owner Myles Jack is a member at the Tower Club, so I expect this was his idea. The date is Friday, September 12. If you are a season ticket member (full or half season) expect to get an email with the details sometime this week.    

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is the ECHL Stats post from this morning. Putting together this list reminded me of 2022-23, when the Allen Americans had four players who averaged 1.30+ points per game:

• 1.52 - Hank Crone
• 1.36 - Jack combs
• 1.33 - Colton Hargrove
• 1.30 - Liam Finlay 

 

Six players on 2025-26 ECHL rosters have a career points per game average of 1.00 or more (minimum 50 games played):

 

1.16 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo

1.11 - Liam Finlay, Greenville

1.04 - Colton Hargrove, Allen

1.04 - Ryan Wagner, Rapid City

1.02 - Michal Stinil, Wichita

1.00 - Ty Pelton-Byce, Idaho