FAIRPORT, NY — The Rochester Jr. Americans are proud to tender Alaska native Florian Wade with their last tender of this year’s inaugural class.
Late on Saturday, the Jr. Amerks made a trade with the Philadelphia Rebels to acquire an additional tender, paving the way to sign Wade. It’s no secret goaltending is a critical component to a team’s success. With the tender, Wade becomes Rochester’s third goalie tender, alongside Cole O’Donnell and Ryan Hacker.
Wade has potential to be an important piece for not only this season, but for years to follow. As a 2005 birth year, he has three seasons of NAHL eligibility. It is the hope of the Jr. Amerks staff that he continues to develop as a part of our program.
During the 2021-22 season, Wade played over 30 games with the Bishop Kearney Selects program, which is located in Rochester, New York. The Selects have had plenty of recent success, in both winning and developing young players. In 2022 they won the 14U, 15O and 18U New York State Championships. In that same year, they won the 16U National Championship.
In Wade’s last full season back in 2021-22, he had a .918 save percentage with a 2.10 goals against average. He most recently played five games with the Nashville Jr. Predators before his season was cut short due to injury. He is described by the coaching staff as a hard worker and great character in the locker room.
Wade is 6’4″ and 181 lbs. You can view his full profile on Elite Prospects.
A tender is a contract, of sorts. A player signs announcing his intentions to play for that particular NAHL team and that NAHL team only. Once a player signs a tender with an NAHL team, his playing rights belong to that team within the NAHL and he may not be recruited by any other team. Tendered players are not eligible for the NAHL draft. The 2023 NAHL Draft will be this Wednesday, June 14 at 2pm ET.
The Jr. Amerks are very excited to welcome Florian and wish him congratulations!
Stay connected during the season by following the Jr. Amerks @JrAmerksNAHL on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and online at rochesterjramerks.com.
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The Rochester Jr. Americans are members of the NAHL which is the oldest and largest junior hockey league of its kind in the United States and one of only two USA Hockey-certified leagues that operate under the non pay-to-play model. The NAHL is also one of the best at advancing players to NCAA and professional hockey. All league games are viewable via HockeyTV. For more information, visit rochesterjramerks.com