Former Minnesota State leading scorer started the season in Manchester
BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners
PORTLAND, ME – March 28, 2019 – The Mariners added a forward to the roster on Thursday, claiming Zeb Knutson off waivers from the Indy Fuel. Knutson joins his third ECHL team this season, after starting the year with the Manchester Monarchs.
Knutson is a 25-year-old native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who finished his college career last season at Minnesota State-Mankato, where he was the team’s leading scorer, with 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists) in 40 games. For his stellar season, he earned Third Team All-WCHA honors. Knutson finished his NCAA career with 88 points in 127 games. Upon finishing up at Mankato in 2017-18, he got a two-game look in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals.
The 5’11, 180-pound forward played junior hockey in his hometown for the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. In his final season of juniors (2013-14), Knutson scored 27 goals and registered 21 assists in 55 games. The prior season he had 51 points in 62 games for the Stampede, plus eight points in 10 playoff contests.
This season, in 36 games with Manchester, Knutson scored six goals to go along with six assists. He scored his first professional goal in his first game on October 13th at Brampton, Manchester’s first goal of the season. He had his first multi-goal game at the Cross Insurance Arena against the Mariners on November 24th, scoring twice. On February 22nd, Knutson was traded, along with defenseman Eric Schurhamer to Indy in exchange for forward Kevin DuFour. He had no points and four penalty minutes in seven games with the Fuel.
It’s a busy weekend for the Mariners with three games in three days – at Reading on Friday, at Adirondack on Saturday, and home against the Thunder Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM. A screening of D2: The Mighty Ducks will immediately follow the game on the video board, free for all fans who purchase tickets to the game. Tickets can be purchased at MarinersOfMaine.com or by calling the Trusted Choice Box Office at 207-775-3458.
