MACON, GA- The Macon Mayhem and Director of Hockey Operations Leo Thomas announced on Thursday that the team has re-signed forward Kevin Irwin and defenseman Jarrett Kup.

Irwin, 25, came to the Mayhem for a 17-game stint between the regular and post-season at the end of last year. He collected two goals and two assists in 11 regular season games, but he exploded in the playoffs for four goals and three assists in just six games.

“Kevin is a skilled forward who really showed his talent in the playoffs last season,” said Thomas. He really took off once he got acclimated with the guys and our system, and I’m excited to build off of that. I think he has a ton of potential, so we’re glad to have him back in the mix with our deep forward group.”

A native of Akron, Ohio, Irwin played three seasons collegiately at the University of Vermont before turning pro, tallying nine goals, 19 assists and 28 points in 71 games. The 5-11, 185-pound forward also played 202 games in the United States Hockey League (USHL), the United States’ premier junior hockey league, where he had 60 goals, 41 assists and 101 points.

“I’m excited to get back to Macon and build off the time I had there last year,” said Irwin. “With the core we’re bringing back, we’re going to have a great group in the locker room and have a really good team.”

Kup, 25, also had a short stint in Macon last season, playing eight games after finishing his collegiate hockey career at Curry College. The Rosseau, Ontario native recorded four assists before being placed on team suspension, allowing him to return to school.

“Jarrett is a very smart player, and if he didn’t have to go back to school last year, he might have been a big piece on our playoff roster,” Thomas noted. “He’s a very good skater and has a high hockey IQ. He’s going to get a chance to work with a really good defenseman in [assistant coach] Ryan Michel, and I think that’s really going to help him take his game to the next level.”

Standing at 6-0, 185-pounds, the puck-moving defenseman spent four years at Curry College, tallying 16 goals, 33 assists and 49 points in 90 games. Kup also spent time in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) and Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL).

“I’m really looking forward to getting back down to Macon. It’s something that has been on my mind since I went back to school. It’s a really nice town and the fans were great,” Kup explained.

“It’s going to be a little different with Leo as the head coach, but I dealt a lot with him as the defensive coach last year. He always has a lot of good things to say, and the guys in the room really respect him. I’m excited to get to work.”

Season and group ticket packages for the 2018-19 season are on sale now through the Mayhem Front Office. For information on the upcoming season and 2018-19 tickets, visit MaconMayhem.com or call the Mayhem Front Office at (478) 803-1592.

ABOUT THE MACON MAYHEM:

The Macon Mayhem is a proud member of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). The team won the 2016-2017 President’s Cup Championship, bringing the city of Macon their first professional hockey championship ever and the city’s first professional sports championship since 1962, and also won the William B. Coffey Trophy for the best record in the regular season record in 2016-2017. The team is owned by Bob and Diane Kerzner and managed by General Manager Blair Floyd and Director of Hockey Operations/Head Coach Leo Thomas. For more information on the Macon Mayhem, visit www.MaconMayhem.com, or follow the team on Twitter (www.twitter.com/MaconMayhem), Instagram (www.instagram.com/maconmayhem), or ‘like’ the Mayhem on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MaconMayhemHockey)