2017-18 FUEL PERFORMANCE REVIEW: JACK BURTON
#6 | DEFENSEMAN | BALTIMORE, MD.
2017-18 STATS: 65 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 PTS, 67 PIMS
In March of 2017 Colby College senior Jack Burton made his professional debut when he spent his spring break on an amateur tryout contract with the Fuel. In 2017-18, the rookie was back in Indianapolis, quickly establishing himself as one of the club's most reliable stay-at-home defensemen.
Appearing in 65 games for the Fuel - more than any other first-year player on the team - Burton chipped in 11 points and 67 minutes in penalties, in addition to an assist in four Kelly Cup Playoff outings. The native of Baltimore, Md. notched his first professional point with an assist on Nov. 17 against Kalamazoo, before picking up his first-ever pro goal in Wheeling on Dec. 12. Burton provided the game-winning tally during Indy's 3-2 triumph over Quad City on Feb. 23, notching an assist the next night as well.
In addition to his on-ice exploits, the rookie quickly became a familiar face around the Indianapolis area. Burton was a fixture in the Fuel's community outreach efforts in 2017-18, earning himself Indy's nomination for the ECHL's Community Service Award. Over the course of the season, Burton visited elementary schools, shared his experiences as a pro athlete to high school classrooms, and helped put on a hockey clinic at the Boys and Girls Club of Noblesville - in addition to always taking the time to meet with Fuel fans before and after games.
"Jack continued to progress as the season went on. He got better and better every night, and got more confident with the puck - you can see that as the season progressed he was one of our mainstays on the back end, playing a lot of games and a lot of minutes." - Head Coach Bernie John
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