Former Indiana Ice goaltender added to Fuel roster

(Photos courtesy of Minnesota State Athletics, Pensacola Ice Flyers)

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indy Fuel, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and the AHL's Rockford IceHogs, announced Wednesday that they have signed goaltender Jason Pawloski and defenseman Louis Bélisle to ECHL contracts for the 2018-19 season.

Pawloski, 22, inks his first professional contract after three seasons with Minnesota State University, Mankato. The 6-foot, 180-pound netminder appeared in 11 games as a junior in 2017-18, posting a 6-3-0 record along with a 2.57 goals against average, an .895 save percentage and two shutouts. The three-year letterwinner and two-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Week leaves the Mavericks with a 22-10-7 mark in 45 career games, alongside a 2.12 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and five shutouts.

Prior to his time at school, Pawloski spent two years in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Green Bay Gamblers and the Indiana Ice, helping the Ice to the 2014 Clark Cup in their final year of competition. During the 2013-14 season with Indiana, the native of Omaha, Neb. posted a 25-8-4 record, finishing second in the USHL in wins while leading all netminders with a 1.80 goals against average in the postseason.

Bélisle, 27, returns to North America after skating in France with Nice in 2017-18. The 5-foot-9, 176-pound blueliner led the Les Aigles defensemen with 32 points in 44 games, his 23 assists ranking first on the team roster. Entering his fifth year as a professional, Bélisle split three seasons from 2014-2017 between the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) and the ECHL, most recently spending a four-game stint with the Florida Everblades at the end of the 2016-17 campaign.

The native of L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec tallied two goals and an assist in 24 total ECHL contests spent with Florida, Fort Wayne, Wheeling and South Carolina. A near point-per-game player in the SPHL, Bélisle posted 46 goals, 64 assists and 123 penalty minutes in 138 games with the Pensacola Ice Flyers and Columbus Cottonmouths. The product of Middlebury College (NCAA Div. III) earned SPHL Defenseman of the Year and First Team All-Star honors in 2016-17, when he led all Ice Flyers and finished fifth among all league players with 50 points (18g, 32a) in 52 contests.

With the two new signings, the Fuel have a total of 11 players under contract for the 2018-19 season, consisting of seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender. For a full roster, click here.

The Fuel kick off their fifth anniversary season during Opening Weekend on October 12-13! Lock up your seat for every second of the action at Indiana Farmers Coliseum with a Fuel Ticket Plan - grab yours by heading to IndyFuelHockey.com or by calling the Fuel front office at 317-925-FUEL. Don't forget to follow the Fuel on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (IndyFuel) for news, updates, contests and much more throughout the offseason.

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