SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket men's hockey program has announced that seniors MacGregor Sinclair (Irma, Alberta/Irma School) and John Stampohar (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids Senior) have signed contracts with the Kansas City Mavericks of the ECHL.
 
Sinclair and Stampohar have been linked for years. Both players started their college hockey careers at NCAA Division I Canisius before transferring to UW-Superior in 2021. After two years with the Yellowjackets, the two will begin their professional careers with the ECHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League.
 
They join former Yellowjackets Jordan Martin (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) and Artur Terchiyev (Kiev, Ukraine/Everest Academy), who both have played extensively in the ECHL in 2022-23, after completing their Yellowjacket careers.
 
"It was such a strange set of circumstances when both of these guys came in. Coming off the pandemic, neither of them played the season before, so in a way we didn't know what we were getting when they came from Canisius," Yellowjacket head coach Rich McKenna said. "But these two came in, put in a lot of hard work and became the players we knew they could be at this level. And by doing that, they put themselves in position to have a great opportunity to play pro hockey."
 
A native of Irma, Alberta, Sinclair had an injury-riddled first season with the Yellowjackets, appearing in just 18 games and scoring one goal to go along with nine assists. He turned that around in 2022-23, appearing in all 29 games for the Yellowjackets and leading the team with 12 goals, including a team-high six on the power play. In 50 games with the Yellowjackets, Sinclair scored 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. He also captained the Yellowjackets during his senior season.
 
"MacGregor never really got on track last season, but he stayed in Superior this off-season and spent a lot of time on the ice and in the weight room and it really paid dividends for him," McKenna said. "He got healthier and stronger and put together a great year for us. He was our most consistent forward, and as the captain he was a guy I leaned on a lot. With his offense, and his skills in the face-off circle, he has the chance to carve out a nice career in the pro game."
 
Stampohar, a native of Grand Rapids, Minn., didn't miss a game in his two seasons at UW-Superior. Appearing in 58 games, the big defenseman scored two goals and 14 assists for 16 points. A steady defender, Stampohar broke out during his second season with the Yellowjackets, and his plus-11 rating was tops on the team.
 
"I think last year was a year where John was just trying to find his game again, and this year he came back and was a beast on the ice," McKenna said. "This season he looked more like the guy we saw playing back in junior. He really gained his footing this year and was our most consistent defenseman all season long. He's a right shot, a good skater, and has good size, and those are all things that a lot of pro coaches are always looking for."