On Thursday July 23rd, the Fort Wayne Komets announced the signings of forward Luke Boka and his brother, defensemen Nick Boka, for the 2020-21 season.
Luke, the younger of the brothers, is coming off a five-year tenure in major junior where he spent five seasons with the Windsor Spitfires. Playing in the OHL, he spent the last two serving as team captain. He also set a franchise record for most games played at 313. During that span, he recorded 60 goals and 80 assists for 140 points. While adding on 183 penalty minutes, Boka won the Memorial Cup in just second season in 2017.
Komets Coach Ben Boudreau said in a statement about Luke’s addition, “Luke will be an exciting addition to our locker room, he adds to our team of champions and leaders. His defensive style of hockey will play a vital role within this organization. Luke is fearless when it comes to blocking shots and doesn’t mind going into the hard areas of the ice and he finds a way to contribute with a lethal shot in and around the net.”
The older Boka Brother, Nick, is now set to play his second full season of pro (third overall) after spending time with the Allen Americans for a total of 33 games. In that time, the defensemen scored one goal and 11 assists for a total of 12 points. He also added 44 penalty minutes.
Nick, unlike his brother, opted to play college hockey at the University of Michigan Wolverines. While at University of Michigan, he played 144 games while amassing six goals and 30 points. He also added 169 penalty minutes. Boka helped his team win the Big Ten Conference Championship in 2015/16 and made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament which included a 2018 Frozen Four bid.
Komets Coach Ben Boudreau said in a statement about the signing of Nick, “Nick is an excellent addition to our defence corps. He is a smooth skating defensemen that can move the puck. He has a nasty edge to his game that the Komets fans have come to love and he brings a lot of leadership and experience playing at the top level in the country. We believe he will be a perfect fit in a Komet uniform.”
The Plymouth, Michigan natives join an illustrious list of brothers who have laced it up for the orange and black. They now join Bryant and Dustin Molle 2011-2012, Bobby and Danny Stewart 2003-2004, Perry and Paul Pooley 1986-1987, Steve and Mark Salvucci 1985-1986, Edgar and Ken Blondin 1955-1956 and Mike and Neil Buchanan 1952-1953, becoming the seventh set of brothers to play together as members of the Komets.
With the Boka’s signings, the Komets roster now swells to 17 players which includes 10 forwards, six defensemen and one goaltender. The K’s hope to start the season on October 16th when they oppose the Indy Fuel.