JANESVILLE, WI – The Janesville Jets have completed a trade with the Central Division’s Aberdeen Wings, announced Jets Head Coach Corey Leivermann Monday.
The Jets acquired ’99 forward Matt Kirwan (5-11/190) in exchange for pick in this June’s NAHL Draft.
Kirwan will wear number 20 for the Jets.
“We’re very excited to have Mr. Kirwan join the Jets,” said Leivermann. “Matthew is going to bring a high tempo pursuit of the puck, and he’s got a next-level shot. He’ll bring firepower to the Jets forward group.”
Kirwan has played 11 games with the Wings this season, his first in junior hockey, scoring a goal and adding three assists. He first cracked the lineup in November, and played in seven of eight games from December 29 to January 19.
Kirwan is from DeWitt, New York, a town near Syracuse, and developed at Avon Old Farms School for the last two seasons. There, he scored 42 points in 40 career games, garnering serious junior hockey attention. Aberdeen selected him 19th overall in last June’s draft.
Matt is one of four Kirwan siblings, all of whom have taken their hockey talents far into their young careers. Lauren (’93), the oldest, played college hockey at the University of New Hampshire. Luke (’97) is playing college in Canada at the University of Prince Edward Island after a 155-game OHL career, and Ryan (’02) plays this season for the U16 Little Caesars program with a commitment to Penn State. All three are forwards.
The Jets’ Kirwan will join the team this week for practice, and could suit up in a road blue jersey this weekend in Chippewa Falls. The Jets will look for some built success following last Saturday’s overtime win as they take on the Chippewa Steel in another edition of the rebooted Battle of Wisconsin for the Blain’s Dairyland Milk Can Trophy.
