Brent Belecki is a former professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 goaltender

Goaltender

In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

 who played in the Western Hockey League

Western Hockey League

The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...

, East Coast Hockey League, Central Hockey League

Central Hockey League

The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....

, United Hockey League

United Hockey League

The United Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league , with teams in the United States...

, and American Hockey League

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

.

In the 1997-1998, as a junior, he won the WHL's top goaltender award and the WHL playoff Most Valuable Player award. Belecki backstopped the Portland Winter Hawks

Portland Winter Hawks

The Portland Winterhawks are a major junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League, a member league in the Canadian Hockey League. They play their home games at the Memorial Coliseum, though typically a few games each season are also played in the...

 to the CHL's highest honor, the 1998 Memorial Cup

1998 Memorial Cup

The 1998 Memorial Cup occurred May 9-17 at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington. Participating teams were the host Spokane Chiefs and the winners of the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League which were the Guelph Storm, Val-d'Or...

. However, due to his small size (5-9, 175 lbs), Belecki was never drafted by a National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 team.

As a professional, Belecki played for teams including the Miami Matadors

Miami Matadors

The Miami Matadors were an ice hockey team in the East Coast Hockey League. They played in Miami, Florida, USA at the Miami Arena for one season before folding. The Matadors franchise would resurface several years later as the Cincinnati Cyclones.-History:...

, the Huntsville Channel Cats

Huntsville Channel Cats

The Huntsville Channel Cats was a professional ice hockey team based in Huntsville, Alabama. The franchise was a member of several different leagues, the Southern Hockey League , the Central Hockey League and the South East Hockey League...

, the Asheville Smoke

Asheville Smoke

The Asheville Smoke were a professional ice hockey team in the United Hockey League. They played in Asheville, North Carolina from 1998 to 2002. The Smoke were coached by Keith Gretzky from 1998 to 2000. Prior to 1998, the team was known as the Brantford Smoke. The closest rival of Asheville were...

, the San Antonio Iguanas

San Antonio Iguanas

The San Antonio Iguanas were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in San Antonio, Texas. The first expansion team in the Central Hockey League, they were active for seven seasons from 1994–1997 and 1998-2002. Their home arena was the Freeman Coliseum. Bill Goldsworthy initially...

, the Utah Grizzlies

Utah Grizzlies

The Utah Grizzlies are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play out of West Valley City, Utah, United States, with their home games at the Maverik Center.- Franchise history :...

, the Corpus Christi Rayz

Corpus Christi Rayz

The Corpus Christi IceRays were a minor-league ice hockey team based in Corpus Christi, Texas affiliated with the Central Hockey League. The "IceRays" moniker derives from the many different species of stingrays who inhabit the nearby Gulf of Mexico....

, the Austin Ice Bats

Austin Ice Bats

The Austin Ice Bats were a professional minor-league ice hockey team based in Austin, Texas, United States. They played in Austin from 1996 to 2008. Affiliated with the Central Hockey League, the team was named in honor of the Mexican Free-tailed Bats which nest under the Ann W. Richards Congress...

, and the Muskegon Fury

Muskegon Fury

The Muskegon Fury was a International Hockey League ice hockey team located in Muskegon, Michigan.The Fury were established in 1992 after the original Muskegon Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League's previous incarnation relocated to Cleveland, Ohio...

.

External links