KALAMAZOO, MI-- The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliates of the Tampa Bay Lightning, have acquired defenseman Blake Kessel and forward Peter

Schneider in a three-way trade with the Florida Everblades and Atlanta Gladiators, the team announced Monday.

The three-team move was made with the trade of Adam Brace's rights to the Everblades in exchange for Schneider and defenseman Cory Syvret. Syvret was then packaged to the Gladiators in return for Kessel.

Kessel, 27, has raced out of the blocks this season and to the top of the ECHL's points lead for defenseman. In 22 games played with the Gladiators, he has tallied seven goals and 16 assists, both of which lead the league among blueliners. His 23 overall points rank sixth in the league for all skaters.

The native of Madison, WI, made his pro debut in 2012 with the Adirondack Phantoms (AHL) after a three-year career with the University of New Hampshire. Since his debut, Kessel has logged 294 games at the professional level in the AHL (77 GP), ECHL (160 GP) and Europe (57 GP), while registering 160 points (36 goals, 124 assists).

Kessel was drafted in the sixth round (166th overall) by the New York Islanders in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and is the younger brother of Stanley Cup champion and current Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel.

Schneider, 25, comes to Kalamazoo from the Florida Everblades, where he scored a goal while adding three assists and skating to a +7 rating through ten games with the South Division leaders.

A second-year pro, Schneider spent last season with the Indy Fuel and notched 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 64 games during his first full season of professional hockey. The native of Vienna, Austria appeared in 10 games with the Fuel in the spring of 2015 at the conclusion of his four-year career at Notre Dame, where he produced 47 points (22 goals, 25 assists).

In a separate transaction, the Wings have also signed Kyle Blaney to an ECHL contract. Blaney appeared in four games at the start of the season with Kalamazoo and registered an assist while earning a +1 rating.

Before turning pro, Blaney spent three seasons at Ryerson University in Ontario and registered 48 career points in 45 games.

Single game tickets start at just $10 all season long and can be purchased at the Wings Event Center box office or at http://kwings.com/SingleGameTickets.