Dave Cianfrini, a standout defender with the Canisius College hockey team from 2006 to 2010, signed a professional contract with the Fort Wayne Komets of the CHL.

“It feels really good to take this next step in my career,” Cianfrini said. “My four years at Canisius have really prepared me to excel at the next level and I look forward to playing in front of good fans in a good hockey town. Canisius has definitely shown an increased commitment to developing players for the next level, particularly with a strong support staff. I also benefited from playing against good competition, especially in the top half of Atlantic Hockey.”

During his career, Cianfrini appeared in a school-record 143 career games. He ranks second in the program’s record book among defensemen with 45 career points and 14 career goals in addition to third with 31 career assists. As a senior, Cianfrini set career highs with 15 points, seven goals and four power-play tallies to go along with eight assists.

Cianfrini also excelled off the ice during his tenure with the Griffs. He was named the 2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Top Scholar Athlete for owning the highest GPA in the league. He was also a two-time Atlantic Hockey Academic All-Star honoree and was named to the league’s all-academic team in each of his four seasons.

“Dave was a model student-athlete at Canisius,” said Griffs head coach Dave Smith. “A leader on and off the ice, he has worked extremely hard for this opportunity in professional hockey. Having played in Fort Wayne myself, Dave will enjoy the passionate fans and great coach that Al Sims is. It is a great organization that will benefit by signing Dave. We are very proud of his accomplishments at Canisius and wish him continued success.”

During the 2009-10 campaign, Cianfrini helped the Griffs to one of their most successful seasons at the Division I level. Canisius won its most games in nine years and advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Semifinals for the first time since 2004.