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Plymouth Whaler Veteran Gino Pisellini Signs with Philadelphia Flyers

April 27, 2006 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP - Plymouth Whalers' President, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci announced today that 19-year-old right wing Gino Pisellini has signed an entry-level contract with the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers.

Terms of the agreement were not announced by the Flyers, who selected Pisellini in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2004 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Philadelphia had to sign Pisellini by this summer's 2006 NHL Entry Draft or relinquish his draft rights.

"We're very happy for Gino," Vellucci said. "He's worked very hard to develop into a good hockey player. He can be tough when needed and was one of our leaders. Gino was also one of best penalty killers this year and that's a credit to his hard work."

A native of Itasca, IL, the Whalers selected Pisellini in the 6th round (116th overall) in the 2002 Ontario Hockey League Draft. Pisellini started his Whaler career with a bang, scoring in his first two games on Sept 19-20, 2003. Pisellini also established himself as one of the toughest players in the OHL during his rookie season, when he scored 15 goals with 15 assists for 30 points and 214 PIM's in 68 games in 2003-04. Injuries limited Pisellini in 2004-05, but he responded last this season to score 15 goals with 16 assists for 31 points and 194 PIM's in 63 games.

Pisellini played well on a forward line this season with Andrew Fournier and Tom Sestito. The Whalers' version of the Grind Line had good success in shutting down the opposition's top lines.

"We really enjoy going up against the other team's top line," Pisellini said in March. "We know we can give the team a lift by shutting them down. We can help some of our other lines, who can concentrate on scoring."

While Pisellini has been signed with the Flyers, Fournier (ranked 108th over in the final Central Scouting rankings) and Sestito (112th overall) rate a good bet to be selected in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft this summer in Vancouver, BC.

NEXT UP FOR PLYMOUTH: The Whalers are preparing for the Ontario Hockey League Draft, which will be held May 6. Plymouth will select 13th overall in the first round. Fans can follow the progress of the OHL Draft by going to www.ontariohockeyleague.com and scrolling to the Priority Selection portion of the website.

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