PRINCETON, N.J. - Former Hampton Roads Admirals and current Colorado Avalanche left wing Andrew Brunette is the MeiGray Group ECHL Alumnus of the Month for March.
Selected in the seventh round (174th overall) by the Washington Capitals in
the 1993 National Hockey League Entry Draft, Brunette registered at least
one point in 10 of his 15 games in March. The Sudbury, Ontario native had
10 assists and 16 points ending the month with a plus-minus rating of
+3.
The 34 year old started the month with a five-game point streak (3g-4a)
that began on Feb. 27 and ended as he scored the game-winning power-play
goal in a 3-1 win against Dallas on Mar. 8. He scored two goals in a 5-2
win at Atlanta on Mar. 11, including his second power-play goal of the
month. Brunette recorded two assists in a 6-3 win against Vancouver on Mar.
26 before tying his season-high three points (2g-1a) in a 5-4 shootout win
against Edmonton on Mar. 28.
In his rookie season Brunette scored 30 points (12g-18a) and 32 penalty
minutes in 20 regular season games and had 13 points (7g-6a) and 18 penalty
minutes in seven Riley Cup Playoff games with Hampton Roads, while also
playing in the American League where he had 20 (9g-11a) and 10 penalty
minutes in 26 regular season games with Portland and Providence, he also
registered an assist in two playoff games with Portland.
Now in his 12th season in the NHL, the 6-foot-1 and 212-pound Brunette has
scored 549 points (191g-358a) in 787 games with Atlanta, Colorado,
Minnesota, Nashville and Washington.
The ECHL is the top developmental league for both the National Hockey
League and the American Hockey League. It has affiliations with 26 of the
30 teams in the NHL, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league
has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL, and with 26 of the
29 teams in the AHL. There have been 353 former ECHL players who have
played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL.
Twenty-four former ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season:
former Peoria Rivermen and Alaska Aces goaltender Chris
Beckford-Tseu (St. Louis on Feb. 21), former Florida Everblades center
David
Brine (Florida on Feb. 2), former Idaho Steelheads right wing B.J.
Crombeen (Dallas on Jan. 19), former Gwinnett Gladiators left wing Kevin
Doell (Atlanta on Jan. 4), former Alaska defenseman Zack
FitzGerald (Vancouver on Feb. 5), former Columbia left wing Alex
Foster (Toronto on Mar. 18), former Fresno goaltender Thomas Greiss
(San Jose on Jan. 14), former Roanoke Express and Wheeling Nailers left
wing Jason
Jaffray (Vancouver on Dec. 12), former Wheeling Nailers left wing Joe
Jensen (Carolina on Feb. 18), former Dayton and Elmira goaltender Dan
LaCosta (Columbus on Mar. 25), former Toledo Storm goaltender Drew
MacIntyre (Vancouver on Dec. 13), former San Diego Gulls left wing Cody
McLeod (Colorado on Dec. 19), former Alaska Aces and Pensacola Ice
Pilots center Chris
Minard (Pittsburgh on Jan. 21), former Columbia Inferno center Brandon
Nolan (Carolina on Dec. 22), former Johnstown Chiefs and Fresno Falcons
goaltender Dmitri
Patzold (San Jose on Oct. 7), former Gwinnett Gladiators and Louisiana
IceGators left wing Pascal
Pelletier (Boston on Jan. 17), former Reading Royals goaltender Jonathan
Quick (Los Angeles on Dec. 6), former Stockton Thunder left wing Liam
Reddox (Edmonton on Dec. 7), former Gwinnett Gladiators left wing Colin
Stuart (Atlanta on Dec. 29), former Bakersfield Condors, Reading
Royals, Texas Wildcatters and Wheeling Nailers goaltender
Danny Taylor (Los Angeles on Mar. 29), former Columbus Chill, Richmond
Renegades and Trenton Titans left wing Pete
Vandermeer (Phoenix on Feb. 10), former San Diego goaltender Tyler
Weiman (Colorado on Oct. 4), former Charlotte Checkers right wing Craig
Weller (Phoenix on Oct. 4) and former Phoenix RoadRunners center Daniel
Winnik (Phoenix Coyotes on Oct. 4)
The leading distributor of game-worn hockey jerseys and "Official Game-Worn
Jersey Source of the ECHL," MeiGray has sold more than 4,000
game-worn ECHL jerseys since the program began in 2002-03, including nearly
1,000 each of the past three seasons.
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