ECHL Atlanta Gladiators

Gladiators Extend Qualifying Offers

Published on July 1, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlanta Gladiators News Release


The Gwinnett Gladiators announced today the list of seven players that received qualifying offers for the 2009-10 season. The Gladiators qualified the following seven players; Jeff Mason, Brandon Kaleniecki, Phil Youngclaus, Josh Engel, Jordan Fox, Travis Fuller and Pat Bateman.

The Gladiators could qualify any of the 17 players who were included on the Gladiators season-ending roster released on June 16th. By qualifying these players, the Gladiators now own the ECHL rights to them for the entire 2009-10 season. Each team was entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight Qualified Players. Of these eight Qualified Players, no more than four of the Qualified Players could be Veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2009-10 season).

Mason led all Gladiators blueliners in scoring while serving as team captain last season. He finished with 36 points off of 14 goals and 22 assists in his second season with the Gladiators. The East Hampton, Massachussets had a career year last year with Gwinnett notching a career best 14 goals for the Gladiators. Mason also appeared in 3 Kelly Cup Playoff games with Gwinnett last season.

Kaleniecki returned to the Gladiators last season after spending the 2006-07 season with the Gladiators. Kaleniecki notched 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points in 35 games with the Gladiators last season. He also had 2 goals while appearing in all 5 Kelly Cup playoff games last season with Gwinnett. Kaleniecki was acquired in a trade last year with the Las Vegas Wranglers where he appeared in one game. He also helped the Wranglers to the Kelly Cup Finals in the 2007-08 season. He had 16 goals and 14 assists with Las Vegas in 2007-08.

Youngclaus skated in just 11 games last season with Gwinnett after spending a majority of the season on the injured reserve. The Methuen, Massachussets native skated in all five of the Gladiators Kelly Cup playoff games notching an assist for Gwinnett. He notched a goal and 13 assists in 70 games with Pensacola in his first season in the ECHL in 2007-08. Youngclause had 6 goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 56 games with Richmond of the Southern Professional Hockey League during his rookie season in 2006-07.

Engel split time last year between the Gladiators and the Toronto Marlies and Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. Called up to Toronto on February 9th, Engel did on return to the Gladiators for the remainder of the 2008-09 season. Engel appeared in 28 games while with Toronto posting a goal and 4 assists for 5 points. He also was called up to Providence on December 4th appearing in 4 games while on recall to the AHL. Engel finsihed with 2 goald and 12 assists for 14 points in 36 games during his rookie season with Gwinnett.

Fox finished the 2008-09 season as the Gladiators leading scorer with 29 goals and 38 assists for 67 points in 68 games last season with Gwinnett. He also had an assist in five Kelly Cup Playoff Games last year with the Gladiators. Fox was twice called up to the American Hockey League where he saw action in five games with the Manitoba Moose and recorded a point while skatingi n one game with the Chicago Wolves. Fox began his professional career in 2006-07 with the Flint Generals of the United Hockey League where he skated in all 74 games with the Generals notching 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points.

Fuller was acquired by the Gladiators in a trade with the Augusta Lynx on December 1st in exchange for Bryan Esner. In 56 games last season with the Gladiators after coming over from Augusta, Fuller notched 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points while collected 29 penalty minutes. Fuller skated in 16 games with Augusta in each of the past two seasons. He had 7 goals and 4 assists after being acquired by the Lynx during his rookie season in 2007-08 from the Cincinnati Cyclones. Fuller had 25 points in 43 games with the Cyclones.

Bateman appeared in all 72 games for the Gladiators last season while ranking second in scoring with Gwinnett. He posted 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points for the Gladiators. Bateman also collected 124 penalty mintues with the Gladiators. In 5 Kelly Cup Playoff games with Gwinnett, Bateman notched 2 goals and an assist for 3 points. The Calgary, Alberta native skated in 40 games with Stockton during his rookie season in 2007-08 collecting 11 points and 21 penalty minutes.

Players will have until August 1 to accept a qualifying offer. Players on open Qualifying Offers cannot be traded. Teams were not required to protect players who signed a Standard Players Contract prior to July 1. Teams are not allowed to sign more than 24 players to contracts during the summer.

The Gladiators open the 2008-09 season in October of 2009. Season tickets for the 2009-10 season are on sale now. Log on to gwinnettgladiators.com or call the Gladiators office at 770-497-5100 for more information.

Began in 1988-89 with five teams playing in four states, the Premier 'AA' Hockey League has grown into a coast-to-coast league that is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League. The ECHL averaged 4,174 per game last season, marking the fourth year in row and the 16th time in the last 18 years that the league has averaged over 4,000 fans. The league has drawn over four million fans each of the last five years and 11 times in the past 12 seasons.

The Gwinnett Gladiators open their 7th season in the ECHL in October of 2009 - season ticket packages for the 2009-10 season are on sale now. In addition, the Gladiators offer several unique multi-game ticket packages as well as discounted group rates, suite rentals, and birthday parties. For more information call 770-497-5100 or log on to gwinnettgladiators.com.

The Gladiators are the AA affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers and Chicago Blackhawks and play all home games at the spectacular 11,355-seat Arena at Gwinnett Center, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, where parking is always free.

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