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Reading Royals

Royals Sign Forward Gavin Morgan

August 25, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, today announced that the team has signed forward Gavin Morgan. Last season, Morgan (5'11/190) (33), who was born in Scarborough, Ontario, but currently resides in central Pennsylvania, scored ten goals, assisted on twenty-four others (thirty-four points) and picked up 163 penalty minutes in thirty-nine regular season games with Valerenga Ishockey in Oslo, Norway. Morgan and his teammates with Valerenga went on to win the Norwegian Get Ligean championship.

Morgan, who will be entering his eleventh pro season, has scored 109 goals, assisted on 229 others (338 points) and racked up 1786 penalty minutes in 622 career regular season pro games. Morgan, who played six NHL games for the Dallas Stars in 2003, has played in over 560 games at the ‘triple-AAA' level, either in the AHL or the old-International Hockey League. In his most recent season of North American pro, 2007-08, Morgan registered eleven points (2g-9a) and ninety-five penalty minutes in forty-seven regular season games with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, where he served as an alternate captain was the team's nominee for the AHL's Man of the Year award.

"I'm extremely pleased to sign a player with Gavin's experience, hockey talent, personal character, and leadership skills," said Royals' Head Coach Larry Courville. "Gavin not only plays with intelligence, passion, energy and edge every night, but he also seems to bring those traits out in the players around him. We expect Gavin to be a cornerstone contributor for our team in many ways."

Morgan began his pro career in 1999 with the Idaho Steelheads in the West Coast Hockey League, where he registered fifty points (17g-33a) and 150 penalty minutes in 54 games for the Steelheads and earned late season stints in the IHL with the Long Beach Ice Dogs and the Utah Grizzlies. The next season, Morgan won a full-time role with the Grizzlies and, after a season in which he picked up twenty-one points (7g-14a) and 187 penalty minutes in 79 IHL games, was signed to a contract by the Dallas Stars. For the next two years, as the Grizzles transitioned from the old-IHL to the AHL, Morgan proved to be an integral component in Utah's line-up, having successive seasons in each of which he racked up over thirty points and 240 penalty minutes. In 238 total regular season games over four seasons with the Grizzlies, Morgan compiled 94 points (30g-64a) and established the team record for career penalty minutes with 684.

In 2003-04, Morgan joined the Hershey Bears and racked up thirty-three points (10g-23a) and 152 penalty minutes in sixty-seven games, while earning a six game call up to the Stars in December. The next season, Morgan signed with the Montreal Canadiens and was assigned to the Hamilton Bulldogs in the AHL, where he registered thirty-three points (10-23=33) and 147 penalty minutes in seventy-six games. Over the next two years (2005-06 and 2006-07), Morgan split the seasons between elite European hockey and the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL. His first season with the Rivermen (2005-06) proved to be his most productive in the AHL, as he scored eighteen goals and picked up twenty-two assists (forty points) in 73 regular season games. Prior to turning pro, Morgan played four seasons of college hockey for the University of Denver, scoring 32 goals, assisting on 48 others (eighty points) and picking up 220 penalty minutes in 146 games with the Pioneers. In his final two years at the University of Denver, the Pioneers advanced to the NCAA tournament; and, in his senior season, he led the team with 85 penalty minutes, as the Pioneers won the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff championship.

The Royals open the 2009-10 ECHL season on Thursday, October 15, 2009 (7:05 pm) when the Kalamazoo Wings make their first visit ever to the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. Season tickets for the Royals' 2009-10 season are currently available. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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