NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Admirals Sign Four, Release Two

March 10, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL) - Norfolk Admirals News Release


NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk Admirals today announced seven transactions as they prepare for a pair of games at Scope this weekend against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

The Admirals have signed defenseman Zach Tarkir to an AHL Standard Player's Contract after he had been on a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO). The Admirals have also signed defenseman Nick St. Pierre to a Standard Player's Contract and forwards Kai Kantola and Tim Marks to Amateur Tryout Contracts (ATOs). Finally, the Admirals have released defenseman Ryan McGinnis and forward Ryan Cruthers from their PTOs.

Tarkir, 25, is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound defenseman from Fresno, California. He had appeared in 13 games with the Admirals after signing a PTO on February 12. In those games, Tarkir registered four-assists and a team-leading plus-8 rating.

He has also split time this season between the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays and the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters and Springfield Falcons. In 30 games with the Stingrays, Tarkir posted four goals and 13 assists for 17 points. He was named an alternate captain for the American Conference in the ECHL All-Star Game. He also skated in five games with Lake Erie and was scoreless with two penalty minutes before appearing in seven games with Springfield and recording one assist and two penalty minutes.

Tarkir has appeared in 70 career AHL games between Norfolk, Springfield, Lake Erie, Portland and Lowell, scoring three goals and 14 assists with 30 penalty minutes. In 103 career ECHL games between South Carolina and Trenton, he has scored six goals and 34 assists with 91 penalty minutes. Tarkir was originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the third round (167th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He played four seasons of collegiate hockey at Northern Michigan University from 2003-04 to 2006-07.

St. Pierre, 24, is a 6-foot-0, 185-pound defenseman from St. Etienne, Quebec. He has appeared in five AHL contests with the Syracuse Crunch this season, registering two assists in those games. He has spent the majority of the season in the ECHL, splitting time between the Reading Royals and most recently the Gwinnett Gladiators. In 45 ECHL games this season, he has recorded six goals and 15 assists with 29 penalty minutes.

St. Pierre made his professional debut at the end of last season with the Crunch, appearing in ten games with one assist and eight penalty minutes following the conclusion of his collegiate career. St. Pierre spent four years at Colgate University, scoring 14 goals and 48 assists in 147 games. He was selected three times as the team's top defenseman and served as team captain in 2008-09 as a senior.

Kantola, 22, is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward from Raleigh, North Carolina. He recently concluded his collegiate hockey career at Bowling Green State University. In 35 games with the Falcons this season, he posted five goals and seven assists with 44 penalty minutes. In his 135-game collegiate career, Kantola posted 28 goals and 26 assists with 193 penalty minutes.

Marks, 25, is a 6-foot-2, 217-pound forward from Brownville, New York. He recently concluded his collegiate hockey career at Clarkson University. In 35 games with the Golden Knights this season, he posted five goals and four assists with 70 penalty minutes. In his 141-game collegiate career, Marks posted 14 goals and 22 assists with 164 penalty minutes.

McGinnis, 22, is a 6-foot-2, 202-pound defenseman from Flint, Michigan. He appeared in 17 games with the Admirals after signing a PTO on January 31, recording three assists and 14 penalty minutes. In 42 games with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL, he has recorded five goals and 23 assists.

Cruthers, 25, is a 6-foot-1, 186-pound forward from Farmingdale, New York. He appeared in eight games with Norfolk this season over the course of two separate PTOs, registering one assist and two penalty minutes in those games. Cruthers has appeared in 47 games this season with the ECHL's Reading Royals, scoring 15 goals and 40 assists.

Next up for the Admirals is a pair of home contests on Friday and Saturday night against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at Scope.

Join us for CHKD Night at Scope as the Admirals take on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday. Special discounted fundraising tickets are available with proceeds going back to CHKD. Tickets may be purchased in advance only through norfolkadmirals.com. As a special part of the event, fans can participate in a silent auction to win dinner with Admirals players Ty Wishart, Chris Lawrence and Scott Jackson and Admirals Strength & Conditioning/Video Coach Ben Eaves. Look for the silent auction on the Scope concourse on Saturday!

Also on Saturday, the first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive the final set of Admirals trading cards, courtesy of 96X. For a complete schedule and details of all Admirals promotions, please visit norfolkadmirals.com or call (757) 640-1212.

To purchase tickets to any Admirals game, you may visit the Scope Box Office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., visit any Ticketmaster outlet, call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or visit Ticketmaster online at ticketmaster.com. Don't miss a minute of the action by purchasing your 2009-10 season tickets today. Stop by the Admirals' Administrative Offices at Scope, call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit norfolkadmirals.com anytime!


• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from March 10, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Norfolk Admirals Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central