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Johnson, Lind and Willigar Re-Up with Snakes

September 16, 2014 - SPHL (SPHL)
Columbus Cottonmouths News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Columbus Cottonmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) announce the signing of three players who were with the team last season. Forward Levi Lind joins defensemen Kyle Johnson and Andy Willigar as players all returning to the Snakes for the 2014-15 campaign.

Despite being just a third year pro this season, Johnson returns to the Cottonmouths to reprise his role as captain of the team. He was named the fifth captain in Snakes SPHL history in just his sophomore professional season last year, following the likes of Craig Stahl (2004-10), Will Barlow (2010-12), Orrin Hergott (2012), and Sam Bowles (2012-13). He has played 110 games on the blue line over the past two seasons for Columbus, picking up a goal and 12 assists in that span with a combined +10 rating. He chipped in a goal and an assist and was a +3 in seven games in the Snakes' run to the SPHL championship series last season. The 25-year-old Edmonton native was captain of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology hockey team in 2011-12, playing alongside Willigar, former Snakes forward Jordan Draper, and current Snakes goaltender Shannon Szabados. Johnson, who stands at 6'3" and 200 pounds, played junior hockey with Fort McMurray from 2006 to 2009, scoring 72 points (21G, 51A) in 167 games there.

Willigar, 26, joins his former NAIT teammates in Johnson and Szabados for his second professional season. He finished with five goals and ten assists as he played in all 56 regular season games for the Cottonmouths last year and tallied an assist in seven postseason games with Columbus. Along with Szabados, he helped lead NAIT to the ACAC championship in 2012-13 and was named captain of the team following Johnson's graduation to the pro ranks. The 6'1", 190 pound Willigar was named to the ACAC all-conference first team three times, only the second defenseman in conference history to do so, and led the conference in scoring among defensemen his last two years at NAIT.

Lind joins defenseman Tom Maldonado as one of two veterans signed to the Snakes per SPHL guidelines (over 224 professional games of experience). He will begin his sixth professional season this year with all of those spent at least in some part in Columbus. He was named to the SPHL All-Rookie Team in 2009-10 after finshing second in scoring among all first-year pros in the SPHL with 52 points (19G, 33A). The 26-year-old Lind has 142 points (52G, 90A) in 248 career games with the Cottonmouths. He finished with 29 points (10G, 19A) last season and logged a goal and two assists in seven playoff games for the Snakes. The 6'3", 205-pound forward is one of three returning players (Maldonado and goaltender Andrew Loewen) who were on the 2012 Snakes championship roster. During that season, Lind played just 27 games in the regular season for Columbus as he was loaned to the CHL's Rapid City Rush for a 30-game stint but returned for the Cottonmouths' playoff run, logging a pair of assists in six postseason games in 2012.

The Cottonmouths will begin their 11th season as an original member of the SPHL on October 24 with their season opener at home against the Knoxville Ice Bears. Season tickets, group sales, and sponsorship opportunities are available now for the upcoming season. To find out how you can become a part of what will be an exciting 2014-15 season, contact the team at 706.571.0086 or visit them online at www.cottonmouths.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cottonmouths, or by following @Cottonmouths on Twitter.

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