AHL Norfolk Admirals

Admirals Bolster Attack with Darche, MacDonald, Smaby

Published on November 13, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


NORFOLK, VA - The Norfolk Admirals' offense received a significant boost today, as forwards Mathieu Darche and Craig MacDonald along with defenseman Matt Smaby were assigned to Norfolk by the Admirals' NHL parent Tampa Bay Lightning. The announcement was made today by Lightning Executive Vice President and General Manager Jay Feaster. All three players will join the Admirals in time for Wednesday night's road contest against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

"Darche and MacDonald are proven scorers at the American Hockey League level and will provide valuable offense and leadership to the Admirals' lineup ," said Admirals General Manager Claude Loiselle. "We are getting two NHL-caliber players with character that will bolster our offense. "

Darche, a 6-foot-1, 217-pound left wing from Montreal, Quebec, posted a goal and three assists in his first 13 games with the Lightning. The 30-year-old forward has now appeared in 41 career NHL games between the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Lightning, scoring two goals and six points with eight penalty minutes.

Darche ranked among the top 15 in the AHL in points (T-7th, 80), goals (T-6th, 35), assists (T-14th, 45) and power play goals (T-5th, 16) while leading the Worcester Sharks in each of those categories last season. In 436 career AHL games between the Syracuse Crunch, Milwaukee Admirals, Hershey Bears and Worcester Sharks, the eighth-year pro has 162 goals and 180 assists with 247 penalty minutes. He won the 2004 Calder Cup Championship with the Milwaukee Admirals.

MacDonald, a 6-foot-1, 201-pound center from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, had an assist in his first 14 games with the Lightning. In 174 career NHL games, the tenth-year pro has eight goals and 15 assists with 81 penalty minutes.

MacDonald captained the Admirals last season, ranking ninth on the team in scoring with 40 points (15G, 25A) in 50 games. In 313 career AHL games, the 30-year-old forward has 76 goals and 135 assists with 386 PIM between the Beast of New Haven, Lowell Lock Monsters, San Antonio Rampage, Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and the Admirals.

Smaby, a 6-foot-5, 222-pound defenseman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has played in four games with Tampa Bay this season and recorded four penalty minutes with one shot on goal. He made his NHL debut with the Lightning on October 4 against the New Jersey Devils.

Smaby has also played in four games in two stints with Norfolk this season and recorded an even rating with seven penalty minutes and three shots on goal. He made his AHL debut last season with Springfield of the AHL and played in 66 games, tallying two goals and 16 points. In 70 career AHL games, Smaby has two goals and 14 assists with 50 penalty minutes.

The Admirals will begin a stretch of four road games in five days tomorrow night. The road trip begins on in Hartford for the second Admirals B2 Night at Baxter's of the season. Join your fellow Admirals fans at Baxter's Sports Lounge in Downtown Norfolk to watch the Admirals take on the Wolf Pack on the big screen. The puck drops on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. For more details, please visit norfolkadmirals.com.

The Admirals return to Norfolk with three games during the week of Thanksgiving. For a complete schedule, please visit www.norfolkadmirals.com. 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 (757) 671-8100 or visit Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase Admirals season tickets, ten packs or group tickets, please stop by the Admirals' administrative offices at Scope or call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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American Hockey League Stories from November 13, 2007


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