Americans Set to Open 10th Anniversary Season Tonight
October 12, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL)
Allen Americans News Release
Allen Americans head coach Steve Martinson
(Allen Americans)
Kansas City, Missouri - The Allen Americans, ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, open the regular season tonight at 7:05 pm against the Kansas City Mavericks.
This is the season opener for both teams. The Americans faced Kansas City two times during the preseason, winning both games in Allen. Both contests were come from behind victories for the Americans.
The Americans return 14 players from last season's roster, including their leading scorer Casey Pierro-Zabotel. He finished sixth overall in scoring last season, with 69 points in 72 games. He finished second overall in assists last season, with 50. Only Jesse Schultz of Cincinnati had more, with 57, to lead the league. Pierro-Zabotel is back for his third season in an Americans sweater. He has 116 points in 130 games with Allen.
"This has the potential to be a really special season for the Americans," said Pierro-Zabotel. "We have so much skill and speed both up front, as well as on the blue line. If we work hard each game, we're going to be a tough team to beat."
David Makowski returns for a 4th season in Allen, after his best season in an Americans uniform last year. Makowski was the Americans' only All-Star participant last year, scoring 54 points in 50 games. Joel Chouinard returns for his third season in Allen, and second as the captain. Last season, he finished fourth overall in points by a defenseman, with 51.
Spencer Asuchak is the longest-tenured Allen Americans player, entering his sixth season in the red sweater. Asuchak's best numbers with the club came in 2016-2017 season, where he had 66 points in 64 games.
"This is my second home," said Asuchak. "I love Texas and the great fans who support us. Looking at our lineup this season, we should score a lot of goals. I'm ready for a bounce back season and help to lead this team to another championship."
Some newcomers join the Americans lineup this season and will be worth taking notice. Forward Dante Salituro was one of several players at camp with the Wild in September. Salituro is coming off his rookie season last year, where he had 48 points in 53 games with Rapid City. He also played in 14 games with Iowa last year and had three points. Goalie CJ Motte was assigned to Allen by Minnesota. Motte played in six games for Iowa last year and had a 2.13 goals-against average along with a .926 save percentage. Jordie (Jordan) Stallard comes to Allen after playing the last four seasons in the Western Hockey League. He had an amazing 91 points in 72 games last year with the Prince Albert Raiders, which included 44 goals and 47 assists.
Head Coach Steve Martinson returns to Allen for a seventh season behind the bench. The former NHL player had stops in Detroit, Montreal and Minnesota. Allen is the second longest stop for Martinson behind the bench. He coached nine seasons in San Diego, winning five championships. He has 251 victories with the Americans, including four championships. He has 978 wins over his 22-year coaching career.
Season Tickets - Lock in your seats NOW for the 2018-2019 Allen Americans Season. Contact your Americans ticket representative TODAY by calling 972-912-1000.
Group Outings - The best way to entertain a large or small group is at an Allen Americans hockey game. Get special group rates on tickets and food by calling 972-912-1000.
Watch/Listen Live - Catch all Allen Americans games this season on ECHL TV pay-per-view or Mixlr.com. Be sure to download the Mixlr app for your iPhone or Android and never miss a minute of the action
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 Allen Americans head coach Steve Martinson |
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