Another big gun signed by the Brahmas

October 8, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Fort Worth Brahmas News Release


Fort Worth- The Fort Worth Brahmas added a major weapon to their offensive arsenal on Friday morning with the signing of veteran center Lonny Bohonos to a contract for the 2004-2005 CHL season.

Bohonos, 31, has 10 professional seasons under his belt. In his lengthy pro career, he has played in the NHL, the AHL, and the Swiss Elite League.

The Winnipeg, Manitoba native made his professional debut in 1994-1995 with the Syracuse Crunch, then the top affiliate with the Vancouver Canucks. In his rookie season, he scored 30 goals and assisted on 45 others for 75 points in 67 games. He followed that solid first year with an even better second season with the Crunch in 1995-1996 when he totaled 79 points (40G/39A) in 74 games. In the spring of 1996, he was called up by the Canucks and made his NHL debut by playing in 3 games for Vancouver in the final weeks of the 1995-1996 NHL season.

The 5'11", 190-pound Bohonos split his 1996-1997 season between Vancouver and Syracuse. In 36 NHL games with the Canucks, he had 11 goals and 11 assists. In 41 games with the Crunch, he picked up 22 goals to go with 30 assists.

The 1997-1998 season was an eventful one for Bohonos. He began the year with the Canucks, and again split time with Vancouver and Syracuse. On March 7, 1998, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Brandon Convery. He then played 6 games for the Leafs and 11 games for the St. John's Maple Leafs, Toronto's AHL club. Altogether, Bohonos played in 65 games for four teams in the 1997-1998 season, scoring 24 goals and assisting on 25 others.

Bohonos stayed in the Maple Leafs system in 1998-1999, playing 7 games in Toronto and 70 games in St. John's. He was one of the top scorers on the St. John's roster that season, netting 34 goals to go with 48 assists. In the 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs, Bohonos was one of Toronto's best players, picking up 9 points (3G/6A) in 9 playoff games.

In 1999-2000, Bohonos was back in the Vancouver system, as he played the entire season with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, racking up 18 goals to go with 33 assists in 63 games played.

For the last four years, Bohonos has played in the Swiss Elite League. From 2000-2003, he played for the club Davos (the same team that Boston Bruins superstar Joe Thornton will play for this year). Last year, he skated with Zurich, picking up 22 goals and 21 assists in 44 games.

In total, Bohonos has played in 600 regular season professional games, and has a grand total of 606 points (274G/332A). His NHL career totals are 83 games played, 19 goals, 16 assists and 35 points.

Fort Worth head coach Al Sims is counting on Bohonos to be a centerpiece in his offense.

"I think its fair to say that Lonny will be one of the offensive leaders for us. He's a proven NHL player, and has played at a very high level throughout his career. With his experience and talent, he should be one of the top players not only for the Brahmas, but also in the entire CHL," Sims said.

Bohonos becomes the fourth veteran on the Brahmas current roster. Left wing Chad Woollard and d-men Jorin Welsh and Brad Lukowich are the other Fort Worth vets. CHL league rules allow each member club to have four players on their roster with over 260 regular season professional games played.

The signing of Bohonos now gives Fort Worth 27 players on their training camp roster. And, according to Sims, he's not done yet with his off-season recruiting efforts. Fort Worth's second year head coach said that Brahmas fans can expect one more player to be signed over the weekend.

"I'm real close to getting one other player signed to a contract. Don't be surprised to see another announcement this weekend," Sims said.

Fort Worth will begin their 2004-2005 training camp next Monday, Oct. 11, at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Euless. All on ice practice sessions will be open to the public and free of charge (for a complete training camp schedule please log onto www.brahmas.com). The highlight of the Brahmas training camp will be an exhibition game versus the Oklahoma City Blazers next Saturday, Oct. 16 at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco. General admission tickets (for $6) are on sale now for that game by calling the Brahmas office at (817) 336-4423.

The Brahmas will open their eighth season in franchise history and their fourth in the CHL on Oct. 22, 2004. After three games on the road two start the season, the Brahmas will return home to Fort Worth on Saturday, Oct. 30 for their home opener at the Fort Worth Convention Center against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. Season tickets for the 2004-2005 season are on sale now. For more information, please contact the Brahmas office at (817) 336-4423.



Central Hockey League Stories from October 8, 2004


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