Bios for ECHL 15th Anniversary Team
March 22, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release
Nick Vitucci
First-Team Goaltender
Born: June 16, 1967, Welland, Ontario
Height 5-9
Weight: 175
Catches: Left
ECHL Teams
Carolina Thunderbirds (88-89), Winston-Salem Thunderbirds (89-90), Greensboro Monarchs (90-92), Hampton Roads Admirals (92-93), Toledo Storm (93-95), Charlotte Checkers (95-97), Greenville Grrrowl (98-01)
ECHL Career Statistics
Regular Season Statistics: 479 games, 265-150-39, 3.42 GAA, .900 save pct.
Postseason Statistics: 80 games, 43-37, 2.94 GAA, .905 save pct.
* Five ECHL Championships, four as a player (1989, 1990, 1994 and 1996) and one as an assistant coach (2002), more than any other individual in ECHL history.
* Holds ECHL goaltender career records for most games (479), most minutes (27,291), most wins (265), most 20-or-more win seasons (7) and most consecutive 30-or-more win seasons (2) and is tied for the most 30-or-more win seasons (2) and the most consecutive 20-or-more win seasons (4).
* Holds ECHL postseason goaltender career records for most games (80), most minutes (4,841), and most wins (43), and ranks third among all players in most career playoff games (80).
* First-Team All-ECHL in 1991-92 and 1997-98, Goaltender of the Year in 1997-98 and Most Valuable Player of the 1989 and the 1996 Riley Cup Playoffs.
* Assistant Coach Greenville, 2001-Present.
Daniel Berthiaume
Second-Team Goaltender
Born: January 26, 1966, Longueuil, Quebec
Height: 5-9
Weight: 170
Catches: Left
ECHL Teams
Wheeling Thunderbirds (94-95), Roanoke Express (94-02), Greensboro Generals (02-Present)
ECHL Career Statistics
Regular Season Statistics: 314 Games, 173-98-30, 2.75 GAA, .911 save pct.
Postseason Statistics: 32 Games, 15-17, 2.73 GAA, .912 save pct.
* ECHL record holder for longest winning streak by a goaltender, winning 13 consecutive games in 1994-95.
* Ranks second all-time in the ECHL in regular season for wins (173), games (314), 20-or-more win seasons (5) and minutes (18,023).
* Tied ECHL record for consecutive 20-or-more win seasons (4 from 1999-2000 to present).
* Second-Team All-ECHL in 1999-2000.
* Ranks fourth all-time in the ECHL in postseason minutes (1,906) and fifth in games by goaltender (32).
Darryl Noren
First-Team Center
Born: August 7, 1968, White Lake, Michigan
Height: 5-10 l Weight: 190
Shoots: Left
ECHL Teams
Greensboro Monarchs (90-95), Charlotte Checkers (94-00)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Statistics: 549 Games, 295 Goals, 390 Assists, 685 Points
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 48 Games, 18 Goals, 23 Assists, 41 Points
* Finished ECHL career in 1999-2000 as the all-time leader in games (549), assists (390) and points (685) and ranked sixth in goals (295), currently ranks fifth in games, third in assists, second in points and sixth in goals.
* Scored 30-or-more goals five times in 10 ECHL seasons, including 46 in 1994-95.
* Tied ECHL record with three consecutive three-or-more goal games in December of 1994 and finished with seven games of three-or-more goals in 1994-95.
* Helped Charlotte win the 1996 Riley Cup Championship.
John Spoltore
Second-Team Center
Born: August 25, 1971, Bridgeton, New Jersey
Height: 5-10 l Weight: 195
Shoots: Right
ECHL Teams
Louisiana IceGators (95-01)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Statistics: 341 Games, 142 Goals, 391 Assists, 533 Points
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 70 Games, 32 Goals, 69 Assists, 101 Points
*Holds the ECHL record with four 100-point seasons (101 in 1995-96; 109 in 1998-99; 111 in 1997-98 and 119 in 1999-2000).
* Led the ECHL in assists and scoring in 1999-2000 (119 and 92) while leading the ECHL in assists in scoring in 1998-99 (109) and leading the ECHL in assists in 1997-98 (79) and 2000-01 (71).
* Ranks first all-time in postseason assists (69), second in postseason scoring (101), tied for fifth in goals (32) and seventh in games (70), and holds the ECHL record for most assists in a postseason (26 in 2000) and tied the ECHL record for most points in a postseason (34 in 2000).
* Ranks second all-time in regular-season assists (391).
* First-Team All-ECHL in 1998-99 and 1999-2000 and second-team All-ECHL in 1997-98.
Rod Taylor
First-Team Left Wing
Born: December 1, 1966, Lake Orion, Michigan
Height: 5-10
Weight: 185
Shoots: Left
ECHL Teams
Hampton Roads Admirals (91-00), Richmond Renegades (00-02), Roanoke Express (01-02), South Carolina Stingrays (02-03), Peoria Rivermen (02-03)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Statistics: 676 Games, 368 Goals, 321 Assists, 689 Points
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 78 Games, 39 Goals, 28 Assists, 67 Points
* ECHL all-time leader in goals (368), points (689), games (696), most 30-goal seasons (8), and most consecutive 30-goal seasons (6).
* Helped Hampton Roads win the 1992 Riley Cup Championship as a rookie, scoring an ECHL postseason record-tying 16 goals in 14 games, and helped Hampton Roads win the 1998 Kelly Cup Championship.
* Ranks third all-time in the ECHL for career postseason goals (39), tied for third for most goals in a postseason (16 in 1992) and fourth in career postseason games (78).
* Second-Team All-ECHL in 1994-95.
* Has played all but 18 of his 694 games in the ECHL.
Darren Schwartz
Second-Team Left Wing
Born: March 28, 1968, Kamsack, Saskatchewan
Height: 5-11
Weight: 210
Shoots: Left
ECHL Teams
Johnstown Chiefs (89-91), Winston-Salem Thunderbirds (91-92), Wheeling Thunderbirds (92-94), Tallahassee Tiger Sharks (94-96), Wheeling Nailers (98-99)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Statistics: 490 Games, 313 Goals, 258 Assists, 571 Points
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 64 Games, 32 Goals, 38 Assists, 70 Points
* Scored an ECHL postseason record 31 points (13g-18a) in 16 games while helping Wheeling advance to the 1993 Riley Cup Finals.
* Ranks fifth all-time in regular-season goals (313), ninth in regular-season points with (571), and fifth in regular-season penalty minutes (1,739).
* Ranks fifth all-time in postseason goals (32) and penalty minutes (241), seventh in postseason points (70), and ninth in postseason assists (38).
* Retired as the all-time leader with 490 career regular season games.
* First-Team All-ECHL in 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95.
* Played in Three ECHL All-Star Games and is the career leader for goals (6) and points (9), and holds the ECHL record for fastest three goals in an All-Star Game (8:28 in 1995).
Phil Berger
First-Team Right Wing
Born: December 3, 1966, Dearborn, Michigan
Height: 6-1
Weight: 190
Shoots: Right
ECHL Teams
Greensboro Monarchs (89-95), Charlotte Checkers (95-97), Raleigh IceCaps (96-97), Hampton Roads Admirals (96-97), Greensboro Generals (99-00)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Statistics: 365 Games, 251 Goals, 348 Assists, 599 Points
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 76 Games, 50 Goals, 67 Assists, 117 Points
* Retired as the all-time leader in postseason goals (50), assists (67) and points (117) and still holds the postseason records for goals and points while ranking second in assists.
* ECHL Most Valuable Player in 1991-92 after leading the league in goals (60) and points (130).
* First-Team All-ECHL in 1993-94 and second-team All-ECHL in 1991-92.
* Helped Greensboro win the 1990 Riley Cup Championship scoring an ECHL postseason record 11 goals and 14 points in 10 games.
Chris Valicevic
First-Team Defense
Born: April 25, 1968, Mt. Clemens, Michigan
Height: 6-0
Weight: 200
Shoots: Right
ECHL Teams
Greensboro Monarchs (93-95), Louisiana IceGators (95-02)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Statistics: 590 Games, 151 Goals, 460 Assists, 611 Points
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 102 Games, 20 Goals, 60 Assists, 80 Points
* ECHL Most Valuable Player in 1998-99, ECHL Defenseman of the Year four years in a row (1995-96 to 1998-99), and First-Team All-ECHL five consecutive years (1995-96 to 1999-2000).
* ECHL all-time leader with 460 assists and ranks fourth in points and third in games.
* ECHL all-time leader among defensemen with 460 assists, 151 goals, 611 points and 590 games.
* Led ECHL defensemen in assists and scoring three times (1995-96, 1997-98 and 1998-99), and ranked third overall in scoring in 1998-99 with 92 points.
* Played in seven ECHL All-Star Games (1994 and 1996-2001), the most by any player.
Tom Nemeth
First-Team Defense
Born: January 16, 1971, St. Catharines, Ontario
Height: 6-2
Weight: 200
Shoots: Left
ECHL Teams
Dayton Bombers (92-94 and 96-Present), South Carolina Stingrays (94-95)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Statistics: 437 Games, 117 Goals, 334 Assists, 451 Points
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 32 Games, 10 Goals, 16 Assists, 26 Points
* ECHL Defenseman of the Year and First-Team All-ECHL in 1993-94, 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
* Ranks second all-time among ECHL defensemen with 334 assists, 451 points and 437 games.
* Holds ECHL season record for defensemen for most points (98 in 1993-94) and most assists by a defenseman (82).
* Led ECHL defensemen in goals, assists and scoring in 2000-01.
* Played in three ECHL All-Star Games (1994, 1998 and 2001), tied for the second most.
Bob Woods
Second-Team Defense
Born: January 24, 1968, LeRoy, Saskatchewan
Height: 6-1
Weight: 192
Shoots: Left
ECHL Teams
Johnstown Chiefs (90-94), Hampton Roads Admirals (95-96), Mobile Mysticks (96-97), Tallahassee Tiger Sharks (97-98), Mississippi Sea Wolves (98-01)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Statistics: 599 Games, 159 Goals, 364 Assists, 523 Points
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 45 Games, 13 Goals, 17 Assists, 30 Points
* In second season behind Mississippi bench where he played the final three of his 10 seasons in the ECHL.
* Retired as the ECHL all-time leader with 599 career regular season games, currently ranks second.
* Retired with the fifth-most assists in ECHL history (364), currently ranks seventh.
* Helped lead Mississippi to the 1999 Kelly Cup Championship.
* Second-Team All-ECHL in 1996-97 and 1998-99.
Kurt Seher
Second-Team Defense
Born: April 15, 1973, Lethbridge, Alberta
Height: 6-2
Weight: 200
Shoots: Left
ECHL Teams
Charlotte Checkers (93-Present)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Statistics: 586 Games, 73 Goals, 201 Assists, 274 Points
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 32 Games, 4 Goals, 14 Assists, 18 Points
* Leads Charlotte and is fourth all-time in the ECHL with 586 career games.
* Ten seasons with the Charlotte Checkers since their inaugural season in 1993-94.
* More games in the same uniform than any other player in ECHL history.
* Helped Charlotte win the 1996 Riley Cup Championship.
*Played in the 1996 and the 1997 ECHL All-Star Game.
John Brophy
First-Team Coach
ECHL Teams
Hampton Roads Admirals (89-00), Wheeling Nailers (01-present)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Record: 477-319-75
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 55-39
* Has won three ECHL Championships (1991, 1992 and 1998), more than any coach in ECHL history.
* Has more regular season wins (477), seasons (13), and games (871) than any coach in ECHL history.
* Has more postseason wins (55) than any coach in ECHL history.
* Won his 1000th professional game as a head coach on March 30, 2002, and ranks second all-time behind Scotty Bowman for career professional wins (1,025).
John Marks
Second-Team Coach
ECHL Teams
Charlotte Checkers (93-98), Greenville Grrrowl (98-present)
ECHL Career Statistics
ECHL Regular Season Record: 367-260-69
ECHL Postseason Statistics: 38-26
*Has won two ECHL Championships (1996 and 2002), tying him with Chris McSorley for the second most ECHL coaching titles.
*Ranks second all-time among ECHL coaches in wins (367), games (696), and seasons (10).
Patrick J. Kelly
General Manager
* Fifty seasons in hockey beginning in 1952 as player with St. Catharines Teepees of Ontario Junior Hockey League.
* Commissioner Emeritus of the ECHL (1996-Present).
* ECHL Commissioner (1988-96).
* Peoria Sports Hall of Fame (1990), Roanoke Hall of Fame (1998), Welland Sports Hall of Fame (1998).
* First inductee into Greensboro Hockey Hall of Fame (2002).
* Greensboro uniform number (5) retired in 2002.
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