Blades Bolster Blue-Line with Addition of Egener
August 17, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, FL - Florida Everblades President and General Manager Craig Brush along with Head Coach Greg Poss announced today that defenseman Mike Egener has signed a contract for the 2010-11 season, making him the eighth player signed by the Everblades for the upcoming season.
Egener (prounounced: EGG-nher) joins the Everblades after spending the 2009-10 season in the ECHL with the Ontario Reign. The 25-year-old tallied 29 points (11g, 18a) and amassed 189 penalty minutes in 65 games with the Reign. Egener's 11 goals was tops among Reign defenseman and his plus-9 rating was second overall on the club.
"Mike is a big, tough defenseman who can score and has a big shot that we'll look to utilize on the power play," Poss said. "He's a good two-way defenseman who is a former second round draft pick and we'll be looking for him to bring his A-game on a consistent basis. Mike is a physical player who doesn't shy away from the rough stuff, plus he's one of the more experienced players on our team and will bring good leadership to our locker room."
Egener has spent the majority of his professional career in North American, although did see action in six games in 2008-09 in Sweden with Bjorkloven. Prior to that season, Egener, who was born in Lahr, Germany, split the first four of his pro seasons between the American Hockey League and the ECHL.
In the ECHL the 6-foot-4, 213 pound d-man has tallied 34 points (14g, 20a) and 268 PIM in 92 games with Johnstown, Mississippi and Ontario. Egener's time in the AHL saw him post 14 points (6g, 8a) and 505 PIM in 175 games from 2004-2008 with Springfield and Norfolk.
A former 2nd round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003, Egener spent four seasons at the junior level with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League before joining the pro ranks.
From 2000-04 with the Hitmen, Egener notched 37 points (6g, 31a) and 704 PIM in 224 regular season games and chipped in three points (2g, 1a) and 83 PIM in 22 playoff games. His final season in Calgary saw him post his best junior season with 17 points and 228 PIM in 64 games. Egener's PIM total ranked first on the club and sixth in the WHL while his plus/minus rating of plus-26 was fourth on the team and ranked ninth in the WHL.
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- Blades Bolster Blue-Line with Addition of Egener - Florida Everblades
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