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Bullies Ink Five More To Contracts

October 3, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies News Release


ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – On the eve of the opening of their 2003 training camp, the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the ECHL have reached contract agreements with returning forwards Luke Curtin and Jim Henkel, and returning defenseman Ian Walterson. The team has also signed two more rookies, forward Josh Prudden and defenseman Brian Fahey. Per club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Curtin and Walterson each re-join the Bullies for their third consecutive season. Curtin, 26, has put up solid numbers in his two years in Atlantic City tallying 38 goals and 79 assists in 103 games. The St. Paul, MN native suited up only 40 times last year after dealing with a nagging injury for much of the season.

Walterson, 25, relocated with the franchise from Birmingham two years ago. In two seasons with the Bullies, Walterson has netted 9 goals and 37 assists in 105 games. More importantly, the Oakbank, Manitoba native has proved to be a durable commodity on defense missing just seven games last year, including the playoffs.

"Luke and Ian are veteran guys and I expect them to be leaders this year," said Head Coach Mike Haviland. "With a lot of rookies and young guys coming into camp, these two are really going to have to be the heart of our team if we expect to compete for a championship.

Henkel, 25, returns for his second season with the Bullies after a tremendous rookie campaign that garnered him "Rookie of the Year" votes across the league. A local product from Hazlet, NJ, Henkel finished fourth on the team in scoring with 32 goals and 36 assists.

Prudden hails from Andover, MA and joins the Bullies after finishing his collegiate career at powerhouse New Hampshire last season. In his senior year, Prudden tallied 9 goals and 13 assists in 42 games in helping UNH advance to the 2003 NCAA Championship Game before falling to Minnesota. A natural center, Prudden, 23, finished his four-year stay at UNH with 33 goals and 40 assists in 131 games.

Fahey, 22, also comes to the Bullies from a college powerhouse in the University of Wisconsin, which produced NHL star Danny Heatly. A native of Glenview, IL, Fahey was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the fourth round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft following his freshman season with the Badgers. A rugged defenseman at 6'1, 210lbs, Fahey netted 14 goals and 28 assists in 156 collegiate games. Prior to Wisconsin, he spent two years with the U.S. Junior National Team.

The Bullies also unveiled their 2003 training camp roster that will begin practices tomorrow at 3PM at Flyers SkateZone in Atlantic City. 16 forwards, 9 defensemen, and 3 goaltenders have been invited to camp. Among those invited who spent time with last year's Kelly Cup Championship squad are Stefan Rivard, Kirk Furey, Steve Munn, Dave Reid, Scott Stirling, Jake Moreland, Curtin, Walterson, and Henkel.

The defending ECHL Kelly Cup Champion Boardwalk Bullies open Season Three against the Texas Wildcatters on Friday, October 17, at Boardwalk Hall. Season tickets, flex plans, group tickets, and "Shoobie Packages" for the 2003-04 regular season are on sale by calling (609) 348-PUCK. For more information on South Jersey's only professional hockey team, visit www.boardwalkbullies.com. For more information on the Bullies latest transactions, contact Dan Weiss at (609) 348-7809.



ECHL Stories from October 3, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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