Champion Fury sign star center Jeff Nelson
August 5, 2004 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release
MUSKEGON, MI.--- It's open-up the throttle and full speed ahead for the coronated Colonial Cup Champions of the United Hockey League, the Muskegon Fury as minor pro hockey's most winning franchise through its first 12-years of operations stays in an activist mode in plotting and otherwise preparing for the upcoming season of the title defense and 2004-05.
To that end, in perhaps one of their best summer, off-season acquisitions yet, the Fury organization and Club Owner and Team President Tony Lisman, in concert with Director of Hockey Operations / Head Coach Todd Nelson, has announced today that star, standout center JEFF NELSON has agreed to terms and inked a two-year contract with Muskegon for both the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. Adhering to team policy, terms of the new deal were not disclosed.
When the Fury formally convene their 13th training camp in early October, NELSON, 31, will be set to embark on his 13th pro season and his second tour of duty in the UHL and with the Fury. The silk, smooth, satin centerman enjoyed yet another extraordinary campaign in 2003-04, actually launching it in majestic fashion in Muskegon and with the men of the Fury before reporting to Muskegon's AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins where he did perform with equal polish and proficiency for the majority of the season.
As he marks his second coming to the Fury and the Muskegon title town, hockey town scene, Jeff Nelson will be utterly armed with a truly impeccable pro career portfolio of prominent, prolific, point-producing performances, predominantly achieved through a brilliant career in both the AHL and IHL; not to mention a magnificent, though brief stint to start last season with the Fury.
Last season, in the 2003-04 campaign, the 6-0, 190lb left-hand shooting forward averaged over two-points per game in 10-games in the Fury wardrobe, authoring 21-points on 7-goals, 14-assists with 6-PIM and an excellent +5 rating. His totals included 2-PPG, 2-GWG, 1-SHG, 1-FG and 27-SOG. In only his second game of the season, he essayed a prodigious 6-points' night in a 7-4 Fury conquest of archenemy Quad City. Despite his brief 10-games in Muskegon, J. Nelson was acclaimed with the UHL's coveted weekly honor of Sher-wood / UHL Player of the Week on two occasions.
The "J. Nel" Fury cameo act, however, closed when he was summoned to Grand Rapids where he also flourished in grand fashion for the remainder of the year. In fact, in his second separate tour of duty with the Griffins, the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native finished fifth in overall team scoring, engineering 44-points in 64-games on 14-goals, 30-assists with 4-PPG and 4-GWG. His lofty +13 rating ranked a lofty third best for the Fury's AHL associate.
A former second round choice, 36th overall, in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals, Nelson's composite profile is one of a magical, top-flight scoring ace of eight seasons in the AHL and another three years in the IHL, along with 52-games of experience in the NHL; with Washington 1994-95 and 1995-96 and the Nashville Predators in 1998-99. He is a veteran of 878-games and 755-career points on 878(261-494-755) through his first 12-pro seasons for a per season average of 22-goals, 41-assists, 63-points.
His elder brother, Todd, as the Fury coach, expressed elation with the re-uniting of the Nelson brothers act for the next two Fury seasons. "We saw last year what Jeff is capable of doing in the brief time that he was with us. It was tough for our great fans to see him leave for the Griffins but now Grand Rapids is moving in a different direction with the emphasis there on more of a youth movement. Jeff's new two-year deal with the Fury signals his strong commitment to our organization and his zest for winning a championship. He now knows our team and its players very well. He likes it here and feels very comfortable coming back here to play for the Fury." âT-Nel' then proceeded to talk about âJ-Nel' the player and what his presence in his lineup means for the three-time titlists. "Along with his many skills and talents, Jeff brings even more important qualities vital to the overall success of our team; such as a real wealth of character, polish, poise and style. He is a very intelligent player, a masterful passer and playmaker. His knowledge of the game and the special moments he can generate in the game can be best described as superb." Knowing little brother better than most and better than anybody, T. Nelson concluded. "Jeff generated excellent scoring numbers, again, last year. With his overall caliber of play, plus the fact that he makes his home in this area, the Fury team and the fans will really benefit from having him here as a member of our hockey club and in our community."
Prior to his initial appearance with the Fury last year, J. Nelson performed in 2002-03 under a NHL contract with the San Jose Sharks as a member of the AHL Cleveland Barons. There, he was his club's second leading point-maker, collecting 60-points on 12-goals and a team-best 48-assists in playing all 80-games. His 3-GWG and 12-multi-point games each shared the club leadership and his 34-power play points; (2-32-34) led Cleveland in the latter category as well.
This will become the fifth time that the Nelson brothers have been re-united on the same team. On three occasions they played as teammates, beginning in Major Junior âA' with their hometown team, the Prince Albert Raiders, (1988-89 & 1989-90); the AHL Portland Pirates (1993-94 & 1994-95); as well as the IHL version of Grand Rapids (1996-97).
For Jeff Nelson, his personal listing of individual career accomplishments is extraordinary. In the 2001-02 season, his lone European escapade, playing in Germany, he finished among the leaders with (13-14-27). In the 2000-01 season, his fifth and final season with Portland, he was third in team scoring with 80(18-37-55). In 1999-00, he ranked second in goals (24) and points (54). In 1998-99, his second year with IHL Milwaukee, he was third in Admirals' scoring with 70(20-31-51), also appearing in 9-games that same season with NHL Nashville. The 1997-98 year found him finishing second in the Milwaukee point-production parade with 52(20-34-54).
Playing with defenseman brother Todd in 1996-97 with Grand Rapids, Jeff ranked a lofty 10th IHL league-wide and runner-up in Griffins team scoring with 82(34-55-89), earning a coveted berth on the IHL All-Star Team. Perhaps, though, his most prolific seasons came consecutively in 1993-94 and 1994-95 with Portland, where, again, as a teammate of Todd's, he distinguished himself as the AHL's most pre-eminent center. He was crowned his club's scoring kingpin each campaign, registering 83-points in just 64-games on 33-goals, 50-assists in '93-94, finishing among the top 10 league scoring elite. While the following year, he and Todd shared a magical AHL Calder Cup Championship together with Jeff enjoying his best season to date, amassing an amazing 107-points in 80-games on 34-goals, 73-assists to finish fourth in league scoring. J. Nelson climaxed that campaign with a crescendo, being anointed team winner of the Player's Player Award. It was the second such time in which he had been so honored, capturing the same laurels later on in the 2000-01 season, also with Portland.
Jeff Nelson has been a natural from the very start; seemingly born to score. During his remarkable four-year career in the WHL with Prince Albert, three times he led his Raiders in point-productivity, twice eclipsing the prestigious 100-points plateau while earning 97-points in the one other season. Three times he was named to the WHL All-Star Team and two times he was heralded Canadian Major Junior Scholastic Player of the Year. Moreover, Nelson was acclaimed Team MVP and Rookie of the Year. In the 1990-91 season, he established an all-time WHL scoring record by registering a phenomenal 56-games' point-scoring streak.
Today's signing of center JEFF NELSON brings to 11 the number of players currently under contract for the 2004-05 season with 9 of those recognized as returnees from the 2003-04 UHL Championship contingent. Previously, Muskegon announced the player signings of defensemen NOLAN BROWN, JORDON FLODELL, TYLER PALMER. Centers BILLY COLLINS, TODD ROBINSON; left wing DAVID AMBLER; right wings ROBIN BOUCHARD, RUSTYN DOLYNY, SCOTT HOLLIS, JASON LAWMASTER.
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International Hockey League 2 Stories from August 5, 2004
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- Champion Fury sign star center Jeff Nelson - Muskegon Lumberjacks
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