Checkers sign Egeland - LaGrand and Hartman to consult, New uniforms for 04-05
July 8, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
(Charlotte, NC - Thursday, July 8) - The Charlotte Checkers announce the signing of veteran center Allan Egeland as a player and assistant coach for the 2004-05 season, the appointment of Scott LaGrand as a consultant, and the appointment of Mike Hartman as a volunteer consultant. The procurement of the trio is announced today by Checkers Head Coach and General Manager Derek Wilkinson. In addition, the Checkers will be debuting new uniforms for the 2004-05 season with the announcement being made today by Checkers President Jeff Longo.
Egeland's primary obligation for the coming season will be as a player. He will also assist Wilkinson as an assistant coach by helping with recruiting, practice planning, and game preparation. Wilkinson commented on Egeland's return to the Checkers and his new role. "Allan and I are former teammates and I've known him for a long time. He wants to get into the next phase of his career and get some experience in coaching. Allan is a leader on and off the ice (served as captain the past two seasons) and will be a great help to our organization."
Egeland talked about coming back to Charlotte for a third season as well as his new duties as an assistant coach. "Charlotte is a great city, the Checkers are a great organization and the fans are terrific. I want to help the Checkers in any way I can so that we can get back to the playoffs. I've also been thinking about coaching and this is a great opportunity to get a foot in the door, and to be a player / assistant coach is the best of both worlds. I'm also looking forward to working with someone I consider to be one of the outstanding young coaches in the ECHL in Derek Wilkinson."
Allan returns to the Checkers for a third season and will begin his 11th professional campaign. Allan was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 3rd round (55th overall) in the 1993 National Hockey League Entry Draft. He spent his first six pro seasons splitting time between the NHL, International Hockey League and American Hockey League. Egeland played 17 games in the NHL, all with Tampa Bay. He was a former teammate of Wilkinson in both the IHL with the Atlanta Knights and in the NHL with Tampa Bay. Egeland spent one season with the expansion Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL in 2001-02 before joining the Checkers the following season. Brother Tracy played 12 games with the Checkers during the 1999-2000 season, and is now the Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the Grande Valley Killer Bees in the Central Hockey League.
Scott LaGrand will join the Checkers Hockey Operations Department this season to serve as a consultant. His main responsibilities will include recruiting and player evaluation. LaGrand is a former teammate of Wilkinson's with the IHL's Atlanta Knights. He has worked successfully the past three seasons in a similar capacity with Macon, Richmond and Reading of the ECHL. "Scott LaGrand is an intelligent and well respected hockey person who will be a big help to me as we attempt to get back to our winning ways," remarked Wilkinson. Scott resides in Pensacola, Florida and will make that city his base of operations, while making occasional trips to Charlotte during the season. "I'm really looking forward to this opportunity," said LaGrand. "The Checkers are a great organization and I will thoroughly enjoy working with Derek Wilkinson." As a player, LaGrand spent his collegiate career at Boston College. In the pros he played in the American Hockey League, International Hockey League, and ECHL.
Former National Hockey League star and Charlotte Checker Mike Hartman will be joining the Checkers Hockey Operations Department as a volunteer consultant. The popular winger has spent parts of four seasons with the Checkers since 1997, after amassing 397 games in the NHL and also winning a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994. The past two seasons Hartman has filled in on the ice when the Checkers were short-handed due to callups and injuries, and performed admirably. "Mike had a terrific and long NHL career and his experience will be a tremendous benefit to our younger players," commented Wilkinson. "He will be helping our team with specialized training and off-ice training as well. It's very nice of Mike to volunteer his time to help the Checkers organization." Hartman talked about his new role this coming season for the Checkers. "I love Charlotte and the Checkers, and this will be an outlet for me to do what I have a passion for and that's helping younger players. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity."
NEW UNIFORMS FOR 2004-05
The Checker are also announcing today that they will be debuting new uniforms for the coming 2004-05 season. Checkers President Jeff Longo commented on the new team sweaters. "The new jerseys will provide us with a fresh and traditional hockey look. The fans are very excited about our return to a more traditional style, and we feel our new jerseys will be very well received."
The primary colors on the new Checkers jerseys will be navy and red. To start the season, the home jersey will be white with navy and red trim, while the road jersey will be navy with red and white trim. In ECHL tradition, the home and road jerseys will be reversed at mid-season. The revised Checkers logo that was introduced just prior to the 2002-03 season will remain intact and prominent on the new jerseys.
The Checkers home opener for the 2004-05 season will be held on Saturday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Cricket Arena when Charlotte will host the Columbia Inferno. Season tickets for the upcoming season are now on sale. Fans may call the Checkers office at (704) 342-4423 for complete information.
ECHL Stories from July 8, 2004
- Luke Robitaille at Ice Sports Center - Bakersfield Condors
- Blades Sign Second Player For 2004-05 - Florida Everblades
- Sirois back for season seven - Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz
- Rays Sign Courtenay and Daubenspeck - South Carolina Stingrays
- Checkers sign Egeland - LaGrand and Hartman to consult, New uniforms for 04-05 - Charlotte Checkers
- Nailers and Stratford Springs Form Corporate Partnership - Wheeling Nailers
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.
