Clayton Pool signs for 2005-06 season
Published on July 7, 2005 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release
MUSKEGON, MI.---Celebrating the summer with their second consecutive Colonial Cup Championship and their third in the last four seasons, the Muskegon Fury of the United Hockey League continue the task of laying the foundation for a 2005-06 roster that will lead them to the league's promised land for an unprecedented third year in a row.
More major progress in this area was realized today when Fury Team Owner and Club President Tony Lisman, in collaboration with Director of Hockey Operations / Head Coach Todd Nelson, announced that promising, top-flight goaltender CLAYTON POOL has agreed to terms and signed a new one-year contract for the upcoming 2005-06 UHL campaign. Assenting to team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
POOL, 26, will be embarking on his second season with the Fury and in the UHL, though, under the league's by-laws, will still be recognized as a rookie, first-year pro. Arriving on the Muskegon championship hockey scene in 2004-05, following a magnificent, star-studded five-year Canadian Collegiate career at the U. of Alberta, Pool completed the sometimes tricky transition from the college to the pro ranks with an absolutely extraordinary debut season in helping spark the Fury to both Central Division and Tarry Cup regular season titles culminated by the franchise fourth Colon-ial Cup crown in the last six calendar years.
In his initial pro campaign of 2004-05, the 6-0, 180lb human puck detour was dynamic as he led the Fury in games played in by a goaltender with 33, recording a brilliant mark of 33(18-6-5) with a stellar and stingy 2.37 GAA, a .914 SPCT and 2-shutouts. His superb .707 winning percentage ranked a lofty second best in the UHL while his 2.37 GAA was the fourth best and his .914 SPCT listed him as sixth in the UHL in that key category. Muskegon's new #1 goal-keeper climaxed his first pro season achieving much grandeur, capturing two coveted Fury team awards, including Team Rookie of the Year and "The Great Saves Award."
Pool's first-ever pro coach, Nelson, is looking forward, with much eager anticipation, to the return of his newly-anointed top goaltender. "With the UHL's new rookie format now in place, where each team must have four first-year players in their lineup, we must become much more selective and intelligent concerning rookie roster spots. We need to have rookies that will play well and make a significant contribution to the team. Clayton certainly falls into this category, even though it is his second year, he is still considered a rookie. Last season, prior to the return of Sylvain Daigle, Clayton was truly outstanding, actually positioning himself as our number one goalie. For the 2005-06 season, he is now ready to take the next step in being the Fury's full-fledged top man." The Fury bench pilot proceeded to cite his net-minder's numbers which reflected a masterful first-year in Muskegon. "Clayton's numbers speak for them-selves. As a first-year goalie, he was ranked in the top four in the league. He has convincingly demonstrated that he can be and will be the Fury's number one goaltender. Furthermore, he possesses outstanding character in the dressing room, is very popular with his teammates and his teammates want to play for him. These qualities are nearly as important as the high-skill and talent level that he has already shown us. I'm looking for really big things from Clayton in the new season."
As for Pool, himself, he is enthused and excited in becoming the two-time kingpins top puck-stopping backstop. "Certainly, I'm quite excited and thrilled to be returning to the Fury as the number one goaltender; especially in our bid for a third straight championship. This represents a great opportunity for me as Muskegon always has a strong, title-contending club which has made a major commitment to me. To be the Fury's guy is really something to be excited about. I'm confident and I know that I'll be ready to meet the challenge and show what I can do."
The Abbotsford, B.C. native came to the Fury last year armed with a veritable array of personal accomplishments and achievements with many of those unprecedented in the annals of Canadian Collegiate hockey history. For his five-year career at the U. of Alberta, he composed an extraordinary overall record of (99-15-13) in 136-games for a winning percentage of an astronomical .831. Moreover, he posted a sterling 2.17 GAA, .916 SPCT and 18-shutouts. In the 2003-04 season alone, he registered a virtually impeccable 18(15-1-2) mark in 20-outings with 2-shutouts, 1.91 GAA and .935 SPCT as the Golden Bears completed that season with an amazing record of 44(40-2-2). With that 1.91 GAA, Pool, for a record-smashing fifth straight year, led the CIS Canada West Conference for lowest GAA, a feat unprecedented in conference history.
His in-conference Canada West Conference career record is even more stunning. In 88-games, Pool authored an utterly remarkable mark of 88(72-5-11) for a .881 winning percentage, 13-shutouts, 2.01 GAA and .921 SPCT. Pool's post-season playoffs' portfolio is a proud one as well. His career numbers in that category read in 13-games, a 10-2-0 record with 2-shutouts, 2.40 GAA and .910 SPCT.
Furthermore, Pool holds the Canada West all-time career records for shutouts (13), shutouts in one season (4), set in the 2001-02 season, as well as U. of A. standards for career shutouts (18) and most shutouts in a single season (6), the latter also set in the 2001-02 campaign. In that same 2001-02 season, he established an all-time Canada West record as well for the longest-ever playoff shutout streak consisting of 160:42.
The past season's sweep of all of the UHL's major championship hardware by the Fury just added yet another page to the Pool title timber resume as his name seems to have become synonymous with goaltending nobility and championship attainments. In addition to the Muskegon coronated crowns, Pool was named CIS All-Canadian and Canada West First Team All-Star.
Today's signing of goaltender CLAYTON POOL brings to three the number of players that the Fury have inked to pacts for the upcoming 2005-06 season. Previously, Muskegon announced the signings of center TODD ROBINSON and right wing ROBIN BOUCHARD.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from July 7, 2005
- VP of Operations Tim Taylor resigns from Fury - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- AMI Graphics partners with UHL - IHL 2
- Puck Whacker to hold tournament at Wings Stadium - Kalamazoo Wings
- Vipers acquire rights to Parrish - Roanoke Valley Vipers
- Fury unveil 2005-06 schedule - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Clayton Pool signs for 2005-06 season - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Fury unveil schedule - Muskegon Lumberjacks
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