Columbus Assigns Levokari to Syracuse

Published on December 2, 2002 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release

Syracuse, NY (December 2, 2002) – The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the Columbus Blue Jackets assigned defenseman Pauli Levokari to the Crunch after acquiring him in a trade today along with right wing Tomi Kallio for right wing Chris Nielsen and the rights to defenseman Petteri Nummelin. Levokari is expected to join the Crunch in time for Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.

Levokari, 24, tallied one assist and 12 penalty minutes in six games with the Chicago Wolves and eight penalty minutes in four games with the Greenville Grrrowl (ECHL). A native of Luvia, Finland, the 6-foot-7, 260 pound defenseman spent the previous eight years playing in Finland, registering 64 points (35g, 39a) and 577 penalty minutes in 309 games. He appeared in 29 games with HIFK Helsinki in 2001-02, posting eight points (3g, 5a) and 86 penalty minutes. Levokari represented Finland at the Under-20 World Championships in 1998 and the Under-19 World Championships in 1997. He was Atlanta's 10th pick, 257th overall, in the 2002 Entry Draft.

Nielsen appeared in all 19 Crunch games this season, recording one goal, three assists and eight penalty minutes. A native of Moshi, Tanzania, Nielsen played in 113 career Crunch games tallying 23 goals, 26 assists and 50 penalty minutes.

Syracuse returns to action on Wednesday, December 4 in a Central Division match-up against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. Tickets are available by calling the Crunch's sales office at (315) 473-4444, stopping by the Oncenter Box Office, located on the State Street side of the War Memorial or by calling TicketMaster at (315) 472-0700.

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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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