Condors Add Two More Up Front
August 6, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Bakersfield Condors News Release
Bakersfield, Calif. â The Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL added a pair of playmakers to the lineup, signing C Mike Hofstrand and LW Brett Lutes. The duo brings the Condors roster to nine players.
Hofstrand, 26, played last season in Stuttgart, Germany, where he put up 65 points in 52 games, finishing second on the team in goals, assists and points. It was his third season in the pro ranks, as he spent the previous two seasons with Elmira in the United Hockey League. He registered 48 points in 68 games with the Jackals in 2002-03 and was his team's highest scoring rookie with 16 goals and 40 points in 69 games in 2001-02. Hofstrand is a native of Fort St. John, British Columbia, along with returning second-year winger Todd Alexander. Prior to turning pro, the 5'10", 175-pound pivot attended the South Alberta Institute of Technology where he was an All-Canada player twice and CCHA Player of the Year in 2000-01.
Lutes, 22, joins the Condors after playing in 2003-04 with the University of St. Thomas Tommies. He played three full seasons of junior hockey with the Montreal Rocket, never scoring less than 66 points. Lutes averaged over a point per game during his junior years, notching 100 goals and 231 points in 210 games. In 2001-02 he led Montreal in goals and points and in 2002-03 he led the team in assists and points. The St. Louis Blue drafted Lutes in the 7th round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft after he played in Midget AAA. He also attended the Dallas Stars training camp in 2003. He tied for the team lead in assists and was second in points with the Tommies last season.
"Hofstrand is a good fit for our team because he's a natural center," said Head Coach Marty Raymond. "We were sorry to let Andrew Ianiero go, but we feel Mike is able to fill in that role of a second or third line center very well. With Lutes we get a good young talent with good scoring touch. He scored a lot of goals with Montreal."
Stats for Hofstrand and Lutes are listed below. The Condors now have nine players under contract, along with David Kudelka, Ryan Gillis, Ryan Coole and Guy Dupuis on the blueline and Paul Rosebush, Martin Streit, and Todd Alexander at forward. The 2004-05 Bakersfield Condors season opens in 78 days at home on October 22nd against the expansion Victoria Salmon Kings. Ticket packages are on sale now for as low as $48. Contact the BSE office at 324-PUCK (7825) for more information.
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ECHL Stories from August 6, 2004
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