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CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Announce Veterans

October 1, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


WINDSOR, CO – The Colorado Eagles of the Central Hockey League (CHL) announced the four returning veterans for their upcoming 2004-05 season. Right wing Greg Pankewicz, left wing Ryan Tobler, center Riley Nelson, and defenseman Brad Williamson bring fire power to the Eagles offense.

The night was a meet and greet with fans that doubled as a fund raiser for Northern Colorado youth organizations. Over 500 people attended the event for which Budweiser donated free beer and Johnny Carino's donated free food to add to the evening's festivities. In addition to the four veteran players, the Eagles introduced the rest of the signed players, Slapshot and the 2004-05 Pioneer Press Eagles Chicks. The inaugural season highlight video was displayed for the first time, and a live band followed the announcements.

The second year team had tough decisions in the off-season after the CHL instated a new veteran rule that states that each team may have a maximum of four players with 260 professional games or more. With the loss of Brent Thompson one week ago, the Eagles coaching staff had only one more decision to make. The Eagles opted for fire-power and decided to let go of goaltender Ryan Bach. Bach finished the season tied for the league lead in wins with 33, had a 2.32 goals-against-average and was tied for the league lead in shutouts with six.

The Eagles welcome back their top three leading scorers from a year ago for the 2004-05 season, right wing Greg Pankewicz, left wing Ryan Tobler and center Riley Nelson.

Pankewicz, a native of Drayton Valley, Alberta led the Eagles in scoring last season with 96 points (46G, 50A), a total that also landed him second overall in the CHL. His 46 goals were the most in the league along with his 11 game-winning goals. He was voted as the Best Overall Player by the CHL and was a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award. Pankewicz was a Northern Conference All-Star last season and finished with one goal and three assists in the contest. The fifteen-year pro played 21 games in the National Hockey League (NHL), 18 for the Calgary Flames in 1998-99 and three for the Ottawa Senators in 1993-94.

Tobler, a native of Calgary, Alberta played 51 games for the Eagles in 2003-04 before being called up to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL). His 79 points (30G, 49A) were tops of any Eagles player before he moved on to Wilkes-Barre. Tobler finished tied for sixth in points in the CHL, and was voted by the CHL as being the Best Power Forward in the league despite the fact his season in the CHL was cut short. The left wing also has NHL experience, playing four games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2001-02.

Nelson, a native of Cranbrook, British Columbia had his most successful professional season with the Eagles in 2003-04. He set career highs in assists (49), points (82), penalty minutes (43), and playoff points (6). He was ranked fourth in the CHL in scoring and landed in the top ten in assists. Nelson was second on the Eagles roster to Pankewicz in goals (33), points and assists. He was called up to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL and played four games before returning to the Eagles.

Williamson, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario was named a starter in the CHL All-Star Game, and was eighth in scoring among defenseman with 41 points (8G, 33A). His 41 points tied his career high set in 2002-03 with the South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). He was one of only two Eagles players to play in all 64 regular-season games along with left wing Karlis Zirnis. In the absence of Thompson and Bach, Williamson will be looked upon to bring leadership to the Eagles blue line this season.

The Eagles second season of play begins on October 22 at the Ford Center against the Oklahoma City Blazers. The home opener is on October 29 when the Memphis RiverKings come to town. There are two pre-season games at the Budweiser events center on October 15 and 16 as the Eagles face off against the Tulsa Oilers.

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