
ECHL Today
December 7, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release
Charlotte Checkers (9-9-2) at Gwinnett Gladiators (9-6-4) 4:05 p.m.
ET
- Checkers won 1-0 at Charlotte on Nov. 23 to take 2-1-0 lead in the season
series against Gwinnett.
- Gwinnett's Kevin
Nastiuk is 3-0-1 with a shootout win and a goals-against average of
2.40 in his last four games.
- Charlotte's Jeff
Jakaitis is 1-0-0 with 31 saves and a shutout against Gwinnett.
- Gladiators' Brad
Schell (5g-4a) and Jordan
Fox (3g-6a) have combined for 18 points in the last five games.
Elmira Jackals (11-7-2) at Reading Royals (5-17-1) 5:05 p.m.
ET
- Jackals won 6-3 at home on Friday and are 3-0-1 in season series and
8-4-3 all-time against Reading.
- Royals' Tyler
Doig has scored four points (3g-1a) in his last two games.
- Elmira's Mitch
O'Keefe is 3-0-0 with a goals-against average of 2.00 in three games
against Reading.
- Reading's Peder
Skinner has three points (0g-3a) in his first two games since being
acquired from Phoenix.
Victoria Salmon Kings (12-9-2) at Ontario Reign (12-8-2) 5 p.m.
PT
- Ontario rookie John
Murray is 4-0-0 with a shutout and a goals-against average of 1.22 in
his last four starts.
- Salmon Kings' Julien
Ellis is 2-1-0 with a goals-against average of 1.68 in his first three
starts of the season.
- Jon
Francisco leads the Reign against Victoria with two assists and three
points.
- Victoria's Wes
Goldie has five goals in his last four games and is tied for second in
the ECHL with 16 goals.
Stockton Thunder (8-10-3) at Fresno Falcons (14-7-1) 5:05 p.m.
PT
- Falcons have won the last four meetings to improve to 24-6-1 all-time
against Stockton.
- Thunder rookie Toby
LaFrance has four points (1g-3a) in his last five games.
- Fresno's Jarrett
Konkle has four goals and four points in his last five games.
- Stockton is 6-0-2 when leading after two periods on the road.
Watch Games Live on B2 Networks, the "Official Broadband Broadcast Provider" of the ECHL
Premier 'AA' Hockey League Fast Facts
- The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and is the
third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National
Hockey League and the American Hockey League.
- ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be
a coast-to-coast league with 22 teams in 16 states and British Columbia in
2008-09.
- The Reading Royals, the City of Reading and the Sovereign Center will
host the 17th
Annual ECHL All-Star Game on Jan. 21, 2009 and the 12th Annual All-Star
Skills Competition on Jan. 20, 2009.
- The league officially changed its name from East Coast Hockey League to
ECHL on May
19, 2003.
- Affiliations with 24 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League
marking 12th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with
at least 20 teams in the NHL.
- 375 former ECHL
players have played in NHL.
- 119 have played their first NHL game in the last four seasons.
- 20 former ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season: former
Wheeling Nailers and ECHL All-Star defenseman Paul
Bissonnette (Pittsburgh on Oct. 4) , former Bakersfield Condors center
Alexandre
Bolduc (Vancouver on Nov. 27), former South Carolina Stingrays
defenseman Sean
Collins (Washington on Dec. 6), former Las Vegas Wranglers and Wheeling
Nailers goaltender John
Curry (Pittsburgh on Nov. 26), former Greenville Grrrowl goaltender Jeff
Drouin-Deslauriers (Edmonton on Oct. 17) , former Johnstown Chiefs
center Andre
Deveaux (Toronto on Nov. 27), former Gwinnett Gladiators right wing Pat
Dwyer former Columbus Cottonmouths and Tallahassee Tiger Sharks left
wing Mitch
Fritz (New York Islanders on Oct. 30), former Charlotte Checkers center
Dwight
Helminen (Carolina on Oct. 28), former Trenton Devils right wing Pierre-Luc
Letourneau-Leblond (New Jersey on Oct. 22), former Charlotte Checkers
defenseman Steve
MacIntyre (Edmonton on Oct. 15), former Florida Everblades left wing Kenndal
McArdle (Florida on Dec. 2), former Phoenix RoadRunners and Wheeling
Nailers center Cam
Paddock (St. Louis on Nov. 14), former Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman
Adam
Pardy (Calgary on Oct. 9), former Gwinnett Gladiators center Jared
Ross (Philadelphia on Oct. 11) , former Alaska Aces goaltender Marek
Schwarz (St. Louis on Oct. 25), former Greenville Grrrowl and Stockton
Thunder center Tim
Sestito (Edmonton on Nov. 26), former Dayton Bombers and Las Vegas
Wranglers defenseman Tyler
Sloan (Washington on Oct. 21), former Johnstown Chiefs and Mississippi
Sea Wolves forward Radek
Smolenak (Tampa Bay on Dec. 2) and former Augusta Lynx defenseman Brett
Skinner (New York Islanders on Oct. 27).
- There were 72
former ECHL players on NHL opening-day rosters.
- Twenty-six former ECHL players made their NHL debut in 2007-08 including
six who played in both the ECHL and the NHL: Chris
Beckford-Tseu (Alaska and St. Louis), Adam
Berti (Pensacola and Chicago), Joe
Jensen (Wheeling and Carolina), Dan
LaCosta (Elmira and Columbus), Jonathan
Quick (Reading and Los Angeles) and Danny
Taylor (Reading and Los Angeles).
- Record 47 former ECHL players played their first NHL game in 2005-06.
- ECHL is represented for the eighth consecutive year on the National
Hockey League championship team in 2008 by
Aaron Downey of the Detroit Red Wings.
- Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce
Boudreau of the Washington Capitals and Scott
Gordon of the New York Islanders. Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for
three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999, was named
NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach
to receive the award. Peter Laviolette, who began his coaching career with
the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in
2006.
- There are 18 assistant coaches in the NHL who were players or coaches in
the ECHL.
- There are 18 former ECHL officials scheduled to work as part of the NHL
officiating team in 2008-09 with referees David
Banfield, Chris
Ciamaga, Ghislain
Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan
O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin
St. Pierre and Ian Walsh and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim
Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Joannette, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock,
Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
- ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey
League and for the past 19 years there has been an ECHL player on the
Calder Cup Champion.
- In the last six seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than
all other professional leagues combined with over 2,000 call-ups involving
more than 1,000 players since 2002-03.
- Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.
ECHL Stories from December 7, 2008
- Falcons Undefeated Against Stockton - Fresno Falcons
- Reign Fall 3-2 In First Loss To Salmon Kings - Ontario Reign
- Royals Snap Streak With Shootout Win Over Elmira, 6-5 - Reading Royals
- Thunder escape with a point, Blackwater nets game-winner in OT - Stockton Thunder
- Salmon Kings End Road Trip On Winning Note - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Game Preview: Ontario Reign Vs. Victoria Salmon Kings - Ontario Reign
- Checkers Can't Hold Lead, Lose to Gladiators, 3-2 - Charlotte Checkers
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- Game Preview: Stockton Thunder At Fresno Falcons - Stockton Thunder
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Holt Shuts Out Bakersfield - Alaska Aces
- Aces avoid sweep, shut down Condors - Bakersfield Condors
- Victoria clips the Falcons - Fresno Falcons
- Reign Notch First Shutout Win in Club History - Ontario Reign
- Thunder victimized by Murray's 26 saves, first shutout in Reign history - Stockton Thunder
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.
