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Published on January 9, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Gwinnett Gladiators (14-15-4) at Charlotte Checkers (17-14-2) 7 p.m. ET
- Checkers are 7-3-0 in their last 10 home games against Gwinnett.
- Pat Bateman leads the Gladiators against Charlotte with four goals and seven points in five games.
- Charlotte rookie Michel Leveille has a five-game goal streak (5g) and a five-game point streak (5g-2a).
- Joe Fallon is 2-0-0 with a shootout win and a goals-against average of 2.40 in his first two starts for Gwinnett.

Mississippi Sea Wolves (15-16-3) at Florida Everblades (21-8-2) 7:30 p.m. ET
- Everblades have won the last eight meetings with the Sea Wolves including 4-0-0 this season.
- Ryan Cruthers leads Mississippi against Florida with four goals and is tied for team lead with five points.
- Kevin Baker leads the Everblades against Mississippi with five goals and 10 points in four games.
- Ryan Menei leads Mississippi in the last five games with five assists and seven points.

Trenton Devils (14-14-3) at Cincinnati Cyclones (16-14-5) 7:30 p.m. ET
- Mark Van Guilder leads the Cyclones against Trenton with three assists and five points in two games.
- Trenton rookie Jeff Prough has a four-game point streak (4g-3a) and a three-game goal streak (4g).
- Cincinnati rookie Jimmy Kilpatrick had first hat trick and tied career-high with three points on Dec. 28 at Trenton.
- Trenton's Gerald Coleman is 6-0-1 with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.48 in his last eight games.

Johnstown Chiefs (21-11-2) at Elmira Jackals (16-14-4) 7:35 p.m. ET
- Jackals' Josh Aspenlind has an eight-game point streak (4g-5a) and a three-game assist streak (3a).
- Chiefs are 3-1-0 in the season series against Elmira and 7-4-2 all-time against the Jackals.
- Elmira's David Shantz is 2-1-1 with a goals-against average of 2.49 against Johnstown.
- Ryan Del Monte leads the Chiefs against Elmira with three assists and five points in four games.

Dayton Bombers (18-12-4) at Wheeling Nailers (22-6-5) 7:35 p.m. ET
- Nailer rookie Jordan Morrison has a nine-game point streak (5g-15a) and a seven-game assist streak (15a).
- Jarret Lukin leads the Bombers against Wheeling with five goals and eight points in six games.
- Wheeling's David Brown is 3-0-0 with a goals-against average of 1.67 in his last three starts.
- Dayton's Justin Bowers is second among ECHL rookies with 24 assists and is tied for third with 35 points.

Las Vegas Wranglers (14-14-3) at Utah Grizzlies (13-14-5) 7:05 p.m. MT
- Ryan Kinasewich leads the Grizzlies in the last five games with six points (2g-4a).
- Rookie Adam Miller leads the Wranglers against Utah with four assists and five points in five games.
- Utah's Mike Walsh has three points (0g-3a) in his last three games.
- Wranglers' John DeCaro is 2-0-0 with a goals-against average of 1.46 in two games against Utah.

Reading Royals (10-24-2) at Idaho Steelheads (19-12-2) 7:10 p.m. MT
- Royals won the first meeting 6-1 at Reading on Nov. 1, 2008.
- Idaho's Bryan McGregor has six points (5g-1a) in his last six games.
- Reading's Brock Hooton has a four-game point streak (5g-4a) and a two-game goal streak (3g).
- Steelheads rookie Matt Climie is 5-1-0 with a shutout and a goals-against average of 1.60 in his last six starts.

Alaska Aces (19-13-2) at Bakersfield Condors (11-18-4) 7 p.m. PT
- Condors lead the season series 2-1-0 and are 17-18-6 all-time against Alaska.
- Colin Hemingway leads the Aces against Bakersfield with six points (1g-5a).
- Chad Painchaud leads the Condors against Alaska with three assists and five points in three games.
- Alaska rookie Erik Felde tied career highs on Dec. 3 (2g-0a) and Dec. 6 (1g-1a) against Condors.

Ontario Reign (19-12-2) at Victoria Salmon Kings (24-9-2) 7:05 p.m. PT
- Victoria's Todd Ford is 7-0-0 with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.57 in his last seven games.
- Jon Francisco leads the Reign against Victoria with three assists and four points in two games.
- Salmon Kings' Wes Goldie has 16 goals and 19 points in his last 13 games.
- Reign rookie Chris Curran has five points (2g-3a) in his last six games.

Longest Winning Streak, One Season
17 - Cincinnati Cyclones, Jan. 16-Feb. 29, 2008
14 - Louisiana IceGators, Nov. 23-Dec. 22, 2001
Knoxville Cherokees, Dec. 28, 1993-Jan. 29, 1994
13 - Victoria Salmon Kings, Dec. 6 to present
Las Vegas Wranglers, Mar. 10-Apr. 7, 2007
12 - South Carolina Stingrays, Nov. 28-Dec. 31, 2007
Las Vegas Wranglers, Dec. 3-28, 2005
Pensacola Ice Pilots, Jan. 22-Feb. 18, 2005
Wheeling Nailers, Feb. 20-Mar. 12, 2004
Florida Everblades, Dec. 14, 1999-Jan. 13, 2000
Chesapeake Icebreakers, Feb. 14-Mar. 13, 1998
Erie Panthers, 1989-90

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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 21 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.
- 386 former ECHL players have played in NHL.
- 130 have played their first NHL game in the last four seasons.
- 31 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 Florida Everblades defenseman Brett Carson (Carolina on Dec. 7), 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 Dayton Bombers center Philippe Dupuis (Colorado on Dec. 12), 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 South Carolina Stingrays right wing Andrew Gordon (Washington on Dec. 23), 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 Gwinnett Gladiators defenseman Scott Lehman (Atlanta on Dec. 18), 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 Idaho Steelheads left wing Warren Peters (Calgary on Dec. 7), former Charlotte Checkers defenseman Corey Potter (New York Rangers on Dec. 7), former Charlotte Checkers, Columbia Inferno and Elmira Jackals defenseman Bryan Rodney (Carolina on Dec. 11), 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 Utah Grizzlies and ECHL All-Star center Trevor Smith (New York Islanders on Dec. 31), former Johnstown Chiefs and Mississippi Sea Wolves forward Radek Smolenak (Tampa Bay on Dec. 2), former Augusta Lynx defenseman Brett Skinner (New York Islanders on Oct. 27), former Las Vegas Wranglers and ECHL All-Star defenseman Tyson Strachan (St. Louis on Dec. 18), former Wheeling Nailers right wing Tim Wallace (Pittsburgh on Dec. 10) and former Idaho Steelheads center Tom Wandell (Dallas on Dec. 10).
- 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.

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ECHL Stories from January 9, 2009


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