Eight Players Receive Qualifying Offers
Published on July 1, 2004 under ECHL (ECHL)
Pensacola Ice Pilots News Release
Pensacola, FL - The Pensacola Ice Pilots, under the ownership group of Hockey Enterprises of Pensacola L.L.C. with owner Tim Kerr, announced that forwards Tyler Beechey, Brett Gibson, Greg Chambers, Aaron Phillips and Jade Galbraith along with defensemen Kent Sauer and Aaron Gionet and goalie Terry Friesen have received qualifying offers from the Ice Pilots for the 2004-2005 season.
Beechey played in 69 games for the Ice Pilots last season and was the team's second leading scorer with 60 points scoring 25 goals and picking up 35 assists. Beechey was the leading scorer for the Ice Pilots during the playoffs scoring five points in the five playoff games scoring three goals and two assists. He scored the game winning goal in overtime of Game Three of the Kelly Cup Playoff series vs. the Louisiana IceGators.
Gibson played in 45 games for the Ice Pilots last year scoring 11 goals, 2 assists for 13 points and picked up 32 penalty minutes and played in all five playoff games picking up four penalty minutes.
Phillips played in 70 games for the Ice Pilots last season scoring 20 goals, 21 assists for 41 points and picked up 42 penalty minutes. He played in all five playoff games last year scoring two goals, one assist for three points including scoring the game winning goal in Game Four of the Kelly Cup Playoff series vs. Louisiana.
Galbraith played in 28 games last season for the Ice Pilots scoring 5 goals, 17 assists for 22 points and picked up 25 penalty minutes. He played in a total of 72 games in the ECHL last season scoring 16 goals, 38 assists for 54 points and picked up 103 penalty minutes while also playing for Cincinnati, Dayton and Florence.
Chambers played in 57 games for the Ice Pilots last year scoring 12 goals, 30 assists for 42 points and picked up 12 penalty minutes. He represented the Ice Pilots in the ECHL All-Star Game last season.
Sauer played in 61 games for the Ice Pilots last year scoring 4 goals, 12 assists for 16 points and picked up 94 penalty minutes and played in all five Kelly Cup Playoff games picking up four penalty minutes.
Gionet played in 60 games for the Ice Pilots last season scoring 2 goals, 9 assists for 11 points and picked up 103 penalty minutes and played in 68 games overall in the ECHL last year scoring 2 goals, 9 assists for 11 points picking up 116 penalty minutes. Gionet also played for Reading last year and played in all five playoff games for the Ice Pilots picking up ten penalty minutes.
Friesen played in one playoff game last year for the Ice Pilots in Game One of the Kelly Cup Playoff Series vs. Louisiana relieving Brian Eklund in the third period playing 20 minutes stopping 12 out of 14 shots. He played the entire regular season last year with Fresno of the ECHL posting a record of 5-19-4 with a 4.54 goals against average and .871 save percentage.
Each team in the ECHL was entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four could be veterans (288 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2004-2005 season). Players on open qualifying offers can not be traded.
The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until August 1 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.
A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player will retain the rights to that veteran until August 1. After August 1, if the veteran player is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contr act offer from a team other than the team with the player's rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player's rights and the Professional Hockey Players' Association. The member with the player's rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.
If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by August 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.
The Ice Pilots will begin the 2004-2005 regular season at Mississippi on October 23 and play their home opener Saturday, October 30 vs. the Kelly Cup Finalist's Florida Everblades at 7:05 p.m.
Season tickets for all 36 home games for floor and glass seats are $649.44, side seats are $459.00, goal seats and lower upper seats are $411.84 and upper seats cost $324.00. 16 game plans, 8 game plans and flex packs also are available. Fans can call the Ice Pilots office at 432-7825 for season ticket and corporate sponsorship information.
ECHL Stories from July 1, 2004
- Storm re-sign five and add two - Toledo Walleye
- Gladiators extend qualifying offers - Atlanta Gladiators
- Ice Dogs extend qualifying offers to 5 players - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Garrow remains in Gulls' nest 2004-2005 - San Diego Gulls
- Rivermen Re-sign Four; Extend Qualifying Offers to Six More - Peoria Rivermen
- Falcons Extend Qualifying Offers to Seven Players - Fresno Falcons
- Eight Players Receive Qualifying Offers - Pensacola Ice Pilots
- Players With Signed ECHL Contracts As Of June 30 - ECHL
- ECHL Releases List of 178 Qualified Players - ECHL
- Steelheads extend qualifying offers to seven players - Idaho Steelheads
- Sea Wolves Qualify Five Players - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- IceGators send out Qualifying Offers - Louisiana IceGators
- Wranglers sign Attard and Wright - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Eight Is Indeed Enough - Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
- Crane and Pittman return - Trenton Devils
- Aces dispatch eight qualifying offers - Alaska Aces
- Royals Make Qualifying Offers to Maximum Eight Players - Reading Royals
- Qualifying Offers Extended to Barber and Lent - San Diego Gulls
- Titans qualify four players - Trenton Devils
- Grrrowl qualify six and sign two - Greenville Grrrowl
- Thrashers Sign Gladiators Top Scorer - Atlanta Gladiators
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