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Former ECHL Players Sign Contracts Worth Over $60 Million

July 2, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


NEW YORK - The first day of free-agent signings in the National Hockey League on Tuesday had 14 former ECHL players signing contracts totaling more than $60 million.

The Boston Bruins signed former ECHL All-Star Michael Ryder to a three-year deal worth $12 million while the Toronto Maple Leafs signed former Reading Royals defenseman Jeff Finger to a four-year contract worth $14 million and the New York Islanders signed Mark Streit to a five-year deal worth $20.5 million.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League had affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the NHL in 2007-08, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams. There have been 355 players who have played in the NHL after the ECHL and 210 who have made their debut in the last seven seasons. Twenty-six former ECHL players made their NHL debut in 2007-08 including six who played in both the ECHL and 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).

Former Mississippi Sea Wolves and current Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau was selected as the NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08. He is one of 14 coaches with an ECHL background working behind an NHL bench including former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette, who is head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. The ECHL is represented on the Stanley Cup for the eighth consecutive year with Aaron Downey, who played his first two professional seasons with Hampton Roads, becomes the 14th former player to be a part of a NHL championship team.

Selected in the eighth round (216th overall) by Montreal in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Ryder had nine points (4g-5a) in five games with Tallahassee of the ECHL as a rookie in 2000-01 while also playing in the AHL where he had 15 points (6g-9a) in 61 games with Quebec. The 28 year old returned to the ECHL in 2001-02 and had 27 points (14g-13a) in 20 games with Mississippi. He was voted to the 2002 ECHL All-Star Game, but was not able to play after being called up to Quebec where he had 28 points (11g-17a) in 50 regular season games and one point (0g-1a) in three playoff games. Ryder, who was runner up for NHL Rookie of the Year in 2003-04, has played his first four NHL seasons with Montreal where he had 207 points (99g-108a) and 156 penalty minutes in 314 regular season games and eight points (3g-5a) and six penalty minutes in 21 playoff games.

Selected in the eighth round (240th overall) by Colorado in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Finger began his rookie season in 2003-04 with Reading and had seven points (2g-5a) and 24 penalty minutes in 10 games before being recalled to the American Hockey League where he had 11 points (2g-9a) and 88 penalty minutes in 63 games with Hershey. The 28 year old has played parts of the last two seasons in the NHL with Colorado and he has 24 points (9g-15a) and 51 penalty minutes in 94 regular season games and two assists and four penalty minutes in five playoff games.

Streit played in the ECHL as a rookie in 1999-2000 and had five assists and 16 penalty minutes in 14 games with Tallahassee before being called up to the AHL where he had 15 points (3g-12a) and 18 penalty minutes in 43 regular season games and two penalty minutes in two playoff games with Springfield. He has played the last three seasons in the NHL with Montreal where he had 109 points (25g-84a) and 70 penalty minutes in 205 regular season games and four points (1g-3a) and eight penalty minutes in 12 playoff games.

Glen Metropolit signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, who also signed former Florida Everblades defenseman Sean Curry and acquired former Reading Royals defenseman Patrik Hersley and left wing Ned Lukacevic from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for defenseman Denis Gauthier and a second-round choice in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The 34-year-old Metropolit played in the ECHL as a rookie in 1995-96 and had 61 points (30g-31a) and 62 penalty minutes in 58 regular season games and 11 points (3g-8a) and two penalty minutes in five postseason games with Nashville. He returned to the ECHL in 1996-97 and led Pensacola with nine goals, 16 assists and 25 points in 12 postseason games as the Ice Pilots advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals. He had 82 points (35g-47a) and 45 penalty minutes in 54 regular season games for Pensacola and was voted to the ECHL All-Star Game. He also played in the IHL in 1996-97 where he had nine points (5g-4a) and 14 penalty minutes in 22 regular season games and two penalty minutes in five playoff games with Quebec. In seven seasons in the NHL Metropolit has 113 points (35g-78a) and 96 penalty minutes in 262 regular season games with Atlanta, Boston, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Washington and one goal and six penalty minutes in 10 playoff games with Boston and Washington.

Selected in the seventh round (211th overall) by Carolina in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, the 6-foot-5 and 227-pound Curry had seven points (1g-6a) and 77 penalty minutes in 32 games for Florida as a rookie in 2002-03 while also playing in the American Hockey League where he had two assists and 62 penalty minutes in 35 games with Lowell. The 26 year old signed with the Everblades for 2005-06, but was called up to the AHL on Oct. 10 and had eight points (4g-4a) and 144 penalty minutes in 72 regular season games and one assist and 20 penalty minutes in six playoff games for Providence.

Selected in the fifth round (139th overall) by Los Angeles in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, the 22-year-old Hersley had 18 points (3g-15a) and 18 penalty minutes in 20 regular season games and nine points (3g-6a) and 10 penalty minutes in 13 Kelly Cup Playoff games with the Royals as a rookie. He also played in the AHL where he had nine points (1g-8a) and 27 penalty minutes in 42 games with Manchester.

Selected in the fourth round (110th overall) by the Kings in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, the 22-year-old Lukacevic had 36 points (17g-19a) and 52 penalty minutes in 61 regular season games and two assists and two penalty minutes in eight Kelly Cup Playoff games for Reading in 2007-08.

The Minnesota Wild brought back one of the most popular players in team history with the signing of Andrew Brunette to a three-year contract worth $7 million while also inking former Charlotte Checkers right wing Craig Weller to a two-year deal worth $1.2 million.

Selected by the Washington Capitals in the seventh round (174th overall) in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, the 34-year-old Brunette began his professional career in the ECHL in 1993-94 and had 30 points (12g-18a) and 32 penalty minutes in 20 regular season games and 13 points (7g-6a) and 18 penalty minutes in seven Riley Cup Playoff games for Hampton Roads. He also played in the AHL as a rookie and had 20 points (9g-11a) and 10 penalty minutes in 23 regular season games and one assist in two playoff games with Portland while playing in three games with Providence. Weller made his NHL debut with Phoenix on Oct. 4, 2007 and had 11 points (3g-8a) and 80 penalty minutes in 59 games as a rookie with the Coyotes in 2007-08. In his first professional season in 2002-03 the 27 year old had 14 points (3g-11a) and 84 penalty minutes in 48 games with Charlotte while also playing 13 games in the AHL with Hartford.

The Buffalo Sabres signed goaltender Patrick Lalime to a two-year contract worth $2 million. Selected in the sixth round (156th overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1993 National Hockey League Entry Draft, he began his professional career in 1994-95 in the ECHL with Hampton Roads where he was 15-7-3 with two shutouts, 3.35 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage in 26 games. He also played in the IHL where he was 7-10-4 with a goals-against average of 4.44 and a save percentage of .882 in 23 games for Cleveland. Lalime, who will turn 34 years old on Monday, is 191-148-43 with 35 shutouts and a goals-against average of 2.53 in 397 regular season games with Chicago, Pittsburgh, Ottawa and St. Louis and 21-20 with five shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.77 in 41 playoff games with Ottawa.

The New York Rangers announced that they agreed to terms with center Patrick Rissmiller, who played with Cincinnati in the ECHL as a rookie, and goaltender Stephen Valiquette, who began his professional career in the ECHL. Valiquette was 1-0-0 with a goals-against average of 4.03 and a save percentage of .882 in three games for Dayton in 1996-97 and 18-7-3 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 2.94 and a save percentage of .916 in 31 regular season games with Hampton Roads in 1998-99. He was 5-6-1 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 3.12 and a save percentage of .902 in 12 games for Trenton in 1999-2000, a season that also saw him go 2-0-0 with a goals-against average of 1.87 and a save percentage of .949 in six games with the New York Islanders. Rissmiller has played his first four NHL seasons with San Jose where he had 45 points (18g-27a) and 60 penalty minutes in 180 regular season games and seven points (3g-4a) and 10 penalty minutes in 30 playoff games. Valiquette is 9-6-3 with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 2.40 in 25 regular season games with Edmonton, the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers.

The Ottawa Senators signed goaltender Alex Auld to a two-year contract worth $2 million while the Phoenix Coyotes signed Todd Fedoruk to a three-year deal worth $3 million.

Selected in the second round (40th overall) by Florida in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, the 27-year-old Auld began his professional career in the ECHL in 2001-02 and was 3-1-2 with a goals-against average of 1.92 and a save percentage of .927 in six games with Columbia before being called up to Manitoba of the AHL where he was 11-9-0 with a goals-against average of 3.53 and a save percentage of .881 in 21 games. He is 58-57-18 with five shutouts and a goals-against average of 2.85 in 140 regular season NHL games with Boston, Florida, Phoenix and Vancouver and 1-2 with a goals-against average of 2.48 in four playoff games with Vancouver.

Selected by Philadelphia in the seventh round (164th overall) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, the 29-year-old Fedoruk had seven points (2g-5a) and 118 penalty minutes in 18 games with Trenton as a rookie in 1999-2000. He also played for Philadelphia in the AHL and had three points (1g-2a) and 40 penalty minutes in 19 regular season games and one assist in five playoff games. He has played seven seasons in the NHL and has 78 points (23g-55a) and 924 penalty minutes in 423 regular season games with Anaheim, Dallas, Minnesota and Philadelphia and two points (1g-1a) and 54 penalty minutes in 25 playoff games with Anaheim, Minnesota and Philadelphia.

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they have signed Olaf Kolzig to a one-year contract that could pay $2.5 million with bonuses. The Lightning are hoping that the 38 year old will battle 2003 ECHL All-Star Mike Smith for the starting spot. Kolzig was 11-9-1 and ranked third in the ECHL with a 3.41 goals against average in 21 regular season games and 1-2-0 with a 4.66 goals against average in three postseason games with Hampton Roads in 1990-91. In 1991-92 with Hampton Roads, Kolzig led the ECHL in the regular season with a .914 save percentage while going 11-3-0 with a 2.90 goals against average in 14 regular season games. He has played his first 15 NHL seasons with Washington where he was 301-293-86 with 35 shutouts and a 2.70 goals-against average in 711 regular season games and 20-24 with six shutouts and a goals-against average of 2.14 in 45 playoff games.

The Nashville Predators agreed to terms with former Toledo goaltender Drew MacIntyre. Selected in the fourth round (121st overall) by Detroit in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, the 25 year old played parts of three seasons for Toledo where he was 30-12-2 with two shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.25 and a save percentage of .921 in 46 regular season games from 2003-06. In 2005-06 with Toledo, he was 24-7-2 with two shutouts while leading the ECHL with a goals-against average of 2.06 and ranking third with a save percentage of .926 in 33 regular season games. He was 5-1 and led the 2006 Kelly Cup Playoffs with a goals-against average of 2.00 while tying for fourth with a save percentage of .924.

ECHL
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.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that will play with 23 teams in 16 states and British Columbia in 2008-09.

The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League in 2007-08 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 2,300 call ups involving more than 1,200 players. In each of the last three seasons there have been more than 225 players who have played in both the ECHL and the AHL in the same season.

Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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