
Former Gladiator Stuart Becomes 340th Player To Play In NHL After ECHL
December 30, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. - Former Gwinnett Gladiators left wing Colin Stuart
became the 340th player to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL when
he made his National Hockey League debut and registered an assist with the
Atlanta Thrashers in a 5-0 win against Boston on Saturday.
The Gladiators are the ECHL affiliate of the Thrashers of the NHL and the
Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.
Stuart is the seventh former ECHL player to make his NHL debut in December
and the 11th to play his first NHL game this season. He joins former
Roanoke Express and former Wheeling Nailers left wing Jason
Jaffray (Vancouver on Dec. 12), former Toledo Storm goaltender Drew
MacIntyre (Vancouver on Dec. 13), former San Diego Gulls left wing
Cody
McLeod (Colorado on Dec. 19), former Columbia Inferno center Brandon
Nolan (Carolina on Dec. 22), former Johnstown Chiefs and Fresno
Falcons goaltender Dmitri
Patzold (San Jose on Oct. 7), former Reading Royals goaltender Jonathan
Quick (Los Angeles on Dec. 6), former Stockton left wing Liam
Reddox (Edmonton on Dec. 7), former Gwinnett left wing Colin Stuart
(Atlanta on Dec. 29), former San Diego goaltender Tyler
Weiman (Colorado on Oct. 4), former Charlotte right wing Craig
Weller (Phoenix on Oct. 4) and former Phoenix RoadRunners center Daniel
Winnik (Phoenix Coyotes on Oct. 4).
Selected in the fifth round (135th overall) by Atlanta in the 2001 NHL
Entry Draft, the 25-year-old Stuart had four points (1g-3a) and four
penalty minutes in five games for Gwinnett as a rookie in 2004-05 while
also playing in the AHL where he had five points (3g-2a) and 12 penalty
minutes in 39 games for Chicago.
There have been 195 former ECHL players who have played their first NHL
game in the past six seasons. Twenty-six former ECHL players made their NHL
debut in 2006-07, including two who played in both the ECHL and NHL as
goaltender
Yutaka Fukufuji played for Reading and Los Angeles while defenseman
Bryan Young skated for Stockton and Edmonton. Dave McKee played for
Augusta and dressed five games as the backup goaltender for Stanley Cup
Champion Anaheim.
The Premier 'AA' Hockey League, the ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the
30 teams in the NHL, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league
has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.
There are 15 coaches in the NHL who have ECHL experience including former
Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette, who is head coach of the Carolina
Hurricanes, and former Mississippi coach
Bruce Boudreau, who is interim head coach of the Washington
Capitals.
The ECHL is represented for the seventh consecutive year on the National
Hockey League championship team in 2007 with Anaheim assistant coach Dave
Farrish, players Francois Beauchemin and George Parros and broadcasters
John Ahlers and Steve Carroll.
ECHL
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08, the ECHL is the Premier 'AA'
Hockey League and 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 25 teams playing 900 games in 17 states and
British Columbia in 2007-08.
The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.
The Stockton Thunder and the City of Stockton will host the Chase Chevrolet
ECHL All-Star Game presented by Jackson Rancheria and Bud Light at
Stockton Arena on Jan. 23, 2008 and the Chase Chevrolet ECHL All-Star
Skills Competition presented by Jackson Rancheria and Bud Light on Jan.
22, 2008.
The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey
League in 2007-08 and for the past 17 years there has been an ECHL player
on the Calder Cup champion.
In each of the last two seasons there have been more than 225 players who
have played in both the ECHL and the AHL and there were over 800 call-ups
involving more than 500 players.
In the last five 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 30, 2007
- Wranglers Clipped by Condors 3-2 - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Eizenman's Three Point Night Leads Falcons Past Salmon Kings - Fresno Falcons
- Pilots Rally Again but Fall by a Goal, 4-3 to Everblades - Pensacola Ice Pilots
- Gladiators Weekly Update - Atlanta Gladiators
- Phoenix Continues Four-Game Holiday Home-stand Monday and Wednesday - Phoenix RoadRunners
- Blades down Ice Pilots 4-3 - Florida Everblades
- In 13th Round of Shootout, Stingrays Win Record Breaking 11th Straight - South Carolina Stingrays
- Gladiators Fall to Stingrays in 3-2 in Shootout - Atlanta Gladiators
- Johansson Assigned From AHL, Two Thunder Called Up - Stockton Thunder
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- Condors Game Preview - Bakersfield Condors
- Former Gladiator Stuart Becomes 340th Player To Play In NHL After ECHL - ECHL
- Stingrays Host Gladiators Today - South Carolina Stingrays
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Former Gladiator Stuart collected assist in NHL Debut last night - Atlanta Gladiators
- Salmon Kings Land Falcons With Comeback Win - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Condors battle but fall to Thunder, 5-4 - Bakersfield Condors
- Aces score five in third to take down Grizz, 7-4 - Alaska Aces
- Thunder picks up third win in four games, Zanoski scores in pro debut - Stockton Thunder
- Gutierrez, Taylor each score 3, Champagne adds 4 assists, and Catters win wild one 10-5 - Texas Wildcatters
- Stingrays Tie Franchise Mark With 10th Straight Win - South Carolina Stingrays
- Grizzlies Fall In Alaska: Lose 3-2 Third Period Lead - Utah Grizzlies
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