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Gratton Is 283rd ECHL Player To Play In NHL

December 16, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - Former San Diego and Trenton left wing Josh Gratton made his National Hockey League debut with the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, registering three shots and four penalty minutes in a 5-4 loss to Vancouver.

The 23-year-old becomes the 283rd player to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL and the 27th former ECHL player to play his first NHL game in 2005-06.

The 6-foot-2 and 214-pound Gratton, who signed as a free agent with the Flyers in July 2004, has seven points (3g-4a) and is third in the American Hockey League with 146 penalty minutes in 29 games with the Philadelphia Phantoms this season. After appearing in one game with Trenton in 2004-05, he had a career high nine goals, 14 points and 246 penalty minutes in 57 regular season games and six points (3g-3a) in 21 playoff games while helping the Phantoms win the AHL Championship.

In his first professional season in 2003-04, the Scarborough, Ontario native had 10 points (4g-6a) and 239 penalty minutes in 30 games with San Diego before being loaned to Cincinnati of the AHL where he had had four points (2g-2a) and 69 penalty minutes in 21 regular season games and 35 penalty minutes in eight playoff games.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League has affiliations with 25 of the 30 teams in the NHL and more than 100 players on ECHL rosters are under contract to an NHL team. There is one head coach, 12 assistant coaches, 13 referees and five linesmen currently in the NHL with ECHL experience, and Chris Holt (Charlotte and New York Rangers) and Mike Morrison (Greenville and Edmonton) have played in both the ECHL and the NHL this season.

Former ECHL goaltenders have won the NHL Defensive Player of the Week four times with Tomas Vokoun, Wheeling and Nashville (Dec. 5), Morrison, Greenville and Edmonton (Nov. 28), Curtis Sanford, Peoria and St. Louis (Nov. 21) and Manny Legace, Richmond and Detroit (Nov. 1).

There have been 27 players in 2005-06 that have made their first NHL appearance since playing in the ECHL: Evgeny Artyukhin (Tampa Bay on Oct. 20), Adam Berkhoel (Atlanta on Oct. 15), Derek Boogaard (Minnesota on Oct. 5), Kevin Colley (New York Islanders on Oct. 27), Brian Eklund (Tampa Bay on Nov. 8), Michael Garnett (Atlanta on Oct. 12), Trevor Gillies (Anaheim on Nov. 6), Steven Goertzen (Columbus on Oct. 21), Jeff Giuliano (Los Angeles on Nov. 5), Josh Gratton (Philadelphia on Dec. 15), Timo Helbling (Tampa Bay on Oct. 5), Colin Hemingway (St. Louis on Oct. 19), Chris Holt (New York Rangers on Dec. 3), Raitis Ivanans (Montreal on Oct. 8), Greg Jacina (Florida on Nov. 12), Zenon Konopka (Anaheim on Oct. 30), Chad LaRose (Carolina on Dec. 6), Jay Leach (Boston on Nov. 5), Rob McVicar (Vancouver on Dec. 1), Mike Morrison (Edmonton on Nov. 7), Michel Ouellet (Pittsburgh on Nov. 22), George Parros (Los Angeles on Oct. 5), Geoff Platt (Columbus on Dec. 2), Nolan Schaefer (San Jose on Oct. 26), Martin St. Pierre (Chicago on Nov. 4), Grant Stevenson (San Jose on Nov. 23) and Mark Streit (Montreal on Oct. 8).

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