Gretzky & Co. Join Jackals Via Dispersal Draft
June 6, 2006 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release
Elmira, NY - The Elmira Jackals announced today that they have acquired the rights of forwards Brent Gretzky, Tom Kotsopoulos, and Mel Angelstad, along with defensemen Andrei Lupandin and Kyle Kos, all from the Motor City Mechanics, in the UHL Dispersal Draft. Elmira lost the rights to forward Josh Piro, who was taken by the Bloomington Prairie Thunder in the subsequent UHL Expansion Draft.
With their first round pick (3rd overall) Jackals General Manager Robbie S. Nichols selected center Brent Gretzky. Gretzky spent the 2005-06 season with the Motor City Mechanics, scoring 80 points (15 goals, 65 assists) in 66 games played. The 34-year old from Brantford, Ontario was drafted in the 3rd round (49th overall) of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He appeared in 13 career NHL games, all for Tampa Bay, posting 4 points (1 goal, 3assists). In his 14-year professional career Gretzky has accumulated 940 points (317 goals, 623 assists) in 884 games, a career 1.06 points per game average. Although he has spent the last 7 seasons in the UHL, Gretzky was primarily in the IHL, AHL and ECHL during the early part of his career.
"I am very pleased with the outcome of today's draft," said Jackals General Manager Robbie S. Nichols. "We picked up some good offensive players and some solid defensive players. These guys all have great energy on the ice, which should be very exciting for the fans to watch. The first step was to acquire their rights, the next step is to sign them for the upcoming season."
Forward Tom Kotsopoulos was taken with the Jackals 2nd round pick. The 24-year old from Unionville, Ontario just completed his 5th season in pro hockey with the Mechanics. He started the 2005-06 season with Kalamazoo, before moving to Motor City after just 6 games played. In 59 games in Fraser, Michigan, Kotsopoulos had 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) and 224 PIMs, a career high in penalty minutes for one season.
With their 3rd round pick, Nichols chose Ukrainian defenseman Andrei Lupandin. A native of Kharkiv, Ukraine, the 28-year old has been in professional hockey for 8 seasons, mostly in the UHL and ECHL. He split the 2005-06 season between the Quad City Mallards and the Motor City Mechanics. Lupandin had a combined 33 points (7 goals, 26 assists) and 85 penalty minutes in 70 games played. His best statistical season came in the 2000-01 season with the San Antonio Iguanas of the CHL, scoring 40 points (10 goals, 30 assists) and 93 PIMs. Lupandin has also played for Robbie Nichols in 2004-05 when Nichols was the Head Coach in Flint.
Defenseman Kyle Kos was taken by Elmira in the 4th round of the dispersal draft. Kos, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2nd round (33rd overall) of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, has played the last two seasons for Motor City. The 27-year old from Hope, British Columbia had 18 points (1 goal, 17 assists) and 130 penalty minutes in 73 games for the Mechanics this season. The best of his 7 years as a pro came in 2004-05, his first year with Motor City, when Kos recorded 32 points (6 goals, 26 assists) in just 53 games played. The 6'3" defenseman has spent time earlier in his career in the now defunct IHL and the AHL.
In the 5th and final round of the draft, Elmira gained the rights to forward Mel Angelstad. In 14 seasons as a professional, the 34-year old from Saskatoon Saskatchewan has a colossal 3,618 penalty minutes (regular season) in 819 games played, a career average of almost 4.5 minutes per game. The 6'2", 210 lbs forward played in two games in the NHL during the 2003-04 season with the Washington Capitals. A true hockey journeyman, Angelstad has played in the UHL, ECHL, AHL, NHL, IHL, WPHL, and the EIHL in Great Britain. In 45 games for Motor City last season, he had 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) and 142 PIMs.
Today's dispersal draft was held during the UHL Coaches and General Managers Meeting, conducted to disperse players from the 2005-06 final rosters of the three teams that will not participate in the 2006-07 season: Motor City, Missouri and Roanoke. The draft order was based on the final regular season standings with the lowest ranked team choosing first. As an expansion club, the Bloomington Prairie Thunder received the first overall selection.
Once the Dispersal Draft concluded the UHL held an Expansion Draft to accommodate the Bloomington Prairie Thunder, who will begin play during the upcoming 2006-07 season. Jackals forward, and former Elmira College star, Josh Piro was taken by Bloomington. Under the rules of the draft, the expansion club was allowed to select one a maximum of one player from each UHL team, from a group of unprotected players.
After completing their 6th season in franchise history in the UHL, the Jackals are gearing up for Season 7. Season tickets for the 2006-2007 UHL season are on sale now at the First Arena Box Office. For more information call 607-734-PUCK (7825).
FIRST ARENA REC RINK
The ice is HOT at First Arena - Visit our website for a complete list of Public
Skating times and Arena Programs at www.firstarena.com
The First Arena Rec Rink offers public skating, skating lessons, hockey programs, figure skating, birthday parties, and much more....
International Hockey League 2 Stories from June 6, 2006
- Mallards Take Part in UHL Dispersal and Expansion Drafts - Quad City Mallards
- Gretzky & Co. Join Jackals Via Dispersal Draft - Elmira Jackals
- Rockford selects four players in dispersal draft - Rockford IceHogs
- UHL conducts dispersal draft - IHL 2
- UHL expansion draft completed - IHL 2
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
