Grrrowl renew affiliation with Blackhawks
August 24, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Grrrowl News Release
GREENVILLE, SC - For the second straight season, the Greenville Grrrowl will be the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. Along with Chicago, the AHL's Norfolk Admirals will assign contracted players to the Grrrowl during the upcoming 2005-06 season.
"Renewing our affiliation with Chicago is great news for our team and everyone associated with the Grrrowl. They are a class organization whose pursuit of excellence enables us to receive their high-quality prospects," said Greenville General Manager Ryan Stewart. "We are a developmental league. We take the challenge of developing these players very seriously. Our Head Coach John Marks, a Blackhawks alumnus, has done a great job improving the talents of these players, which ultimately helps strengthen the Blackhawks system."
Norfolk's General Manager Al MacIsaac was also excited about the renewal, stating: "We're looking forward to working with the Greenville Grrrowl again this season. Our continuing relationship will be key to the development of young players in the Blackhawks' system."
In 2004-05, Greenville's roster included four Blackhawks prospects: SCOTT BALAN (selected by Chicago in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft), MIKE BRODEUR (selected in 2003), VLADIMIR GUSEV (selected in 2001) and ALEX KOJEVNIKOV (selected in 2002). Norfolk called up Brodeur and Gusev for stints in the AHL last season, while Greenville also sent KRYS BARCH to the Admirals on a Professional Tryout Agreement.
Brodeur led the Grrrowl in games played (35), wins (19), shootout wins (6), and shutouts (2), while Gusev led all Greenville defensemen in goals (8) and points (19). Balan enjoyed career-highs in goals (6) and points (18).
The Chicago Blackhawks joined the NHL in 1926 and were dubbed as one of the league's "original six" teams. The organization has won the Stanley Cup three times, with championships in 1934, 1938 and 1961. Chicago selected John Marks in the first round of the 1968 Amateur Draft. He played 12 seasons in the Blackhawks organization, including 10 in the NHL, and in 1976 was named to the Campbell Conference All-Star Team.
The Norfolk Admirals recently completed another successful AHL season, going 43-30-1-6 during their 2004-05 campaign. The Admirals went on to the Calder Cup playoffs, taking the Calder Cup Champion Philadelphia Phantoms to a Game 6 in the first round of the playoffs.
ATTENTION GRRROWL FANS:
New Full Season Grrrowl Tickets, Saturday Plans, Flex Packs, and Top Puppy Packages are all available for the 2005-06 season. For information on any of Greenville's Top Dog Memberships, call 864-467-4777, or visit www.grrrowl.com.
ECHL Stories from August 24, 2005
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