Grrrowl renew affiliation with Oilers
August 30, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Grrrowl News Release
GREENVILLE, SC - Greenville Grrrowl General Manager Ryan Stewart announced Tuesday that for the second straight season, the ECHL's Greenville Grrrowl and the NHL's Edmonton Oilers have agreed to an affiliation arrangement. Greenville will continue to serve as a minor league affiliate of the Oilers organization, working to develop some of Edmonton's most promising young prospects.
"This is another great chapter for Grrrowl hockey," said Stewart. "We continue a great affiliation that provided good young prospects last year, which ultimately helped in our 50-point turnaround from the 03-04 season. Once again, I think they value John's player development skills and for that we are rewarded."
The Oilers organization is just as thrilled to have renewed the affiliation, with Edmonton Assistant General Manager Scott Howson stating, "We are pleased to continue the affiliation with Greenville for the upcoming season. We believe that John Marks is an ideal coach for the younger players in our development system."
Greenville's 2004-05 roster included 10 players in Edmonton's Organization. MARTIN ST. PIERRE, SIMON FERGUSON, BROCK RADUNSKE, MIKE MORRISON, JEFF DESLAURIERS, KENNY SMITH and BRENT HENLEY all split time between the Grrrowl and Edmonton's AHL affiliate, while prospects EDDIE CARON, TOMAS MICKA and J.F. PLOURDE also wore Greenville sweaters.
St. Pierre led the Grrrowl in assists last season, registering 39 in just 45 games played. He also led the team in plus/minus with a rating of +15. Other rookie forwards in the Oilers organization assigned to Greenville were Ferguson, Radunske and Caron, while Plourde and Micka landed in Greenville after playing elsewhere in the ECHL in 2003-04.
Edmonton sent a pair of goalies to Greenville during the season as well, with Morrison posting a 13-10-2 record and Deslauriers going 7-3-1. Edmonton's defensive prospects assigned to Greenville last year included Smith and Henley.
The Edmonton Oilers joined the NHL in 1972 and have reached the playoffs 19 times since their inaugural season. They hold five championships, having won the Stanley Cup in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990, earning "dynasty" status along the way. Edmonton players such as Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier have helped shape the sport and promote the development of the NHL.
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.
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