Kings Sign Free Agent Scott Thornton
July 1, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Los Angeles Kings, the parent club of the Manchester Monarchs, have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with unrestricted free agent forward Scott Thornton, it was announced today by Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.
Thornton, 35, played with the San Jose Sharks for the past five NHL seasons. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound native of London, Ontario, averaged more than 15 goals and nearly 30 points a season during his five-year tenure with the Sharks, setting career regular season highs for goals (26), game-winning goals (5), points (42) and plus/minus rating (plus-11) during the 2001-02 season.
"Scott brings grit, character and competitiveness to our team and a great veteran presence that we want our younger players to emulate," said Lombardi.
This past season, Thornton recorded 21 points - including 10 goals - and 84 penalty minutes in 71 games with the Sharks. The 15-year NHL veteran also added another two goals and six penalty minutes in 11 post-season games as the Sharks advanced to the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals before losing to the Edmonton Oilers.
Originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first-round (3rd overall) of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Thornton has 264 points (132-132=264) and 1,335 penalty minutes in 836 career regular season NHL games with the Sharks, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Oilers and the Maple Leafs. In 79 career post-season NHL contests, he has 27 points (14-13=27), 82 penalty minutes and a plus-5 rating.
Thornton signed with San Jose as a free agent on July 1, 2000. Prior to his time with the Sharks, Thornton skated with both Dallas and Montreal during the 1999-00 season, totaling five points (2-3=5) and 70 penalty minutes in 35 regular season games with the Canadiens before the Stars acquired him from Montreal for forward Juha Lind on January 22, 2000. Thornton added another nine points (6-3=9) and 38 penalty minutes in 30 regular season games with the Stars. In addition, he recorded another nine points (2-7=9) and 28 penalty minutes in 23 post-season games with the Stars, who advanced to the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals where they lost to the New Jersey Devils in six games. Thornton also spent four seasons with the Canadiens and five-plus seasons (1991-96) with the Oilers organization.
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American Hockey League Stories from July 1, 2006
- Kings Sign Free Agent Scott Thornton - Manchester Monarchs
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