Las Vegas Bolsters Blueline with Youthful Additions

September 7, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Las Vegas Wranglers News Release


Las Vegas, NV – The Las Vegas Wranglers announced today the signing of defensemen Jon Krall and Troy Smith for the 2004-05 season.

"These are two young D-men who will be counted on right away to come in and contribute," said Wranglers Head Coach / General Manager Glen Gulutzan. "They are older than most first year players because of their time in college. Both are good guys to have in the locker room and they are each defensive minded. They will help us win games this year."

Krall returns to the Wranglers for his first full professional season. Krall joined Las Vegas after finishing a four- year career at the University of Wisconsin last season. The 23-year old played in five games for the Wranglers in 2003-04, including three games in the first round of the 2004 Kelly Cup Playoffs against Idaho. The defensive minded Krall was scoreless with a +1 rating in his first five professional games.

"I loved my time in Vegas," said Jon Krall. "It's a great organization and I'm excited to be returning to play there this season. I want to help this team go further in the playoffs than we did last year. I thought the fan base there was great and it made Vegas a fun place to play."

Troy Smith turns pro after playing the last five years at St. Francis-Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Smith helped the X-Men win the Canadian National Championship this past season. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound defenseman suited up in 123 games scoring 11 goals and 34 assists in five years at St. Francis-Xavier. Prior to his college days, Smith played four years in the Ontario Hockey League. The 26-year old played 230 games for the Plymouth Whalers, scoring 11 goals and adding 47 assists, as well as racking up 239 penalty minutes.

"I'm excited to be turning pro and I could not think of a better place to start," said Troy Smith. "I've heard a lot of great things about the organization and the arena. I played against Dan Tudin and Chris Stanley in college and now I'll get to play with them which will be a nice change."

The new signings bring the Wranglers total roster to nine signed players for the 2004-05 season. The Wranglers already have goalie Marc Magliarditi, defensemen Jason and Mike McBain, and forwards Jeff Attard, Doug Wright, Dan Tudin and Chris Stanley under contract for the 2004-05 season. More player signings are expected in the upcoming weeks.

Fans may purchase seats to the Wranglers Opening Night on November 2nd as well as all other 35 regular season home games at any of the following ticket locations; The Orleans Arena Box Office, Coast Casinos' showroom box offices at The Orleans, Gold Coast and Suncoast, or at the Boulevard, Galleria or Meadows Malls guest relations/ticket centers. The Wranglers will give their fans a sneak preview when they host the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies for two preseason games on October 15th and 16th at 7:05 pm.

Opening Night for the Las Vegas Wranglers 2004-05 season is Tuesday, November 2nd against the Long Beach Ice Dogs at 7:05 pm. The regular season concludes Saturday, April 9th against the Alaska Aces. The Wranglers play all 36 home games at the Orleans Arena, located at the Orleans Hotel and Casino at 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue.

Seat packages to see the Wranglers play at the Orleans Arena for the upcoming 2004-05 season are now on sale, starting as low as $150. Call (702)-471-7825 for more information or visit www.lasvegaswranglers.com.



ECHL Stories from September 7, 2004


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