Lubbock Loses Leslie to Laredo
Published on June 6, 2002 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Lubbock Cotton Kings News Release
LUBBOCK, TX: June 6, 2002 â The Laredo Bucks, the Central Hockey League's newest organization to begin play this season, selected the rights of Cotton Kings goaltender Lance Leslie as one of their five player selections in Wednesday's CHL Expansion Draft held at the CHL Spring Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Each of the 16 CHL teams returning from last season submitted three players to have their rights unprotected, making 48 players available for the Laredo Bucks to choose from. Bucks General Manager / Head Coach Terry Ruskowski received the list in May, and turned in a list to the CHL Wednesday containing five selected players, with the guidelines that once he chooses a player from an individual team the following two players become ineligible for selection (so that no teams lose more than one player). Of the Cotton Kings, Paul Fioroni, Lance Leslie, and Peter Trumbley were left as unprotected players for the draft, and with Ruskowski's selection of Leslie, the âKings will remain with the rights of Fioroni and Trumbley.
The Cotton Kings were last involved in an expansion draft during the WPHL Spring Conference prior to the 00-01 season, when the Tucson Scorch selected Jesse Bull as their third selection.
Leslie, a veteran 5'10" 165-pound goaltender from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, finished this season with a combined 16-14-5 record, after serving a call-up to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League at the completion of the âKings season. He finished ranking 7th in the CHL with a 2.81 GAA, and received two CHL "Goaltender of the Week" honors this season, while becoming the Cotton Kings franchise leader in games played (78) and wins with 39. Leslie also set the franchise record for "longest shutout sequence," collecting a shutout sequence of 117:40 from 1/12/02 â 1/19/02. The former Ottawa Senators free agent signee has an eight-season career record of 165-116-41, with a 3.30 GAA and an 89.7% save percentage.
The CHL, which led all of North American minor league hockey in playoff attendance, closed out their Spring Conference Wednesday evening with the CHL Awards Banquet.
Lubbock, ineligible for repeating awards won last season, received a solo award at the banquet contributed to Cotton Kings assistant general manager and director of ticket operations Rod Evans for "Ticket Executive of the Year." It is Evans' first individual award of his career and second overall, as he accepted a WPHL award following the 99-00 season for "Ticket Sales Franchise of the Year," issued to the Lubbock Cotton Kings. With the close of the conference, the CHL trade freeze will come to an end.
The CHL director of communications and scheduling, Steve Cherwonak, will issue releases containing in-depth news from the Spring Conference, including a full award and draft lists and any rule changes the governors voted on. The information should also be available at www.centralhockeyleague.com.
The Cotton Kings are currently preparing for the 2002-2003 season, and their second season in the Central Hockey League. Season ticket information can be attained by calling (806) 747-PUCK, or visiting the Cotton Kings website at www.cottonkings.com. --PUCK--
Central Hockey League Stories from June 6, 2002
- Scorpions Named CHL Marketing Franchise Of The Year - New Mexico Scorpions
- Annual CHL Spring Conference Concludes - CHL
- 'D' Gets Stronger With Signing of Aika - Indianapolis Ice
- Lubbock Loses Leslie to Laredo - Lubbock Cotton Kings
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