Nailers Shatter ECHL Record with Four Players on All-Rookie Team
April 1, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. - The Wheeling Nailers shattered the ECHL record by placing four players on the All-Rookie Team for 2008-09. The old record of two players from the same team has happened six times including in 2005-06 by Wheeling with goalie Andy Franck and forward Sean Collins. The announcement was made by the ECHL on Wednesday as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches.
2008-09 ECHL All-Rookie Team
F - Bryan Ewing, Wheeling Nailers (64 gp, 43g, 47a, 90 pts, +2)
F - Jordan Morrison, Wheeling Nailers (60 gp, 24g, 47a, 71 pts, -1)
F - Matt Pope, Bakersfield Condors (54 gp, 30g, 33a, 63 pts, -4)
D - Elgin Reid, Wheeling Nailers (47 gp, 13g, 21a, 34 pts, +13)
D - Mitch Ganzak, Wheeling Nailers (61 gp, 7g, 32a, 39 pts, +15)
G - Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, Alaska Aces (50 gp, 32-16-2, 2.33 GAA, .922 Save Pct.)
Bryan Ewing of the Wheeling Nailers leads ECHL rookies with 43 goals, six shorthand goals, 90 points, 19 power-play assists and 32 power-play points while his 47 assists and six shorthand points tie him for the rookie lead and his 13 power-play goals tie him for second among rookies. His six shorthand goals are tied for the overall league lead while his 90 points are second overall and his 43 goals rank third. He is tied for third with six shorthand points while his 47 assists are tied for fourth and his 13 power-play goals tie him for fifth. The 43 goals break the Wheeling rookie record of 42 goals by Steve Gibson in 1995-96 and Ewing is the first Nailers player to score 90 points since Eric Royal had 92 points in 1996-97. Ewing is under contract to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and he has four penalty minutes in three games for the Penguins.
Jordan Morrison of the Wheeling Nailers is tied for the league rookie lead with 47 assists and is third with 71 points, 16 power-play assists and 27 power-play points. He leads league rookies with four shorthand assists and is tied for third with five shorthand points. Morrison is tied for second overall with four shorthand assists while his 47 assists are fourth overall and his 71 points rank eighth. He is under contract to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL and he has one assist and eight penalty minutes in seven games for the Penguins.
Elgin Reid of the Wheeling Nailers leads ECHL defenders with three shorthand goals while his 13 goals are tied for second and his 34 points are tied for 14th.
Mitch Ganzak of the Wheeling Nailers ranks sixth among league defenders with 32 assists and is tied for seventh with 39 points. He has also played in the American Hockey League appearing in two games with Albany and one game with Norfolk.
Jean-Philippe Lamoureux of the Alaska Aces is 32-16-2 with a league record seven shutouts and a league-leading 32 wins. The 24 year old is tied for the league lead with a save percentage of .922 while ranking second with a goals-against average of 2.33 and 3,011 minutes and fifth with 1,377 saves. He was voted as the starting goaltender for the National Conference for the ECHL All-Star Game and stopped nine of 10 shots in the first period.
Matt Pope of the Bakersfield Condors is second among ECHL rookies with 18 power-play assists and 31 power-play points while his 13 power-play goals are tied for second and his 63 points are seventh. Pope, who played in the ECHL All-Star Game, has also played in the American Hockey League where he has three points (2g-1a) in four games with Binghamton and four points (2g-2a) in five games with Manitoba.
Since the ECHL began naming the All-Rookie Team in 2000-01, seven players selected have gone on to play in the NHL: Kevin Doell (2003-04), Vern Fiddler (2001-02), Simon Gamache (2001-02), Mike Glumac (2002-03), Jason Jaffray (2002-03), Joey Tenute (2004-05) and Zenon Konopka (2002-03). The ECHL will announce its First-Team All-ECHL and Second-Team All-ECHL teams on Thursday.
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