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ECHL Toledo Walleye

Nashville Assigns Number One To Toledo

September 25, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release


(Toledo, Ohio) The Toledo Storm of the East Coast Hockey League today announced that the team has received goaltender, Brian Finley, on assignment from the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League. Finley, who was selected as Nashville's first pick (sixth overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, is the first player assigned by the Predators to the Storm under an affiliation agreement inked during the off-season.

Toledo's Head Coach and Director of Player Personnel, Claude Noel, stated that he was extremely pleased to have the opportunity to include Finley in his season opening roster. "I've had the pleasure of watching Brian play in the past, and I think it's safe to say that Brian has the skills necessary to be a starting goaltender at the National Hockey League level. We want to do all that we can to help him achieve that goal, and, at the same time, I believe that Brian will certainly help our squad play at the highest level possible."

Finley, 6'3/205, who turned twenty-one in July of this year, did not play during the 2001-02 season, as he concentrated on rehabilitating a groin injury. In 2000-01, Finley began the year with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League, but was traded mid-season to the Brampton Battalion, where he went 7-3-1 (2.95 goals against average, .889 save percentage) during the regular season and took the team nine games deep into the OHL playoffs. The year before, Finley, who catches with the right hand, went 24-12-6 (3.07, .908) for Barrie during the regular season and took the Colts on an extended playoff run. That team, which included former Storm forward, Tim Verbeek, not only won the OHL championship, but also advanced all the way to the Memorial Cup finals before being defeated by a Brad Richards' led Rimouski Oceanic. For his efforts in the playoff push, Finley was bestowed with the Wayne Gretzky Award, as the OHL's post-season MVP. Finley, who played in the World Junior Championships as a member of the Canadian National Team, led the OHL in 1998-99 with 36 wins and was selected a first team league all-star, as well as the OHL's Goaltender of the Year, before becoming one of what is only eight goaltenders in history to be selected as high as sixth in the NHL's Entry Draft.

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