Oilers Assign Five Players to Oklahoma City; Piskula Signs Tryout Agreement

September 27, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Oklahoma City Barons News Release


Oklahoma City - The Edmonton Oilers, parent club of the Oklahoma City Barons trimmed their roster by six players today and assigned five of those players to Oklahoma City. Edmonton assigned forward Teemu Hartikainen as well as defensemen Johan Motin and Jake Taylor to Oklahoma City. The Oilers also placed forwards Brad Moran and Greg Stewart on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Oklahoma City and released Jared Aulin from his tryout agreement. In addition, the Barons signed defenseman Joe Piskula to a tryout agreement.

The players assigned to Oklahoma City today bring the number of players sent to Oklahoma City by the Oilers to 13. Moran, Taylor, Motin and Stewart each played in one preseason game with the Oilers, while Hartikainen played in two.

Taylor was one of the first two players signed by the Barons. The 6-4, 225-pounder from Rochester, Minn. has played all but 15 of his 316 games as a pro in the American Hockey League. He has played the previous two seasons with the Oilers' AHL affiliate.

The Barons also signed defenseman Joe Piskula to a tryout agreement. Piskula has played each of the last three seasons with the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL. The 6-3, 214-pound native of Antigo, Wisc. has scored 30 points (2-28-30) in 194 career AHL games. Prior to his stint with the Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, Piskula played three full seasons with the University of Wisconsin.

Each of these players bolster our camp roster," said Barons head coach Todd Nelson. "All were active in the Oilers camp and are quality players. Our continued goal with all of our players is to get them prepared to play at the NHL."

Barons training camp continues tomorrow morning at the Cox Convention Center at 10 a.m. Head coach Todd Nelson and assistant coach Gerry Fleming will lead the team through drills until approximately 10:45 a.m. Following the conclusion of the drills, the team will play a brief scrimmage. All on-ice sessions are open to the public and free of charge.

Two additional events take place September 30. First, Barons' Season Seat Holders may pick up their ticket booklets starting at noon in the Cox Convention Center box office. Second, the Barons will skate in the first ever Blue/White intersquad scrimmage at 7:05 p.m. Admission to the Blue/White game is free of charge.

In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives and broadcasters of all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 85 percent of today's NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and for the ninth year in a row, more than 6 million fans attended AHL games across North America.



American Hockey League Stories from September 27, 2010


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