Omaha assigns five to Las Vegas

Published on October 4, 2005 under ECHL (ECHL)
Las Vegas Wranglers News Release


Las Vegas, NV - The Las Vegas Wranglers announced today the team received center Dustin Johner, right wing Darren Lynch, right wing Thomas Bellemare, center Chris Neiszner and defenseman Tyler Sloan on assignment from the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights of the American Hockey League.

One year after setting the single-season team record with 22 goals, center Dustin Johner returns for his second tour with the Wranglers. The 22-year old center played in 51 games for the Wranglers during the 2004-05 season, scoring 22 goals and adding 26 assists for 48 points. At the time of his recall, Johner was the Wranglers leading scorer and ranked fifth best in the ECHL among rookie scorers. Johner also ranked first among rookies with 10 power-play goals and 23 points on the power play before heading off to Lowell of the AHL. In Lowell, Johner played 23 games with four goals and eight assists for 12 points. The Sylvan Lake, ALTA native also suited up for 11 playoff games, scoring one goal for the Lock Monsters.

Darren Lynch returns for a second season with Las Vegas after leading the team with a +10 plus/minus rating last year. Lynch placed fourth best on the Wranglers squad with 15 goals in 54 games. The Regina, SASK native also chipped in 14 assists for 29 points in his rookie campaign. Lynch scored two goals in two preseason games with the Knights.

Defenseman Tyler Sloan will help solidify the Wranglers defense with 179 professional games under his belt. The fourth year pro has split the majority of his career between the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL and the Dayton Bombers of the ECHL. Sloan has 57 games of ECHL experience, including a 43 game stint last season. Despite playing half the season in Dayton, Sloan topped all Bombers defenseman with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. Sloan played 122 games with the Syracuse Crunch from 2002 to 2005, scoring four goals and adding seven assists for 11 points. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Sloan has 220 career penalty minutes.

Thomas Bellemare enters his second season of professional hockey after splitting time between the Charlotte Checkers and the Texas Wildcatters of the ECHL last season. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound winger started the season in Texas, picking up one assist and racking up 82 penalty minutes in 29 games. A mid-season trade sent him to Charlotte for the remainder of the season. With the Checkers, Bellemare scored four goals and added two assists for six points in 36 games, as well as racking up 117 penalty minutes. Bellemare was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the seventh round (#206 overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. During the 2002-03 season, Bellemare was among the top Canadian junior players with 474 penalty minutes in 67 games.

Center Chris Neiszner will make his pro debut with the Wranglers after four seasons with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League. In 286 career games with the Rebels, Neiszner scored 49 goals and added 52 assists for 101 points. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound forward also added 172 career penalty minutes. Neiszner posted 41 points in 72 games last season, including 17 goals and 24 assists.

With the new additions, the Wranglers now have 19 players on their roster. The five Omaha assignments join goalie Marc Magliarditi, defensemen Mike McBain, Christian Chartier, Tim Hambly, Lee Green and Scott Schoneck. Forwards Chris Stanley, Dan Tudin, Dana Lattery, Evan Schwabe, Marco Peluso, Jordan Cameron, Todd Alexander and Derek Edwardson are all signed for the upcoming 2005-06 season. Wranglers training camp opens on Thursday, October 6th.

The Wranglers will open the 2005-06 home season at the Orleans Arena on Tuesday, October 25th at 7:05 pm against the Utah Grizzlies. Wranglers' ticket locations are the Orleans Arena Box Office, Coast Casinos' showroom box offices at The Orleans, Gold Coast, Suncoast and South Coast (opening in 2006) or at the Boulevard, Galleria or Meadows Malls guest relations/ticket centers. Fans may also order tickets by phone at (702) 284-7777 or on the web at www.orleansarena.com. Fans may also visit www.lasvegaswranglers.com for individual game tickets and for information on Wranglers season seat packages or call (702) 471-7825 to contact the Wranglers office directly.

Las Vegas starts the 2005-06 season on the road in Utah on October 21st. 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 2005-06 season are now on sale, starting as low as $150. Call (702) 471-7825 for more information or visit www.lasvegaswranglers.com.

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