Pride Complete Busy Day with Three Trades

February 10, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz News Release


FLORENCE, SC – The Pee Dee Pride announced today that the team has completed three separate trades. In the deals, the Pride traded right wing Jeff Szwez to the Dayton Bombers for right wing Ben Knopp (Ka-NOPP), traded center Brian Collins to the Johnstown Chiefs in exchange for center Steve Hildenbrand, and acquired center Steve Cygan (SIGH-gehn) from the Trenton Titans in exchange for the rights to right wing Michael Chin.

Knopp is in his third professional season. The 22-year-old was a third-round selection (69th overall) of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He played the majority of his rookie season, 53 games, with the Bombers in 2002-03, tallying 20 points in 53 games. He also appeared in 12 games that season with the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch, notching two points. Last season, Knopp spent the entire season with the Crunch, tallying 12 points and adding 81 penalty minutes. This season, in 36 games with Dayton, Knopp has 18 points, and has gone scoreless in five games with Syracuse.

The 23-year-old Hildenbrand is in third professional season, all of which have been spent in Johnstown. In 179 career games, he has 134 points (50 goals, 84 assists) and 301 penalty minutes. This season in 37 games, he has 31 points, good enough for third on the Chiefs in scoring. Hildenbrand tallied three assists in Johnstown's 4-2 win over the Pride at the Lion's Den on January 22. The Belle River, Ontario native played in three games this season for the AHL's Rochester Americans, and last year played one AHL contest with the Cleveland Barons.

Cygan, 26, is in his third professional season. He spent the previous two seasons in the United Hockey League with the Rockford IceHogs, scoring 115 points in 152 games. During the 2002-03 season, he was named UHL Rookie of the Year, tallying 27 goals and 45 assists in 76 games. This season with Trenton, Cygan appeared in 39 games, tallying five goals and adding seven assists.

The Pride open a four-game home stand tomorrow night, hosting the Greenville Grrrowl at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Charlotte Checkers come to town, also at 7:30. Tickets for all remaining Pride home games are available at the Florence Civic Center Box Office, or through TicketMaster at (843) 679-9333 or www.ticketmaster.com.



ECHL Stories from February 10, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central