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Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Sign Derek Nesbitt to PTO, Recall McIlvane

November 12, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Peoria Rivermen General Manager, Kevin McDonald announced today that the club has signed forward Derek Nesbitt to a professional tryout contract (PTO) and have recalled forward Matt McIlvane from the Bloomington PrairieThunder of the Central Hockey League.

Nesbitt, 28, has played in 11 games this season for the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL. His 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) are second most in the ECHL. His plus-10 rating is also second in the league behind teammate Ryan Garbutt who is currently signed to a PTO with the Chicago Wolves. The Egmondville, Ontario, native was named the ECHL Player of the Week for October 17-24 and was named the ECHL Player of the Month for October as he finished October with 13 points (6g-7a) in seven games with the Gladiators. His plus-10 rating also led the ECHL in October to earn the Plus Performer of the Month honor.

Now in his sixth season of professional hockey, Nesbitt has appeared in 123 career AHL games between the Rockford IceHogs, Manitoba Moose and San Antonio Rampage. He has 59 points (27g, 32a) and 18 penalty minutes at the AHL level. Last season, the 6'0, 185-pound winger played in 23 games with the IceHogs (4g, 1a) and 37 games with the Toledo Walleye (11g, 22a). In 211 career ECHL games, the native of Egmondville, Ontario has scored 86 goals and added 154 assists for 240 points between Gwinnett, Idaho and Toledo.

McIlvane, 25, began the season with Peoria but has yet to appear in a game for the Rivermen this season. He was assigned to the PrairieThunder on Oct. 13 and has collected seven points (three goals, two assists) in seven games since the start of the season. He appeared in eight games for the Rivermen last season after signing a professional tryout contract with the club. He registered a goal and two assists along with two penalty minutes and a plus-one rating. He spent 62 games with the PrairieThunder and notched 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) for the then-International-Hockey-League club.

He was limited by injury in his rookie season, 2008-09, to just 14 games for the Berlin Polar Bears of German Ice Hockey League (DEL). Originally selected by the Ottawa Senators in the eighth round (#251 overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, McIlvane enjoyed a four-year career at the Ohio State University. After 156 games and 52 points (15 goals, 37 assists) with the Buckeyes, the 6-foot, 207-pound forward appeared in four games with the Binghamton Senators (AHL) during the 2007-08 season.

A native of Naperville, Ill he graduated from Naperville Central High School in 2004 and played for both the Chicago Freeze (NAHL) and Chicago Steel (USHL) before college. He played for Team World in the 2004 USHL Prospects/All-Star Game and played for the U.S. squad in the 2002 Under-18 Junior World Cup in Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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