Salmon Kings make trade for high-scoring Victoria native

Published on October 8, 2006 under ECHL (ECHL)
Victoria Salmon Kings News Release


Victoria, BC- The Victoria Salmon Kings, proud affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks and Manitoba Moose, announced today a trade with the Idaho Steelheads for Victoria native, Mike Stutzel. The Salmon Kings traded financial considerations for the 27-year-old Forward.

Last season, the 6-foot-2, 215-lb fourth-year pro played 41 games for the Steelheads and amassed 45 points (11 goals, 34 assists) and 100 penalty minutes. In 2004-05, Stutzel earned 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) in 14 games with Idaho, after being assigned to the club by their former AHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies.

"Mike has a lot of experience behind him, being a college standout and having played at all three levels [NHL, AHL, ECHL], and being successful in each," said Dan Belisle, Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. "He has the potential to move up, and his skills and experience just make us that much stronger offensively."

Before turning pro, Stutzel played four years at Northern Michigan University Wildcats (NCAA Division I), and tallied 92 points (49 goals, 43 assists). His best season was in his senior year (2002-03), as he garnered 42 points (27 goals, 15 assists) in 41 games.

He progressed from the Wildcats to the Springfield Falcons (AHL) and scored 24 points in his pro debut. Stutzel earned a spot in the National Hockey League and played nine games for the Phoenix Coyotes in 2003-04.

Stutzel also played in Europe for the Tappara Tampere of the Finnish National Hockey League (FNL) last season, and posted 4 points in 13 games.

He has been added to the Salmon Kings training camp roster and participates in sessions and scrimmages today. Scrimmage sessions at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre are open to the public and take place on October 8-10 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The final scrimmage, the Salmon Kings "Annual Blue and White Game" is also free admission and will start at 7:00 p.m. on October 11 at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

The Salmon Kings regular season begins on Friday October 20th in Anchorage, AK against the Aces. Their first home game at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre is on Wednesday October 25th against the Idaho Steelheads.

Renew or buy your Salmon Kings tickets and take advantage of the savings and benefits that being a season ticket holder offers. Call today (250) 220-7888. We're ready for hockey. How about you?

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from October 8, 2006


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