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Schwarz Becomes 362nd Player To Play In NHL After ECHL

October 28, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - Former Alaska Aces goaltender Marek Schwarz became the 362nd player to play in the National Hockey League after playing in the ECHL when he played the final 15:27 and made five saves in a 4-0 win against Florida on Saturday.

The 22 year old was recalled from Peoria of the American Hockey League on Saturday after St. Louis starter and former ECHL goaltender Manny Legace strained a hip flexor against Los Angeles on Friday and regular backup Chris Mason had an appendectomy on Oct. 16.

Selected in the first round (17th overall) by St. Louis in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Schwarz played for Alaska in 2007-08 going 6-0-0 with a goals-against average of 2.08 and a save percentage of .924 in six regular season games and 5-2 with a goals-against average of 3.21 and a save percentage of .911 in eight Kelly Cup Playoff games. He also played in the AHL for Peoria and was 14-14-2 with a goals-against average of 2.79 and a save percentage of .891 and in the NHL where he appeared in two games for the Blues.

The Aces are the ECHL affiliate of the Blues of the NHL and Peoria of the American Hockey League. The head coach of the Rivermen is Davis Payne, who was the 2007 ECHL Coach of the Year.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League, the ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the NHL, marking the 12th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

The have been 106 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL in the last four seasons, including a record 47 in 2005-06. Seventy-two former ECHL players were on NHL opening-day rosters and there were 333 former ECHL players who attended NHL training camps, including 139 who played in the league last season.

Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals, Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders and Peter Laviolette of the Carolina Hurricanes. Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999, was named NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach to receive the award. Laviolette, who began his coaching career with the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006. There are 18 assistant coaches in the NHL who were players or coaches in the ECHL.

There have been seven former ECHL players who have played their first NHL game this season: former Wheeling Nailers and ECHL All-Star Defenseman Paul Bissonnette on Oct. 4 with Pittsburgh, former Charlotte Checkers defenseman Steve MacIntyre on Oct. 15 with Edmonton, former Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Adam Pardy on Oct. 9 with Calgary, former Gwinnett Gladiators center Jared Ross on Oct. 11 with Philadelphia, former Dayton Bombers and Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Tyler Sloan on Oct. 21 with Washington and former Alaska Aces goaltender Marek Schwarz on Oct. 25 with St. Louis.

The ECHL is represented for the eighth consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2008 by Aaron Downey of the Detroit Red Wings.

There are 18 former ECHL officials scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2008-09 with referees David Banfield, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Joannette, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock, Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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