Second Overall Pick Lehtonen Among New Arrivals from Atlanta
Published on September 29, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Chicago Wolves News Release
The Atlanta Thrashers have assigned five players to the Chicago Wolves, including the No. 2 pick in the 2002 National Hockey League Entry Draft Kari Lehtonen (KAH-ree LEH-tuh-nehn), the highest drafted European goaltender in the history of the NHL draft.
Defensemen Kurtis Foster and Kirill Safronov (kih-RIHL sah-FRAW-nawf); left wing Bill Lindsay; and center Brian Swanson were also sent to Chicago.
Lehtonen, a Helsinki, Finland, native, registered a Finnish league-high 23 wins (23-14-6) and a 1.98 goals-against average in 45 games with Jokerit Helsinki last year.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 190-pound Lehtonen posted league-highs with 11 games; eight wins; 623 minutes; and three shutouts with Finland in the 2002 playoffs, after posting a 13-5-3 mark with a career-best 1.79 goals-against average.
Lindsay shared third in the American Hockey League with 10 goals and led the league with two short-handed markers in 23 postseason games with the Hamilton Bulldogs, who lost to the Houston Aeros, 4-games-to-3, in the Calder Cup Finals last year. The 32-year-old forward split the regular season between Hamilton and the Montreal Canadiens, recording two goals, two points and 23 penalty minutes in 19 games with the Canadiens, and notching six goals, 12 assists and 18 points in 28 contests with the Bulldogs.
Overall, the Fernie, British Columbia, native has played 12 seasons in the NHL, notching 83 goals; 141 assists; 224 points; and 897 penalty minutes in 753 games with the Quebec Nordiques (1991-1993); Florida Panthers (1993-1999, 2001-02); Calgary Flames (1999-2001); San Jose Sharks (2000-01); and Canadiens (2001-2003).
Lindsay reached the Stanley Cup Finals with Florida in 1996, finishing fourth on the team with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 22 postseason games. Lindsay signed as a free agent with Atlanta on Aug. 25.
Foster shared third among AHL defensemen with 15 goals in 75 games with Chicago last year, the most by a defenseman in Wolves franchise history. The 21-year-old blueliner paced AHL defensemen and ranked fourth on the Wolves with nine power-play goals, and shared 10th among league defensemen with 42 points.
The Carp, Ontario, native set an all-time AHL record with a 101-mile-per-hour slap shot at the 2003 Pepsi AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Feb. 2 as the Wolves All-Star representative.
Safronov shared second among Wolves defensemen with four goals and 19 points in 44 games with Chicago last season. The 22-year-old defenseman notched his first NHL goal with the Thrashers on Oct. 19 against the New York Islanders. Overall, Safronov finished with two goals, four points and 14 penalty minutes in 32 games with Atlanta last year.
Swanson notched two goals, 10 assists and 12 points in a career-high 44 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers last season. Overall, the Eagle River, Alaska, native has recorded four goals, 12 assists and 16 points in 68 NHL games with the Oilers spanning three seasons (2000-2003).
The 27-year-old forward, who signed with Atlanta as a free agent on July 24, has played parts of four seasons in the AHL, tallying 71 goals, 108 assists and 179 points in 187 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (1998-99) and Hamilton Bulldogs (1999-2002).
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