Sirois and Vodrazka headed to Greenville

August 1, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Grrrowl News Release


GREENVILLE, SC - The Greenville Grrrowl announced Monday that it has agreed to terms with both Allan Sirois and Jan Vodrazka for the upcoming season. The announcement is the first of the off-season made by Grrrowl General Manager Ryan Stewart regarding player acquisition.

"We are very excited about bringing these two veterans and their great families to Greenville," said Stewart. "They are heart and soul guys that come to work every day. They are fierce competitors on the ice, and will turn into fan favorites very quickly. The importance of veteran leadership is crucial, and going after these two guys was a priority this off-season."

Sirois and Vodrazka both come to Greenville after playing for the Pee Dee Pride last season, a team which has since ceased operations. Vodrazka, a defenseman, captained the Pride last year while Sirois, a left wing, served as an alternate. The duo has combined to play in over 1,200 professional games with Sirois entering his 10th pro season and Vodrazka entering his ninth.

Vodrazka rejoined Pee Dee last year after playing the previous five seasons in the AHL and IHL. He has played a total of 337 games in the AHL and IHL, tallying 41 points and 979 penalty minutes. He played with Sirois in Pee Dee during the 1998-99 season, a year in which he set a Pride record with 262 PIMs. Standing 6-1 and 200 pounds, Vodrazka began his ECHL career in Richmond in 1997, and has also spent time in the UHL.

"It's always nice when a team is interested in you, and John and Ryan showed interest right after last season ended. They've been very fair and I can tell it's a great organization," said Vodrazka, a Plzen, Czech native who with his wife Emily recently celebrated the first birthday of their daughter Ella.

"I still would have come to Greenville, but it was a nice bonus knowing (Sirois) will play here too. That definitely helped my decision," said Vodrazka. "We're good friends, we play golf together and talk every week, and this will be our third season playing together."

Sirois has accumulated an equally impressive pro career, one which brought him to Florence in 1998. A native of Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, he made his home in Florence, where he lives with his wife Christie and their 17-month-old daughter Alexa. Sirois has scored 20 or more goals in all but one of his nine ECHL seasons, including a career-high 37 in 2001-02. He also accumulated a career high 145 PIMs that season. He is Pee Dee's all-time leader in games played, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes, while his 613 ECHL games ranks fifth-most in league history. Before joining the Pride, the 6-1, 210-pounder played for Jacksonville and Baton Rouge of the ECHL, and suited up for the AHL's Worcester IceCats for parts of three seasons. He split time in juniors between Chicoutimi and Rimouski in the QMJHL.

"I've always liked playing at the BI-LO Center," Sirois said. "I've played against John Marks there for seven years, and he said he's glad to finally have me on his side, and I'm happy to have him as a coach. Greenville's close to Florence and I've been there for the last seven years. My wife is from there and that made my decision easy. Also, knowing Ryan Stewart and playing against him, and knowing what John Marks has done in Greenville. It all made my decision very easy."

Sirois is excited to remain a teammate of Vodrazka's, stating that he was "hoping Jan agreed to come, not just because he's a good friend, but because he's an unbelievable player who plays with heart and gives one hundred percent every day."

He went on to thank former Pee Dee General Manager Jack Capuano: "He has helped me out in every way since I've been in Florence," Sirois said of his old GM. "He did everything for me and he did an outstanding job in Florence."

Both Sirois and Vodrazka will make their Greenville Grrrowl debuts on October 21st, when the Grrrowl play in Columbia to open up the 2005-06 season, Greenville's eighth year in the league. They will play their first home game at the BI-LO Center the following night when the Grrrowl host the Charlotte Checkers on October 22nd at 7:05 p.m. For tickets, call 864-467-4777.



ECHL Stories from August 1, 2005


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