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St. Louis Blues Recall Forward and Defenseman from Worcester

February 4, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester IceCats News Release


WORCESTER, MA - Late yesterday afternoon, the St. Louis Blues recalled IceCats Captain Eric Nickulas and defenseman Christian Backman from Worcester. Nickulas recently returned from the IceCats National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate, while Backman is being recalled to the NHL for the first time.

Nickulas missed just one game with the IceCats during his call-up to St. Louis. He departed Worcester on January 29th and returned three days later. He picked up where he left off, scoring a goal in Worcester's 2-1 victory over Binghamton last Saturday night. Nickulas has scored in his last five games played, tying an IceCats 2002-2003 high. His five game goal-scoring streak is also the American Hockey League's (AHL) longest active run. Overall, he has scored 13 goals and 19 points total in 25 games: 25 (13/6/19). The Massachusetts native is in his second season with the IceCats, signing as a free agent in October 2001. In 54 games last season, he bagged 11 goals and 25 assists in 54 games: 54(11/25/36). Nickulas was a third round 1994 draft pick of the Boston Bruins. He made his NHL debut with the Bruins during the 1998-99 season, two years after wrapping up a standout career at the University of New Hampshire. His regular season NHL totals, all with the Bruins, reflect 29 games, five goals and six assists: 29(5/6/11).

Backman is in his first North American professional season, having skated in 50 games for Worcester. He has scored six goals and 15 assists and is second on the team among defensemen and ninth on the club with 21 points: 50(6/15/21). The 22-year-old native of Alingsas, Sweden was the Blues first round selection in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft (24th overall).

The IceCats will battle the Providence Bruins on the road tomorrow and then travel to Utah for a pair of weekend engagements with the Grizzlies. The IceCats return home to host the Hartford Wolf Pack on Wednesday, February 12th at 7:05 PM. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Box Office at Worcester's Centrum Centre.



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