Stars' Roster Begins to 'Jel' as Three New Players are Added
August 19, 2003 - United Hockey League (UHL)
Columbus Stars News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 19, 2003
Jelenic becomes first player acquired by trade to sign; McIver and Coole also set to join the Stars, bringing total to seven signed for inaugural season Â
COLUMBUS, OH - Columbus Stars General Manager Robb W. King and UHL Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Malcolm Cameron announced today the signings of forward Lee Jelenic and defensemen Chad McIver and Ryan Coole. Jelenic came to the Stars from the Flint Generals as part of an earlier trade while McIver and Coole were signed as free agents. Â
Jelenic has spent most of his two-year professional career with the Generals. The 24-year-old Toronto native has also played with the United Hockey League's Missouri River Otters and the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.
Before making his professional debut with the River Otters, Jelenic played four seasons at Yale University of the East Coast Athletic Conference, where he received his bachelor's degree in political science. Jelenic will be attending AHL camp with Rochester in late September. Â
"We expect big things from Lee this year," said Cameron. "He is a great skater with good hands who can really make some things happen." Â
Chad McIver will don a Stars' uniform for his second season as a professional under the tutelage of Head Coach Malcolm Cameron. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native saw time with three East Coast Hockey League squads during his rookie year, playing five games for the Dayton Bombers and 16 games with the Charlotte Checkers before landing in Cincinnati to finish the season with Cameron's Cyclones. McIver, 25, played his collegiate hockey with the Ferris State University Bulldogs of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association from 1998-02, where he was teammates with younger brother Derrick for two seasons. The elder McIver captained the Bulldogs for his senior season. Â
Coole comes to Columbus from the Arkansas RiverBlades of the ECHL, where he has spent most of his two-year professional career. The six-foot, 215-pound native of Duluth, MN spent time with the ECHL's Columbia Inferno (where he played for Cameron) and Pee Dee Pride before being acquired by Arkansas in a trade. Prior to turning pro Coole played four years of collegiate hockey at Minnesota-Duluth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Â
"McIver is a solid, stay-at-home defenseman who takes very good care of his own end," Cameron said. "And Coole is an absolute pest, the kind of guy who plays against the oppositions top forwards every night and relishes that challenge."
The Stars roster now sits seven strong with forward Matt Noga joining Jelenic, and defensemen Steve Rodberg, Derek Ernest and Matt Medvecz accompanying McIver and Coole on the blue line.
The Columbus Stars Hockey Family includes the professional United Hockey League Stars, the Junior B Central States Hockey League Stars and the various age groups (Mite through Midget) of the Columbus Stars Youth Travel Hockey Program. The Columbus Stars Ice Center, located just off of Schrock Road on the north side of Columbus will provide a unified location for practices and games. The Center is scheduled to open in early September. Director of Hockey Operations/UHL Head Coach Malcolm Cameron will provide a unifying structure with player development and the joy of the game at its core.
For more information contact Packy Moran at 614/985-7827 or e-mail info@columbusstars.com.
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United Hockey League Stories from August 19, 2003
- River Otters Solidify Goalie Position, Sign Knudson - Missouri River Otters
- Stars' Roster Begins to 'Jel' as Three New Players are Added - Columbus Stars
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