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Steelheads' Vandermeer Named Reebok Hockey ECHL Plus Performer Of The Month

April 5, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - Idaho defenseman and team captain Dan Vandermeer is the Reebok Hockey ECHL Plus Performer of the Month after leading the ECHL with a plus-minus rating of +19 in March.

Vandermeer had seven multiple-point games and scored in 10 of 15 games and the 27-year-old led ECHL defensemen in scoring with 18 points (3g-15a), helping Idaho go 11-0-4 in March. The 5-11 and 175-pound Vandermeer is in his first full season with Idaho and has a career-high 35 assists and a career-high 42 points in 66 games. Since the All-Star break, Vandermeer has led Idaho's defensemen with 24 assists and 30 points as the Steelheads have posted a 22-4-4 record, including a 13-0-4 record since February 27. He is second on the team in assists and tied for fourth in scoring.

He was even or better in 14 of 15 games in March as Idaho climbed from sixth place and 10 points out of berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs to third place while securing a spot in the postseason. Vandermeer scored in five consecutive games from March 16-24, registering 10 points (3g-7a) and a plus-minus rating of +8. Vandermeer leads ECHL defensemen and ranks fourth overall in plus-minus rating with +33, including a league-season high +7 in Idaho's 12-3 win against Victoria on February 18. He is fifth among league defensemen with 35 assists while his 42 points tie him for seventh.

A native of Caroline, Alberta, Vandermeer began his professional career in the ECHL with Richmond in 1998-99 and in seven ECHL seasons he has 178 points (41g-137a) and 898 penalty minutes in 425 regular season games. He helped Idaho win the Kelly Cup in 2004, scoring 11 points (4g-7a) in 18 games, and he helped Richmond reach the Kelly Cup Finals in 1999, registering four assists in 16 games. He has scored 16 points (4g-12a) in 41 career Kelly Cup Playoff games. He has also played in the American Hockey League, appearing in one game with Kentucky and one game with Cincinnati. He played two seasons for Spokane in the Western Hockey League, scoring 75 points (23g-52a) in 125 regular season games and eight points (3g-5a) in 18 playoff games.

Runner Up: Ed Hill, Peoria (+16).

Top Plus Performer(s) for Each Club: Alaska - Mike Scott (+7); Atlantic City - Dave Reid (+11); Augusta - George Nistas (Even); Charlotte - Martin Grenier (+7); Columbia - Steve Burgess (+6); Dayton - Jeff Szwez, Brett Nowak and Steve Dix (+4); Florida - Steve Saviano (+14); Fresno - David Brisson (+6); Greenville - Daryl Pierce (+3); Gwinnett - Libor Ustrnul (+8); Johnstown - Jeff Sullivan (Even); Las Vegas - Jason Spence (+5); Long Beach - Nathan Martz (+8); Louisiana - Alex Sawruk (+1); Mississippi - Milt Mastad (+5); Pee Dee - Steve Hildenbrand (+6); Pensacola - Corey Nielson and Aaron Phillips (+10); Reading - Jon Francisco (+5); San Diego - Dave Karpa, Joel Stepp and Grady Moore (+4); South Carolina - Nate Kiser (+14); Texas - Simon Mangos (+4); Toledo - Danny Eberly (+5); Trenton - Leon Hayward (+9); Victoria - Scott Borders (+2); and Wheeling - Yevgeny Lazarev (+2).

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