Storm Announces First Wave of Signings
Published on August 28, 2002 under ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release
(Toledo, Ohio) The Toledo Storm of the East Coast Hockey League today announced five player signings for the 2002-03 season. Included within today's announcement are two defensemen from last season's squad, Mark McMahon and Chad Wilchynski, two rookies, Nick Parillo and Brian McGrattan, and a ninth year pro, Dale Junkin, who was an integral member of the West Coast Hockey League's Taylor Cup Champion Fresno Falcons. The Storm previously announced the signing of veteran power forward, Jeff Mitchell, to a two-year contract.
Claude Noel, the head coach and director of player personnel of the Storm, was pleased with this first crop of signings. "Each of the players announced today meets the basic criterion that we've established for all players on the Storm. They're fundamentally sound with multi-dimensional capabilities, and each of them has that innate dedication to continuing to improve and, ultimately, to winning hockey games."
This will mark the second season for both McMahon and Wilchynski in the Storm red and white. Although his last season was hampered by a series of injuries, McMahon, twenty-four, scored five goals and assisted on ten others and added 140 penalty minutes in forty-three games for the Storm. The Hartford Whalers' fifth round draft pick in 1996 served as an alternate captain for Toledo and had several highlight moments over the year, including a three point game against the Cincinnati Cyclones in early February during which he scored two critical power play goals in a 5-2 Storm win. Wilchynski, on the other hand, was perhaps the most important addition to the Storm all season long. Picked up off of the waiver wire from the Pensacola Ice Pilots early last season, Wilchynski gradually progressed into a primary role in the Storm defensive corps, particularly when the Storm defense was stretched thin by injury during a critical stretch late in the season. In addition to anchoring the Storm's defense, the fifth round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 1995, ended up scoring six goals (including three on the power play) and adding seventeen assists, while picking up 110 penalty minutes. As a testament to the quality of his performance, Wilchynski also earned a late season call-up to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, where he played 6 games.
With respect to re-signing McMahon and Wilchynski, Noel noted, "it was probably a frustrating season last year for Mark McMahon. He is the type of player who can bring a solid defensive mindset and a legitimate physical presence to the ice every night, while still being creative in the offensive end. We look forward to having a healthy and rejuvenated Mark McMahon in the lineup, as we believe that he can be a force at both ends of the ice for our club. Chad Wilchynski appears to be a defenseman who is just beginning to tap into his true potential as a player and a leader. It seems that last season he really began to come of age both on and off the ice, and we expect that he will continue that positive growth process during the upcoming season."
The two rookies signed and announced by the Storm today took considerably different routes to the team. Nick Parillo, a speedy forward, went the way of college hockey, gradually pushing his point output from ten to thirty-four during his four year stint at Merrimack College. The energetic twenty-five year old made a successful jump to pro hockey late last season, playing a couple of games with Rochester in the AHL before scoring in his first game in the ECHL as a member of the Trenton Titans (as well as picking up 19 penalty minutes--including a game misconduct). In fact, Parillo ended up with three goals in just four late season games with Trenton. Brian McGrattan, twenty-one, on the other hand, took the Canadian major junior route, playing five seasons with six teams in the Ontario Hockey League. The 6'4"/220 pound winger, who will be getting his first taste of pro hockey this year, scored a total of 20 goals and thirty-five points and picked up 159 penalty minutes in 60 games with four teams in the OHL last year.
Of these rookie signings, Noel noted, "we're excited to see what Nick Parillo can do in a full season of pro hockey. He is a high energy winger who's already shown that he can compete at the pro level. In the Toledo Sports Arena, speed is at a premium, and quick players have historically been able to make a lot happen on the smaller surface. So we're hopeful that Nick will become a player who can really turn it on in our building. McGrattan may have had a bit of a frustrating season last year as an over-age junior, but he's a big kid with an excellent shot and good touch around the net. We think that he has a lot of growth potential as a player, and we expect him to make a successful transition to the pro game and become a responsible power forward with a solid physical presence."
Despite the fact that he's entering his ninth year as a pro, centerman, Dale Junkin, is not technically classified as a veteran in North America, as five of Junkin's pro seasons were spent abroad in either Britain or Italy, where the regular season is comprised of less games per year. However, Junkin made a rather successful return to North America last season, bagging a career high twenty-nine goals and sixty-eight points in seventy-two regular season games for the Fresno Falcons. Perhaps more importantly, Junkin went on to score six goals and ten points in fifteen playoff games as the Falcons made their successful run to the WCHL Taylor Cup Championship. Junkin was also a member of the 1999-00 Challenge Cup Champion Sheffield Steelers in the British Super League, and he went to the Ontario Hockey League's Championship Finals as a member of the Detroit Jr. Red Wings in 1994.
According to Coach Noel, he signed Junkin not only for his experience and offensive skills, but also for his somewhat less tangible--but no less important--winner's attitude. "Dale really has a veteran's skills and mindset without having the veteran status. He's a versatile player with sound fundamentals, a good scoring touch, and a genuine understanding of the importance of completing his defensive responsibilities. But his most notable attribute may be the simple fact that he's a winner, and that is precisely the type of player that we're seeking to bring to the Toledo Storm."
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