AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

W-B/S Penguins Sign Four Players to AHL Contracts

Published on September 24, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League today signed forwards Ramzi Abid and Tomas Surovy and defensemen Chris Kelleher and David Koci to AHL contracts. The announcement was made by Penguins' CEO Jeff Barrett. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Abid, 24, appeared in 16 games last season with the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins, recording five points (3+2) and 27 penalty minutes. He missed the final 57 games of the season after suffering a knee injury on December 6th against the Edmonton Oilers.

The 6'2", 210-pound native of Montreal, Quebec has appeared in 49 NHL games with Phoenix and the Penguins, recording 23 points (13+10) and 59 penalty minutes.

Abid, Guillaume Lefebvre and Dan Focht were acquired by the Penguins from the Coyotes in exchange for Jan Hrdina and Francois Leroux on March 11, 2003.

The 6'2", 210-pound native of Montreal, Quebec started his pro career with the AHL's Springfield Falcons in 2000-01. In 110 career games with the Falcons, Abid recorded 78 points (39+39) and 302 penalty minutes.

He was originally drafted by Colorado in the second round (28th overall) of the 1998 Entry Draft. Abid re-entered the draft in 2000 and was selected by Phoenix in the third round (85th overall).

Surovy, 23, set new personal career-highs in games (47), goals (11), assists (12) and points (23) during the 2003-04 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished tied for third on the team with eight even-strength goals.

Surovy also appeared in 30 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording 29 points (14+15) and 14 penalty minutes. He tied a team record by scoring a goal in five consecutive games during the regular season, Oct. 8-24, 2003. Surovy ranked third on the team in playoff scoring with 16 points (6+10) in 24 games and led the team with 75 shots on goal during the playoffs.

The 6'1", 205-pound native of Banska Bystica, Slovakia has appeared in 73 career NHL games with the Penguins, recording 34 points (15+19) and 26 penalty minutes. In 134 career AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Surovy has recorded 101 points (56+45) and 59 penalty minutes.

He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fifth round (120th overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Kelleher, 29, appeared in 47 games last season with the Krefeld Penguins of the German League, recording 21 points (5+16) and 38 penalty minutes. He finished tied for fourth on the team in assists and ranked eighth in scoring.

Kelleher played in 133 games with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, from 1999-2001, recording 31 points (6+25) and 77 penalty minutes. In 281 career AHL games with Syracuse, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Providence, he has recorded 90 points (21+69) and 184 penalty minutes.

The 6'1", 210-pound native of Cambridge, MA was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fifth round (130th overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

Koci, 23, appeared in 78 games last season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording eight points (1+7) and a team-leading 298 penalty minutes. He ranked third in the American Hockey League in penalty minutes.

In 113 career games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Koci has recorded 12 points (2+10) and 400 penalty minutes.

The 6'6", 230-pound native of Prague, Czech Republic was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fifth round (146th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from September 24, 2004


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