Wings Acquire Forward AJ Shannon from Minnesota and Goaltender Brandon Miller from Chicago

Published on March 5, 2008 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Philadelphia Wings News Release


The Eastern Division leading Philadelphia Wings have acquired left-handed forward A.J. Shannon from the Minnesota Swarm and goaltender Brandon Miller from the Chicago Shamrox according to General Manager Lindsay Sanderson. The acquisitions were part of two trades that sent Wings' forwards Dan Marohl and Keith Cromwell to the Swarm and goaltender Matt Roik and defenseman Brad Self to Chicago.

"AJ Shannon is a proven scorer that will add much needed depth to our offense on the left side," said General Manager Lindsay Sanderson. "In the case of Miller, we had the opportunity to add another number one goalie to our camp and could not pass that up, especially not knowing what will happen with Blazer (Rob Blasdell) since we claimed him from Arizona in the dispersal draft and he would have to return when Arizona resumes play in 2009. The coaching staff and I knew we needed to increase our depth and this move adds two big pieces to the puzzle."

The Swarm traded forward Mike Hominuck and a first round pick in the 2008 NLL Entry Draft to the Edmonton Rush in exchange for Shannon. Minnesota then traded Shannon to the Wings for Cromwell and Marohl.

The Wings traded Roik, defenseman Brad Self, a first round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft, and their second round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft to Chicago in exchange for Miller and the Shamrox second pick in the 2008 Entry Draft. Self has spent the past two seasons on the Wings' hold-out list due to commitments playing hockey in Germany.

Practice squad player Matt Eckerl was also added to the Wings 23-man roster.

Shannon, a fifth-year forward, has scored 22 points (11G, 11A) in seven games in Edmonton this season. In his previous four seasons, three with Buffalo, he scored 112 points (53G, 59A) in 50 games played. The 6', 213-pound Whitby, ON native missed the first ten games of the 2007 season recovering from an off-season knee injury after being acquired by the Rush on June 28, 2006 from the Buffalo Bandits. Shannon, a University of Virginia graduate, led the Cavaliers to the 2003 NCAA Championship in 2003 as well as the 2000 and 2004 ACC Titles.

Miller, has a 71% save percentage and a 17.04 goals against average in seven games for the Shamrox this season. The eighth year goaltender was chosen by Chicago in the 2006 NLL Expansion Draft from San Jose. He has seen 2,031 minutes of career playing time and has 1,282 career saves.

The Wings face the Toronto Rock next Saturday, March 8 at the Wachovia Center at 1 p.m. The matinee contest is dollar dog day with a special post-game photo session with the entire Wings squad on the concourse after the game. Great seats are still available and can be purchased by visiting www.wingslax.com or at the Wachovia Complex Box Office. Party Packs, which include four tickets, four hot dogs, and four sodas, are just $68 and are great way to enjoy Wings lacrosse with family and friends. Party Packs are available at wingslax.com or by calling (215) 389-WING (9464).

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