World Championship Has 33 Former ECHL Players
May 18, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL is represented by 33 players in the 2006 International Ice
Hockey Federation Men's World Championship that began May 5 and
continues through May 21 in Latvia.
Fourteen of the 16 teams competing have a former ECHL player on their
roster including six on the roster for host Latvia and four on the rosters
of Switzerland and Ukraine. Italy, Norway and Slovakia each have three
former ECHL players on their roster while Canada and Sweden both have two
players and Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Slovenia and the
United States each have one player.
There are 13 former ECHL players who are making their second consecutive
appearance in the World Championships - David Aebischer of
Switzerland, Peter Hirsch of Denmark, Milan Hnilicka of the
Czech Republic, Johan Holmqvist of Sweden, Oleg Kovalenko of
Kazakhstan, Jan Lasak of Slovakia, Andrei Mezin of Belarus,
Agris Saviels of Latvia, Rastislav Stana of Slovakia, Mark
Streit of Switzerland, Andrei Sryubko of Ukraine, Herbert
Vasilijevs of Latvia and Rene Vydareny of Slovakia.
The ECHL had 30 former players in the 2005 World Championship in Austria
and there were 25 former ECHL players who competed in the Olympic Winter
Games in Turin, Italy. Former Wheeling and current Carolina Hurricanes head
coach Peter Laviolette was head coach of the United States team at
both the 2005 World Championship and the 2006 Olympic Games.
ECHL Players in 2006 IIHF World Championships
Belarus - Andrei Mezin (Roanoke, 1993-94).
Canada - Alex Auld (Columbia, 2001-02) and Glen Metropolit
(Nashville, 1995-06 and Pensacola, 1996-97).
Czech Republic - Milan Hnilicka (Richmond, 1993-94).
Denmark - Peter Hirsch (Bakersfield, 2003-04).
Italy - Jason Cirone (Birmingham, 1993-94), Anthony Iob (Erie,
1992-93) and John Parco (Hampton Roads, 1994-95 and 1999-2000).
Kazakhstan - Oleg Kovalenko (Erie, 1993-94).
Latvia - Sergei Naumov (Greensboro, 2000-01), Arvid Rekis (Peoria,
2000-03), Agris Saviels (Reading, 2002-03), Juris Stals (Charlotte,
2004-06), Atvars Tribuncovs (Tallahassee, 1999-2000) and Herbert Vasilijevs
(Knoxville, 1996-97).
Norway - Morten Ask (Toledo, 2003-04 and Las Vegas, 2003-05), Marius
Holtet (Louisiana, 2004-05), Lars-Peder Nagel (Bakersfield, 2004-05).
Slovakia - Jan Lasak (Hampton Roads, 1999-2000), Rastislav Stana
(Richmond, 2000-02) and Rene Vydareny (Columbia, 2001-02).
Slovenia - Tomaz Razingar (Peoria, 1999-2001).
Sweden - Andreas Holmqvist (Pensacola, 2003-04) and Johan Holmqvist
(Charlotte, 2002-03).
Switzerland - David Aebischer (Chesapeake and Wheeling, 1997-98),
Timo Helbling (Toledo, 2002-03), Raffaele Sannitz (Dayton, 2004-05) and
Mark Streit (Tallahassee, 1999-2000).
Ukraine - Igor Karpenko (Johnstown, 1997-98), Alex Materukhin
(Richmond, 2002-03, Louisiana, 2003-05 and Pensacola, 2004-05), Boris
Protsenko (Wheeling 2000-01, Fresno and South Carolina, 2003-04) and Andrei
Sryubko (Toledo, 1996-98).
United States - Joe Corvo (Hampton Roads, 1998-99).
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