Reign Announce Season-Ending Roster
Future consideration trade from Bombers brings LeClair to Reign via Texas
ONTARIO, Calif. – The Ontario Reign of the ECHL, proud affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, announced today the release of their Season-ending roster. They also announced that as part of the future consideration agreement between the Dayton Bombers and the Texas Wildcatters, the Reign have acquired Dayton Defensemen Corey LeClair.
LeClair, the 6-foot-2-inch, 197-pound native of Riverview, Michigan, was traded to the Reign in exchange for Bobby Chaumont and Brad Bonello who were sent to the Bombers by the Wildcatters prior to the start of the 2007-08 season.
The Reign chose to retain the rights to 18 players on the former Texas Wildcatters roster, of which the Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players. Season-ending rosters cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2007-08 (i.e. players who were under contract to teams in either the National Hockey League or the American Hockey League).
The following are the 18 players on the Ontario Reign Season-ending roster:
- John Adams (D)
- Peter Aubry (G)
- Brandon Benedict (C)
- Danick Bouchard (RW)
- Scott Champagne (LW)
- Tim Cook (D)
- J.F. David (D)
- Mike Grenzy (D)
- Corey LeClair (D)
- Jonathan Paiement (D)
- Ryan Pottruff (D)
- Jordie Preston (F)
- David Schulz (D)
- Max Taylor (C)
- Kris Tebbs (G)
- Dan Welch (W)
- Matt Yeats (G)
- Steve Yetman (C)
Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer no later than July 1. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four can be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the 2008-09 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to July 1.
The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until August 1 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.
A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player will retain the rights to that veteran until August 1. After August 1, if the veteran player is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player’s rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association. The member with the player’s rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.
If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by August 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.
ECHL
The ECHL opens its 21st season on Oct. 17, 2008 with eight games played in seven states from Alaska to Florida.
Began in 1988-89 with five teams playing in four states, the Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League has grown into a coast-to-coast league that will have 24 teams in 16 states and British Columbia playing 864 games from Oct. 17, 2008 to Apr. 4, 2009. Nineteen of the 24 teams have played at least five years in their current city.
The third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the ECHL averaged 4,174 per game last season, marking the fourth year in row and the 16th time in the last 18 years that the league has averaged over 4,000 fans. The league has drawn over four million fans each of the last five years and 11 times in the past 12 seasons.
REIGN DROPS
On Friday, June 20, the Ontario Reign will make a special announcement in regards to the upcoming 2008-09 season. The announcement will take place at Las Campanas Mexican Cuisine and Cantina from 4-6 p.m. Las Campanas will provide hors d’oeuvres to all who attend and the Reign will have door prizes to give away with the opportunity to win VIP tickets to the Reign home opener on October 25.
Las Campanas is located at 8106 Milliken Ave. (on the corner of Foothill and Milliken) in Rancho Cucamonga. For more information contact the Ontario Reign front office at (909) 941-PUCK (7825).
Season tickets and mini-plans for the Ontario Reign’s Inaugural season presented by the Mission Inn (www.missioninn.com) are on sale now and offer an affordable entertainment option for families and residents of the Inland Empire. All season tickets include parking and access to all thirty-six home games starting at only $332, a savings of up to 25% off regular ticket prices! Mini plans begin at only $99 and include savings of up to 10% off walk-up prices! For more information about Reign season tickets or mini-plans contact the Reign office at (909) 941-PUCK (7825) or visit www.ontarioreign.com.
Do you want to ride the zamboni? What about bringing out your youth hockey team to play a scrimmage or having your dance team perform during an intermission? Contact the Reign office to find out how you can have the opportunity to participate in our fan experiences!
Visit the Reign on the web at www.ontarioreign.com for all of the latest news surrounding Ontario Reign Professional Hockey.
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