Ontario Reign Submit Qualifying Offers
Eight former Wildcatter’s rights retained; Dec. 9 game at Phoenix rescheduled
ONTARIO, Calif. – The Ontario Reign of the ECHL, proud affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, announced today that they have submitted qualifying offers to eight former Texas Wildcatter players.
The Reign extended qualifying offers to defenseman John Adams, center Brendan Benedict, left wing Scott Champagne, defenseman Michael Grenzy, defenseman Corey LeClair, defenseman David Schulz, center Max Taylor and goaltender Kris Tebbs.
Of the eight players given qualifying offers, six players are rated at a +17 rating or higher for the 2007-08 season. Grenzy ended the season with a plus/minus rating of +17 while Taylor compiled a +21 rating and 45 points (25g-20a) in 61 games played.
Benedict ranked second on the Wildcatters with 69 points (20g-49a) in 61 games while sprouting a +25 plus/minus rating. Schulz ended the season with a +26 rating in 49 games played. Two players finished the 2007-08 season with a plus/minus above +30.
Champagne, posted a +31 rating while scoring 47 points (16g-31a) in 52 games in his first full rookie season. Adams finished the season with a rating of +34, while compiling 24 points (8g-16a) in 62 games.
Each team was entitled to reserve Rights to a maximum of eight (8) Qualified Players. Of these eight (8) Qualified Players, no more than four (4) of the Qualified Players shall be Veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2008-09 season).
Players will have until August 1 to accept a qualifying offer and players on open Qualifying Offers cannot be traded.
Teams were not required to protect players who signed a Standard Players Contract prior to July 1.
Teams are not allowed to sign more than 24 players to contracts during the summer.
Players that were not signed by July 1 or extended a qualifying offer by July 1 become unrestricted free agents.
A Member extending a valid Qualifying Offer to a Veteran retains the Rights to that Veteran until August 1. After August 1, if the Veteran is not signed to a Standard Player Contract by the Member, the Veteran shall be deemed a Restricted Free Agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other Members. Restricted Free Agents may not be traded.
When a Restricted Free Agent receives an offer to sign a Standard Player Contract from an Offering Member other than the Member with Rights and the Restricted Free Agent desires to accept the Offer, the Restricted Free Agent and the Offering Member must, within 24 hours, deliver a completed Offer Sheet to the Member with Rights, the League Office and the PHPA. The Member with Rights shall then have seven (7) days after the date it receives the Offer Sheet to exercise its Right to Match. The Right to Match shall expire seven (7) days from the date the Offer Sheet was received but not counting the day of receipt.
If a Restricted Free Agent is not signed to either an Offer Sheet or a Standard Player Contract by a Member by August 31, he shall be deemed an Unrestricted Free Agent.
GAME DATE RESCHEDULED
The December 9 game against the Phoenix Roadrunners has been rescheduled to December 10 at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ.
ECHL
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 23 teams in 16 states and British Columbia playing 828 games from Oct. 17, 2008 to Apr. 4, 2009. Eighteen of the 23 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.
There have been 355 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including 99 in the last three seasons. There have been 210 former ECHL players who have played their first game in the NHL in the past seven season.
REIGN DROPS
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 full-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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