Published: October 09, 2008 11:57 pm            

Moves bring six to town

Six players converged on Johnstown after assignments from AHL clubs throughout the United States and Canada on Thursday.

The AHL’s Syracuse Crunch assigned center Ryan Garlock, right wing Petr Pohl and defenseman Trevor Hendrikx to the ECHL’s Chiefs.

The AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters sent centers Codey Burki and Mark McCutcheon to Johnstown, and both were expected to arrive Thursday evening.

Big defenseman David Schulz was en route to Johnstown from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, a 22-hour trek divided over two days.

The Chiefs visit the Wheeling Nailers tonight for their preseason opener. The Nailers travel to Cambria County War Memorial Arena on Saturday for the final exhibition game.

“It’s a big weekend for us evaluation-wise,” Chiefs coach Ian Herbers said after Thursday afternoon’s practice. “We’ll make some final decisions on players, not only on guys that are going to stay with the team, but where they are going to be on the team. It’s a big weekend.”

The Chiefs will have as many as 30 players on their roster by the time all six assignees arrive in the next few days. Herbers said he will carry 20 or 21 players on the regular-season roster.

The coach will start Pittsburgh native Kris Mayotte in goal tonight, then follow with Colorado Avalanche prospect Ian Keserich in net on Saturday.

“We want to come out and play hard and aggressive,” Herbers said. “We want to get the fast-paced style of game going right at the preseason, especially against a division rival like Wheeling.”

Players have been filtering into Johnstown from AHL training camps throughout the week.

The roster might be in transition, but Herbers still likes what he’s seen.

“Camp has been better than I expected,” Herbers said. “The tempo is very good. The speed is good. Guys are competing for jobs. I’m very pleased with the way things are going. There are going to be some tough decisions for me, but it’s going to make the team better and the players better.”

An ECHL All-Star Game player, Garlock made a huge first impression in Johnstown last season.

He had 26 goals and 61 points in 51 games. In six playoff games, the former Chicago Blackhawks’ second-round pick had four goals and eight points.

Garlock and captain Randy Rowe clicked on a line with all-star selection Alexandre Imbeault.

Hendrikx had eight goals, 31 points and 170 penalty minutes last season with the Elmira Jackals, playing in every regular-season game.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder also played 41 games for Dayton in 2006-07, scoring 11 points and collecting 88 penalty minutes.

Pohl split last season between Youngstown in the CHL (24 goals, 65 points in 56 games), Dayton in the ECHL (one goal, nine points in seven games) and Syracuse in the AHL (five penalty minutes in two games).

Schulz, 6-4, 210 pounds, had eight goals and 20 points in 49 games with the Texas Wildcatters, one of the top ECHL teams last season.

He also played one game for Manitoba.

Burki played 12 games for Johnstown last year and tallied three goals and seven points. He also appeared in 40 AHL games with Lake Erie, scoring two goals and nine points.

McCutcheon played four seasons at Cornell University and was a fifth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2003. In 63 games with Lake Erie last season, he had two goals and nine points.

        

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