Panthers Acquire LoVecchio and Knackstedt

The Florida Panthers have acquired F Jeff LoVecchio (Providence – AHL) and F Jordan Knackstedt (Providence – AHL) from the Boston Bruins in exchange for D Sean Zimmerman (Rochester – AHL) and a conditional seventh round draft pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Both players will report directly to the Rochester Americans (AHL).

Knackstedt has played 22 games for the Providence Bruins (AHL) this year scoring seven goals and five assists for 12 points. For his career in the AHL, the Saskatoon, Sask. native has played in 165 games, scoring 33 goals and 99 points.

LoVecchio has played 22 games for Providence this season, registering three assists. For his career in the AHL, the Chesterfield, MO native has played in 101 games, scoring 18 goals and 32 points.

Amerks Sign Veteran Battaglia to PTO

The club has signed veteran forward Bates Battaglia to a 25-game Professional Tryout agreement. Battaglia officially joined the team on Wednesday and made his Amerk debut later that evening against the first-place Hamilton Bulldogs.

Battaglia arrives in Rochester after scoring seven goals and adding 16 assists for 23 points in 46 combined games between Jokerit Helsinki (SM-liiga – Finnish Elite League) and the Syracuse Crunch (American Hockey League) in 2009-10. A native of Chicago Illinois, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward brings with him an impressive hockey resume that includes close to 900 professional appearances over the span of his 14-year professional career.

Originally a sixth-round selection (132nd overall) of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, Battaglia has registered 198 points (80+118) in 580 career NHL games with Carolina, Colorado, Washington and Toronto. For his tenure in the American Hockey League, Battaglia has collected 202 points (70+132) in 271 outings with teams in New Haven, Toronto and Syracuse. He posted his best season as a pro during the 2005-06 campaign with the Toronto Marlies, capturing career-highs in assists (47), points (67) and penalty minutes (86) to finish second on the team in overall scoring. In 893 pro career games, the 35-year-old has amassed 418 points (157+261) and 667 penalty minutes, including 37 points (15+22) in 78 postseason contests.

Amerks Sign Rank to SPC, Marshall to PTO

The Rochester Americans announced today that the club has signed forward Kyle Rank to a standard American Hockey League contract and forward David Marshall to a 25-game Professional Tryout.

The duo will officially join Rochester this morning and can potentially make their Amerk debut against the Toronto Marlies on Friday, November 26th at The Blue Cross Arena. The pair also becomes the 36th and 37th players to suit for Rochester this season.

Rank, 28, attended the Toronto Marlies training camp prior to the start of the 2010-11 campaign, but has yet to see any action this season. Last season with the Portland Pirates, the 6-foot-0, 200-pound forward appeared in all but one game, scoring nine goals and 11 assists, while setting career-highs in games played (79) and penalty minutes (62). He also notched one assist in four postseason contests for the Pirates. In 114 total American Hockey League appearances with Bridgeport and Portland, Rank has recorded 33 points (12+21) and 85 penalty minutes. In his pro career, the fourth-year pro has amassed 72 points (26+46) in 171 total games.

Prior to turning pro, the Elmira, Ontario, native played four years under former Amerk captain and defensemen Mike Hurlbut (2003-07) at St. Lawrence University, collecting 99 points (39+60) and 127 penalty minutes in 151 career games for the Saints. Rank also skated in 23 games under current Amerks Head Coach Chuck Weber during the 2008-09 season with the Cincinnati Cyclones.


Marshall, 25, earns his second promotion to the AHL after collecting 11 points (7+4) in 16 games with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers to start the season. At the time of his recall, Marshall scored a team-high seven goals and was second on the team in overall scoring.
Marshall brings 24 games of AHL experience with him to Rochester, having spent time with the Lake Erie Monsters the past two seasons. In his pro career, Marshall has tallied 53 points (34+19) in 95 games.

Before joining the professional ranks, the Buffalo, Minnesota, native played four years (2005-09) at Quinnipiac University, where he finished among the top five players three consecutive years, including leading all team rookies in scoring in 2006-07 with 34 points (22+12). In 155 career games for the Bobcats, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward has scored 73 goals and 54 assists for 127 points.

Amerks Sign Pair

The Amerks have signed forwards Michael Dubuc (DOO-bick)) and Matt Pierce to 25-game professional tryouts. Dubuc, 22, joins the Amerks from the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals, where he shares the team lead in points with 21 and has a league-best 11 goals. The Granby, Quebec, native has played in 19 career AHL games over the past two seasons, all with the Hershey Bears. As a rookie in 2008-09, he led the Kelly Cup Champion South Carolina Stingrays with 35 goals. Dubuc also led Rouyn-Noranda in scoring in his final two seasons of junior hockey.

Pierce, who attended Rochester’s training camp this fall, officially joins the team after beginning the 2010-11 campaign with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL), collecting 10 points (3+7) in 15 games. The former Mercyhurst College standout is coming off a banner year in 2009-10, finishing fifth on the team in scoring to guide Cincinnati to its second ECHL title in three years. Pierce played under current Amerks head coach Chuck Weber his last two seasons behind the Cyclones bench.

P.J. Fenton Signed to Contract

Florida Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that the club has signed forward PJ Fenton to a standard American Hockey League contract.

Fenton, 25, returns for his second stint in the AHL after opting to go overseas prior to the start of the 2009-10 season. A native of Springfield, Massachusetts, Fenton began the 2010-11 campaign with the DEG Metro Stars of the German Elite League, scoring one goal and adding three assists for four points in 19 games. The fourth-year pro posted his best season a year ago with the Heilbronn Falcons, capturing career-highs in all offensive categories in goals (27), assists (36), points (63) and penalty minutes (47) to finish second on the team in overall scoring.

San Jose’s fifth-round selection (162nd overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Fenton made his professional debut in 2007-08 with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks, appearing in four games.

Prior to turning pro, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward played four seasons (2004-08) at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he finished among UMass’s top three scorers in three out of four years. In 148 career games with the Minute Men, Fenton registered 95 points (37+58) and 129 penalty minutes. In his pro career, Fenton has amassed 92 points (43+49) in 140 appearances.

Amerks sign Bendickson to PTO

The Rochester Americans hockey club has signed forward Aaron Bendickson to a 25-game Professional Tryout agreement.

Bendickson will join the team on the road this weekend and can potentially make his American Hockey League debut against the Worcester Sharks on Friday, October 29th at the DCU Center.

Bendickson, 24, is currently in his first professional season with ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators, where he leads the team in both points (nine) and assists (seven) through just the first four games of the campaign. He also presently leads all league rookies and is tied for first among the ECHL’s top scorers in all overall scoring.

Prior to turning pro, the Thief River Falls, Minnesota, native played four years (2006-10) at the University of Wisconsin, collecting 40 points (20+20) and 40 penalty minutes in 147 career games for the Badgers. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound forward posted his best season during his senior year, capturing career-highs in all offensive categories in goals (12), assists (10) points (22), penalty minutes (16) and gamed played (43) to lead Wisconsin to its second NCAA Division I National Championship appearance in the last five years.

McArdle Returns

Joining the Amerks for Tuesday's game against Hamilton is forward Kenndal McArdle after his reassignment from the Florida Panthers.  Having started this season in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, McArdle returns to Rochester for his fourth season with the club. The 23-year-old Toronto, Ontario, native has posted 44 points (20+22) over his past three seasons with the Amerks.

Ehgoetz and Del Monte join Amerks

Rochester has signed forwards Barret Ehgoetz and Ryan Del Monte to 25-game professional tryouts. Both played under Weber last season with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones who captured the 2010 Kelly Cup championship this past spring. Ehgoetz, Cincinnati’s captain and Niagara University’s all-time scoring leader, has one goal in two games with the Cyclones this season. The sixth-year pro made his professional debut with Rochester during the 2004-05 season, skating in one game with the Amerks. Del Monte, who attended Amerks training camp prior to the start of the campaign, has recorded one assist in two appearances with Cincinnati.