Reign Send Three To ECHL All-Star Competition
Rookies Tim Kraus, Jeff Zatkoff and Geoff Walker Represent Ontario
ONTARIO, Calif. – The Ontario Reign, proud affiliate of the NHL Los Angeles Kings and the AHL Manchester Monarchs, announced today that three Reign rookies, center Tim Kraus, goaltender Jeff Zatkoff and right wing Geoff Walker, have been selected to the ECHL’s National Conference All-star team. The 17th Annual All-Star competition will take place January 20-21, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Penn.
Kraus, 21, leads Reign rookies with 16 assists in 30 appearances with the Reign and is tied for third amongst his teammates in scoring with 22 points (6g, 16a). Kraus recorded an 8-game point streak, tallying two goals, seven assists (9 points) and a plus-4 rating, from December 5 through 21, and ranks 13th amongst league rookies in scoring.
Zatkoff, 21, ranks second among league-leading goaltenders in goals-against average with 2.31 and ranks fifth with a save percentage of .934. Zatkoff is under contract with the NHL Los Angeles Kings and has been in the AHL with the Manchester Monarchs since December 17. Zatkoff posted an 8-6-1 record while with the Reign and was named RBK Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Oct. 20-26 and was CCM Vector Hockey ECHL Rookie of the Month for October 2008.
Walker, 21, has been amongst the ECHL leading rookies throughout the course of the 2008-09 season and is currently ranked 10th in rookie scoring with 24 points (10g, 14a). He is tied for the lead amongst league rookies with 14 power play points and is tied for second place with nine power play assists. The Charlottetown, PEI, native most recently recorded a 4-game point streak (2g, 3a, 5 points) from December 15 -21.
There have been 46 players from the All-Star Game who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 29 since 2002 when the lineups began having players who coaches felt were prospects to move up to a higher level.
The starting lineups are determined in voting by National Conference coaches, team captains, media directors, broadcasters and media members. Coaches also submitted the top prospects from within their conference to determine the final roster with each of the nine teams having a representative.
The Stanley Cup and the Patrick J. Kelly Cup will both be on display throughout the event, marking the ninth time in the last 10 years that the NHL championship trophy and the ECHL championship trophy have been displayed together at the All-Star Game.
REIGN DROPS
The Reign are back at home on Friday, January 2, and Saturday, January 3, as they face-off against the Idaho Steelheads at Citizens Business Bank Arena. Puck drops for both matches at 7 p.m.
There is only one more day to submit your entry for the Reign’s Name the Dragon Mascot contest! Send in your submission online via the Reign’s website or mail in the entry form found in the Daily Bulletin and Sun newspapers to the Reign’s front office by Wednesday, December 31.
Single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com, at all TicketMaster locations, or by calling (213) 480-3232.
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