The Atlanta Gladiators announced the hiring of Nathan Oystrick as the fifth assistant coach in team history on Saturday. Oystrick joins the coaching staff after spending last season as a player assistant coach for the ECHLs Elmira Jackals. In 43 games played, the defenseman tallied 3 goals and 15 assists for a total 18 points while Elmira finished the season with a 37-30-0-3 record. Prior to joining the Jackals, the Regina, Saskatchewan native spent a decade playing in the National Hockey League, American Hockey League, and the Kontinental Hockey League based out of Russia. Oystrick was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the seventh round (198th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft with 53 of his 65 games played in the NHL occurring in 2008-2009 with the Thrashers. The defenseman also spent time with the Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues. The fact that Nathan has played at the highest levels of hockey throughout his career is extremely beneficial to our organization and our players, said Gladiators Head Coach Andy Brandt. He not only knows what it takes to get there, but in doing so himself has acquired a wealth of knowledge from the different coaches and experiences he has encountered along the way. Beyond his time in the NHL, Oystrick appeared in 338 AHL games with the Chicago Wolves, Peoria Rivermen, Portland Pirates, and Springfield Falcons. In addition to being named to the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2006-2007 and AHL All-Star Game in 2010-2011, he won the AHLs Calder Cup Championship with the Chicago Wolves in 2007-2008. Right from the start, Nathan and I had good conversations on the phone, offered Brandt. We talked about everything from his playing career to the systems we thought worked best to players that might be a good fit. Its a given that he will be working with our defensemen, but not only will he help them with their individual skills on and off the ice, but also with their decision making skills in both scenarios. This hiring is a solid addition to our organization. The Atlanta Gladiators 14th season kicks off at the Infinite Energy Arena on Friday, October 14th against the Toledo Walleye at 7:35 PM. For ticket information, visit the official team website at www.atlantagladiators.com or call the main office line at 770-497-5100.The Gladiators are members of the ECHL, the nations premier AA hockey league. All home games are played at the 11,355-seat Infinite Energy Arena, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth where parking is always free. The Gladiators have established an unrivaled commitment to excellence, maintaining a distinctive reputation for affordable and family-friendly sports entertainment and consistently ranked as one of the top Things To Do in the Atlanta area and across the North Georgia region.For all the latest team news, contests, and more visit AtlantaGladiators.com, or like the Gladiators on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AtlantaGladiators), follow the team on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ATLGladiators), Instagram (www.instagram.com/atlgladiators) or Snapchat (www.snapchat.com) at gladshockey . -###-