Gladiators Extend Affiliation Agreement with Boston Bruins

Gladiators Head Coach and General Manager of Hockey Operations Andy Brandt announced today that the Gladiators have extended their affiliation with the NHL's Boston Bruins via a new two-year agreement."We began discussions on extending the affiliation with [Boston General Manager] Don Sweeney and [Providence Bruins General Manager] John Ferguson back in September," said Brandt. "The Gladiators are excited, and honored, to continue our relationship with the Bruins organization and remain committed to developing their prospects."The Bruins became the sixth NHL team to affiliate with the Gladiators on August 6th, 2015, with Atlanta serving as the lone ECHL partner for both Boston and their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Over the course of the past two seasons, the Gladiators have received ten players from the affiliation, including three directly from Boston. Goaltender Zane McIntyre, who was assigned to Atlanta earlier this season and played in two games with the Gladiators, has appeared in eight NHL games with the Bruins this year.“The Boston Bruins and Providence Bruins are excited to renew our affiliation with the Atlanta Gladiators,” said Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney. “Since entering into our partnership with the Gladiators two years ago, we have established a strong working relationship with the club. We have been impressed by the support system; led by their owner Mr. Jeffreys and their VP Joe Gelderman, along with the individual development attention that Head Coach Andy Brandt and his staff has shown each one of our players. We look forward to the continued success of the franchise and thank the Atlanta Gladiators ownership group and the Duluth community for their steadfast support.”Within the same time frame, Providence has also signed three Atlanta-contracted players to standard PTO contracts - Shane Bakker, Garry Nunn, and Brock Higgs."The most beneficial part of this relationship has been the communication between all three organizations," said Brandt. "We know that the players we receive via assignment are quality individuals. We've also been able to provide Providence with players of our own who can contribute to their roster. These experiences are critical in the development of our men."The Atlanta Gladiators 14th season continues at the Infinite Energy Arena on Friday, February 17th against the Adirondack Thunder 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 nation’s 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". -###-