Atkinson Returns, Gladiators Ink Netminder

The Atlanta Gladiators announced Wednesday that defenseman Josh Atkinson was released from his PTO with the AHL's Chicago Wolves and will return to the club. In a separate transaction, goaltender Mike DeLaVergne from Buffalo State of the NCAA’s Division III has been signed to a standard professional contract.

Atkinson, 24, returns to Atlanta after skating in two games for the Chicago Wolves in the first AHL stint of his career. The rookie defender has earned 39 points in 50 games this season for the Gladiators which leads the team’s defensive corp. Additionally, the Spruce Grove, AB native ranks first overall on Atlanta in plus/minus with a plus-4 rating and 12 power play assists even with his brief absence.

DeLaVergne (pronounced DEE-luh-VERN), 25, starts his professional career with Atlanta after a stand-out four-year campaign at Buffalo State. The Pawling, NY resident posted a career record of 37-18-8, goals-against average of 2.24 and save percentage of .926. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound goaltender registered his best numbers during his senior year with a 17-7-1 record, 1.98 goals-against average and .927 save percentage en route to earning SUNYAC (State University of New York Athletic Conference) Goalie of the Year. DeLaVergne also received SUNYAC first team all-star honors in both his senior and junior seasons.

The Atlanta Gladiators 14th season continues at the Infinite Energy Arena Saturday, March 11th against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at 7:05 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". -###-

Photo: Dave DeLuca / The Record