Defenseman Josh Atkinson Heads to the AHL

The Atlanta Gladiators announced Thursday that defenseman Josh Atkinson has signed a professional try out contract with the AHL's Chicago Wolves.Atkinson, 24, earns his first AHL call-up in the midst of a standout rookie season with the Gladiators. The Spruce Grove, Alberta native is first on the Gladiators defensive corp in goals (8), assists (31), and points (39) in 50 games played. The University of Alaska-Fairbanks product also ranks first overall on Atlanta in plus/minus with a plus-4 rating and 12 power play assists. Atkinson's point total is also good for sixth best in the ECHL amongst all defensemen and third most among rookie d-men.Atkinson has joined the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the NHL's St. Louis Blues, in preparation for their upcoming three-game homestand beginning on Saturday, March 4th against the Cleveland Monsters. The Atlanta Gladiators 14th season continues at the Infinite Energy Arena on Saturday, March 11th against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at 7:05 PM as part of their "Gladiators Fight Cancer" Charity Weekend. 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". -###-