Sparks and Marshall Sent to Gladiators, Rookie Signed

The Atlanta Gladiators announced Monday that the Providence Bruins of the AHL have loaned defenseman Ben Marshall and assigned forward Lindsay Sparks to the Gladiators while forward Darby Llewellyn has agreed to terms with the team.

Marshall, 25, split last season with the Gladiators and Providence Bruins of the AHL. In 34 games with Atlanta, the Mahtomedi, MN native notched 22 points (5-17-22) in addition to his six points (2-4-6) in 14 games played for the P-Bruins. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound defender collected 36 points (12-24-36) his rookie season in the ECHL where he appeared in all of the Indy Fuel’s 72 games. The former 7th Round pick (201st overall) of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft was selected to the 2015-16 ECHL All-Rookie Team and finished third in scoring by a rookie defenseman in the league. Prior to the start of his pro career, the now third-year pro skated in 159 collegiate games with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers of the NCAA and accumulated 61 total points (17-44-61).

Sparks, 27, recently agreed to terms with Providence on a two-way deal after attending training camp with the Glads’ AHL affiliate. The fifth-year pro began the start of last season with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL and Rapid City Rush of the ECHL. The Oakville, ON native earned four points (1-3-4) in 22 games in his first AHL stint for Tucson while he collected 26 points (12-14-26) in just 23 games with Rapid City. The 5-foot-9, 176-pound forward ended the season with HC Bolzano of the Austrian League (EBEL) registering two assists in four regular season games and four points (3-1-4) in nine postseason contests. During a four-year professional tenure thus far, Sparks has amassed 148 points (57-91-148) in 196 games in the ECHL with Fort Wayne, South Carolina, Greenville, Cincinnati, Missouri, Orlando and Rapid City. Before turning pro in 2013, Sparks spent four seasons at the NCAA’s University of Michigan notching 35 points (17-18-35) in 83 games for the Wolverines.

Llewellyn, 21, skated the last five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Kitchener Rangers. The younger brother of former Gladiator, Tristin Llewellyn, collected 171 points (95-76-171) in 301 games for Kitchener from 2012-2017 and added 13 points (6-7-13) in 21 career playoff games. The Ann Arbor, MI native sent a career-high in goals (23) and points (43) in 59 games last year for the Rangers. The 6-foot, 190-pound forward was named the team’s alternate captain in his final two seasons of Major Junior hockey.

In a separate transaction, goalie Spencer Bacon, defenseman Eric Shand and forwards John Siemer, Garrett Milan and Tommy Fiorentino have been released from their try-outs.

The Atlanta Gladiators 15th anniversary season kicks off at the Infinite Energy Arena on Friday, October 20th against the Florida Everblades at 7:35 PM. For ticket package 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".

-###-