Gladiators Get Six from AHL

DULUTH, Ga. –  The Atlanta Gladiators announced on Sunday that Branden Troock, Darby Llewellyn and Jack Stander have been released from their AHL try-out with Milwaukee while Ben Danford and Luke Sandler return from Chicago and Rockford of the AHL. In addition, the Admirals have loaned forward Alex Overhardt to the Gladiators.  

Overhardt, 21, signed with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals during the offseason after four full campaigns in the Western Hockey League (WHL). In 273 WHL games with the Portland Winterhawks, the Cherry Hill, CO native notched 106 points (40g, 66a) and 291 penalty minutes. The 6-foot, 190-pound forward set career highs in goals (15), assists (25), points (40) and +/- (+22) last season for the Winterhawks. The rookie added six points (2g, 4a) in 12 playoff games for Portland.

Troock, 24, earned 47 points (17g, 30a) in 45 games for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Gladiators last season. The former Dallas Stars fifth round draft pick has amassed 37 points in 119 AHL games over the course of his four-year pro career.

Llewellyn, 22, posted 30 points (17g, 13a) in 66 games for the Gladiators during his rookie season last year. His 17 goals ranked first on the team among rookies and three shorthanded tallies led the Glads. The Ann Arbor, MI native’s plus-four rating ranked second on the team.

Stander, 23, registered two assists in six games for the Gladiators at the end of last season after he completed his senior season at the NCAA’s Canisius College. In four-full campaigns with the Golden Girffins, the Grosse Pointe Woods, MI native accumulated 29 points (6g, 23a) in 137 games played.

Danford, 29, led all Gladiators defenders in points last season with 32 (10g, 24a) in 52 games played. The Canisius College product has posted 54 points (16g, 38a) in 103 ECHL games during his four-year pro career.

Sandler, 25, set career ECHL highs in goals (10), assists (12), points (22), games played (65) and penalty minutes (190) for the Glads last season. The Chicago, IL native’s 190 penalty minutes and eight fighting majors were tops on the Atlanta roster.

All six players are en route to Atlanta and are expected to join the team for training camp either tomorrow morning Monday, October 1st or Tuesday, October 2nd.    

The 16th season of Atlanta Gladiators hockey begins at the Infinite Energy Arena on Friday, October 19th against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 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 10,867-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".  

-###-