Two Defenders Sent from Milwaukee, Danford Signs PTO with Ads

DULUTH, G.a. – The Atlanta Gladiators announced on Thursday that the Nashville Predators have assigned defenseman Filip Pyrochta from Milwaukee while the AHL’s Admirals have also loaned defenseman Brian Cooper to the team. In addition, defenseman Ben Danford has signed a PTO with Milwaukee.   

Pyrochta, 22, (pronounced pay-ROKE-tuh)signed an NHL contract with the Nashville Predators during the summer. The Czech Republic native has skated in 24 games for Milwaukee in the AHL this season notching three assists. Last year, the 6-foot-2, 192-pound D-man posted 12 points (3g-9a) in 42 games for Bili Tygri Liberec of the top Czech league. Amidst several years of professional and junior experience in the Czech Republic, the undrafted rookie has two previous seasons of North American hockey on his resume as he played 129 games in the QMJHL for Val-d’Or and Victoriaville from 2015 to 2017.

Cooper, 25, has amassed four assists in 19 games during the current campaign for the Admirals. The former Anaheim Ducks draft pick has spent all but one game of his professional career in the AHL. In 101 contests in the AHL for the San Diego Gulls and Milwaukee Admirals, the Anchorage, AK native has registered 24 points (4g, 20a) in 101 games. The 5-foot-10, 196-pound defender played one ECHL game for the Utah Grizzlies in 2016-17 and managed one assist. Prior to turning pro in 2016, the third-year pro played four seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and collected 43 points (12g, 31a) and a plus-19 rating.  

Danford, 29, earns his first AHL call-up since 2014. The Stillwater, MN native is tied for the team-lead in assists by defensemen with nine even after missing 14 games with an injury. The fifth-year pro set career highs in goals (10) assists (24) and points (34) in 52 games last season with the Gladiators. The Gladiators Alternate Captain has three AHL games played in his career as he suited up for the Manchester Monarchs at the end of the 2013-14 season.  

The 16th season of Atlanta Gladiators hockey continues at the Infinite Energy Arena Saturday, January 26th, against the Orlando Solar Bears at 7:35pm for Star Wars Night. 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 9,119-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 are 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".  

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