DULUTH, Ga. – The Atlanta Gladiators announced on Tuesday, June 6th their protected player list heading into the offseason. The Gladiators protected a total of 21 players (3 goalies, 8 defensemen, 10 forwards), featuring three players who had previously been drafted by various National Hockey League (NHL) clubs.
“We’re extremely excited about the guys we’ve protected and the upcoming season,” stated Jerry James, Team President “This collection of players exemplifies the organization’s core beliefs of being hard-working, talented, diverse, and strong community relations. We think this puts us in the driver’s seat when you talk about premier hockey and entertainment.”
G, Sean Bonar |
G, Michael Bitzer |
G, Colton Phinney |
D, Kevin Montgomery - 2006 NHL Draft, COL #110 (Round 4) |
D, Jack Stander |
D, Zach Malatesta |
D, Vytal Cote |
D, John Furgele |
D, Kyle Chatham |
D, Jake Flegel |
D, Adam Smith |
F, Avery Peterson |
F, Brady Fleurent |
F, Nolan LaPorte |
F, Tyson Fawcett |
F, Nick Bligh |
F, Justin MacDonald |
F, Derek Nesbitt |
F, Garret Ross - 2012 NHL Draft, CHI #139 (Round 5) |
F, Alex Gacek |
F, Taylor Stefishen - 2008 NHL Draft, NSH #136 (Round 5) |
Teams are allowed to protect as many players as they wish provided the players protected meet the guidelines as defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association.
Protected lists may exceed 20 players.
The ECHL also announced that teams must complete all Future Consideration trades by 3 p.m. ET on June 13 and that teams must submit their Season-Ending Roster by 3 p.m. ET on June 15.
June 16 is the opening signing period for all Standard Professional Contracts (SPC) for teams and runs through August 1, when Restricted Free Agency ends at 11:59 p.m.
Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players and cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2018-19.
The Atlanta Gladiators open the 2019-20 home schedule on October 18 and 19 at the Infinite Energy Arena. Season tickets can be purchased by calling into the Front Office at 770 – 497 – 5100 or by visiting www.atlantagladiators.com.
The Atlanta 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. 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.