Duluth, GA – The Gladiators will feast on two players from the AHL, who are returning to Atlanta for the holiday. Defenseman Joel Messner comes back after recently being promoted and goalie Dan Vladar, who has spent time here in the past, also returns.
Vladar is a former 3rd round pick of the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old goaltender hails from Prague in the Czech Republic and spent parts of two previous season with the Gladiators from 2015-17.
Dan began his pro career with the Providence Bruins in the AHL in 2016-17 before coming to Atlanta for the first time. He played in eight games with Providence, going 4-0-1 with a 2.62 GAA and saw 18 games of action with Atlanta. In the 2017-18 season, Vladar again split time with the Gladiators and Bruins. He spent most of the season with Atlanta, where he saw 41 games of action and four with Providence.
Last season, Vladar spent the entire season with Providence, getting into 31 games and had a 2.72 GAA. This season with the Providence Bruins, he minded the net in three games and comes to Atlanta with the recent promotion of Sean Bonar.
Joel Messner returns to Atlanta still currently first on the team among defenseman in points with 11. He is also first among defenseman on the Gladiators in assists (8) and second overall on the team. Joel comes back after his recent promotion last week to the AHL. The callup was his second time with Providence in the last two years. The 25-year-old from Winnipeg, Manitoba went straight to Providence last year after completing his college days for the University of Nebraska-Omaha the year before.
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