Triple-A Lowell roster changes bolster Wranglers

Nick Christensen

Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2004 | 9:41 a.m.

The Las Vegas Wranglers got an infusion of talent Monday when Triple-A affiliate Lowell sent down seven players to fill the Wranglers' roster.

Three of the players -- forwards Dan Tudin and Chris Stanley and defenseman Regan Darby -- were already signed to ECHL contracts in Las Vegas. But the addition of forwards Adam Huxley, Patrik Nelson and Darren Lynch and goaltender Sebastian Centomo left coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan with some options between the start of training camp and the season opener Oct. 22.

"There's going to be some competitions for jobs," Gulutzan said. "We'll carry 20 guys, so we'll carry six defensemen, 11 forwards and two goalies."

Huxley, a 20-year-old from Alberta, played three games last year for Alaska in the ECHL, but in three seasons in the major-minor WHL, Huxley logged 621 penalty minutes.

Nilson spent last season in low-Double-A Laredo, scoring 65 points with 27 goals for the Bucks and earning a three-game stint with AHL San Antonio. He also played parts of two seasons in his home country of Sweden.

Lynch, a 21-year-old rookie from the Saskatchewan capital of Regina, played five full seasons in the WHL, scoring 218 points with 88 goals in years with Lethbridge and Vancouver.

The addition of the five brings the Wranglers' total number of forwards to 12, the new players joining Jeff Attard, Doug Wright, Cam McCaffrey, Dana Lattery, Rejean Stringer, Tom Nelson and Morten Ask.

Centomo is probably the most intriguing player optioned on Monday. A 23-year-old from the Montreal suburb of Laval, he spent the bulk of the past three seasons with St. John's of the AHL, with one game in the NHL and 10 in the ECHL in that span.

Last year, he played 39 games for St. John's, logging a 3.15 goals against average with a 13-17-4 record. He had a .904 save percentage in that stretch.

He'll join Marc Magliarditi, Las Vegas' primary goalie last season who re-signed with the Wranglers in July.

"I think once again, with our goaltending hopefully it will be good like it was last year," Gulutzan said. "I plan to use both goalies, and obviously the one that can carry the load the best will probably get more ice time."

Gulutzan will have two preseason games to scout his potential roster, both against Atlantic City, Oct. 15 and 16 at the Orleans Arena. The Wranglers open Oct. 22 at Fresno, and play their home opener Nov. 2 against Long Beach.