THRASHERS NAME DATSYUK AS CAPTAIN
(Atlanta - AP)
Atlanta has named C Pavel Datsyuk it's captain for the 2009-2010 season.
"Pavel is the team's best player and arguably the best overall forward in the entire league as a complete player. He will be looked upon to provide leadership for the coming season. We expect him to have another monster year for us and he was the natural choice for us to be the captain this year." - Thrashers GM Sutaria
Ryan Smyth and Craig Conroy will be the assistant/alternate captains for the upcoming season.
"We wanted Ryan and Craig to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility along with Pavel as they are veteran leaders. There was a host of candidates for these positions but Smyth and Conroy have the necessary experience." - Thrashers GM Sutaria
- In addition, Atlanta has signed Brian Lashoff, Chris Chappell and Mark Cundari. All three will be playing for the AHL Chicago Wolves this upcoming season in the CPHL. Lashoff seems to be the most promising prospect as he has really impressed at Red Wings camp and was signed to a entry level deal by the NHL Wings. Lashoff can play both LW and D and joins guys like Rafalski and Lebda in Detroit camp who also went undrafted. Chappell and Cundari also both went undrafted but have impressed at their camps and have signed on with the Rangers and Sabres respectively.