The Newfoundland Growlers have some reinforcements for the forward line and back end as they prepare to resume their 2019-20 ECHL schedule in Pennsylvania.
The Growlers, who take on the Reading Royals tonight, are getting rookie forward Colt Conrad from the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies.
The 22-year-old Conrad was brought up by the Marlies on Jan. 6, but played only a single game during the recall, registering an assist. With the Growlers, he has averaged better than a point a contest — 25 points in 24 games — although his stats line (5G, 20A) is more like that of defenceman Joseph Duszak, the other first-year pro rejoining Newfoundland for a three-game weekend road trip.
Duszak, who has 27 points (8G, 19A) in 29 games for Newfoundland, was actually reassigned to the ECHL team by the Marlies earlier this week, but the original intention of that move was to make him available to fulfil his duties as the Growlers’ representative in Wednesday’s ECHL all-star game in Wichita, Kansas. It wasn’t until Thursday that it was confirmed Duszak would indeed be hooking up with Newfoundland rather than returning to the AHL. That decision probably made easier when the parent Toronto Maple Leafs sent veteran rearguard Jake Muzzin, who has recovered from a broken foot, to the Marlies on a conditioning assignment.
Conrad and Duszak should certainly help the cause of a Growlers’ team that is looking to extend its ECHL season-high 11-game winning streak, especially given what will be another hectic weekend road schedule.
For the second time this month, North Division-leading Newfoundland (29-10-0) will be playing three away games in less than three days, although it includes back-to-back contests against the Royals tonight and Saturday. Then it’s on a bus for a 600-kilometre trip to Brampton, Ont., where the Growlers will play the Beast on Sunday evening.
Adding to the import of the games is the fact Brampton (24-15-2) and Reading (22-13-5) are the teams sitting second and third in the North, eight and nine points, respectively, behind Newfoundland.
Dog Bites
Duszak had an assist on what turned out to be the winning goal as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference 4-3 in Wednesday’s all-star final in Wichita. It topped off a four-team, three-on-three tournament that also included two entries made up of players from the host Wichita Thunder. Duszak set up the winner by 2018 Olympic gold medallist Kali Flanagan, one of four female hockey stars who took part in the event … The all-star teams also earned rally points based on skills competitions that were part of the event. Duszak took part in the fastest-skater race, finishing fourth. Former Growler forward J.J. Piccinich, now with the Tula Oilers, won that contest … The all-star classic also featured the official entry into the ECHL Hall of Fame of those whose inductions were originally announced in November. That group included St. John’s native and former ECHL standout Derek Clancey, as well as former St. John’s Maple Leafs defenceman Jared Bednar, now the head coach of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche … St. John’s native Nathan Noel has returned to the ECHL’s Indy Fuel from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. The 22-year-old Noel, in the last year of his entry-level NHL deal with the Chicago Blackhawks had no points in eight games with Rockford, with 12 points (4G, 8A) in 24 games with Indy …
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