Top goalie among 4 Storm signees
9/16/2002The Toledo Storm made a U-Haul with its four latest signings, grabbing four players from the United Hockey League.
The winningest goaltender in the UHL history of the Fort Wayne Komets and a defenseman who finished fourth in the UHL in penalty minutes last season with an average of 7.53 per game are among the quartet signed by the Storm for its 2002-03 season which begins Oct. 11.
Doug Teskey will begin his fourth full pro campaign with a move to the East Coast Hockey League. The past three seasons, the 6-1, 190-pounder was a combined 74-44-16 for Fort Wayne. Last year, he went 24-13-7 with a 2.41 goals-against average and a league-best six shutouts.
Toledo's other netminder is expected to be assigned from Nashville, the Storm's newest National Hockey League affiliate.
“Doug Teskey is, for us, going to be an anchor in net,” Toledo head coach Claude Noel said. “He won't be relied upon as a savior, but having played the number of games that he's played, with his attitude on our team, he'll be an anchor.”
Teskey will be going to training camp with Nashville's AHL club in Milwaukee.
Playing in front of Teskey will be Kris Mallette, a third-round draft choice (No. 62 overall) of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1997. The 6-3, 217-pound backliner accumulated a whopping 369 penalty minutes in just 49 games with Asheville last season. He also had two goals and seven assists.
Mallette, 23, turned pro in 2000-01, playing for Louisiana and Baton Rouge in the ECHL. He had one goal, four assists and 139 penalty minutes in 50 games between the two clubs.
Another defenseman, Brandon Fleenor, has also signed with the Storm and will join Teskey in Milwaukee's AHL camp.
A 6-2, 210-pounder, Noel said Fleenor has heavyweight attributes. Last season with Adirondack of the UHL, the 23-year-old totaled 224 penalty minutes in 58 starts. He also had three goals and nine assists. He spent the previous two seasons with Tacoma in the West Coast Hockey League.
The fourth signee, center Dave Gilmore, was the leading scorer last season for the UHL's now-defunct Knoxville Speed. After beginning the year with Port Huron, Gilmore, 28, finished with 28 goals and 47 assists in 68 games between the two clubs.
The 5-9, 173-pounder was a member of Boissier-Shreveport's Western Professional Hockey League championship club in 2000-01.
The four join forwards Jeff Mitchell, Dale Junkin, Nick Parillo and Brian McGrattan, as well as defensemen Mark McMahon and Chad Wilchynski, under contract for the season which begins when training camp opens on Sept. 29.