HOUSTON – Houston Aeros President and General Manager Dave Barr announced today right wing Tony Virta has been assigned to Sodertalje SK of the Swedish Elite League by the Minnesota Wild (National Hockey League).



Virta, 30, had played in 39 games with the Aeros this season. He scored six goals and 12 assists for 18 points. He finished second on the Aeros with 58 points (25 goals and 33 assists) in 67 games in 2001-02. The Hameenlinna, Finland-native also made his NHL debut with Minnesota, scoring 2-3-5 in eight games.



Prior to playing for Houston last year, Virta played 10 seasons over in Europe, mainly in the Finnish Elite League with Hameenlinna and TPS Turku.



The Aeros currently lead the Western Conference with a record of 34 wins, 12 losses and five ties for 73 points. Houston visits division rival Chicago on Friday before returning home to host the Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday, February 9.