From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Friday, September 24, 2004
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

AEROS ADD TO NHL EXPERIENCE, SIGN NINE

Six of nine players have made it to “The Show”

HOUSTON, Texas – The American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros have signed centers Dan Cavanaugh (pictured) and Mark Cullen, left wings Stephane Veilleux, Christoph Brandner and Jordan Krestanovich, right wings Kirby Law, Jason Beckett and Kyle Wanvig and defenseman Ray Giroux, general manager Tom Lynn announced Friday. The Aeros will hit the ice Monday at 2:30 p.m. at the Sugar Land Aerodrome to open 2004 Training Camp.

Six of the signees – Veilleux, Brandner, Krestanovich, Law, Wanvig and Giroux – have NHL experience, and the Aeros roster now has 10 players who have advanced to the NHL. It also includes nine of the Minnesota Wild’s top 10 prospects, as ranked by The Hockey News, and two of Dallas’ top 10 prospects. The Aeros have two No. 1 draft picks in camp in Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Mikko Koivu, Minnesota’s top prospect.

Wanvig, 23, has spent the majority of the last three seasons with the Aeros, and has also played 13 NHL games with Minnesota, posting two points (1-1=2). Wanvig, a 6-foot-2, 219-pound member of Houston’s 2003 Calder Cup winning team, has 83 points (44-39=83) in 164 Aeros games. Ranked as the Wild’s No. 4 prospect, Wanvig led Houston with career-bests in goals (25) and points (41) in 2003-04.

Krestanovich, 23, totaled three points (2-1=3) in 12 games for Houston last season after being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche on March 9. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound native of Langley, B.C., has two assists in 22 NHL games, all with the Avalanche.

Brandner, 29, became the first Austrian born skater to log regular-season ice time in the NHL last season with Minnesota. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound native of Bruck had nine points (4-5=9) in 35 games with the Wild, and added 14 points (7-7=14) in 37 games with the Aeros.

Veilleux, 22, spent most of 2003-04 with the Aeros, compiling 38 points (13-25=38) in 63 games. He also totaled 10 points (2-8=10) in 20 games with the Minnesota Wild. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Beauceville, Que., has 15 points (5-10=15) in 57 career NHL games and 85 points (34-51=85) in 170 games with the Aeros. Veilleux, ranked Minnesota's No. 10 prospect, tied Houston’s franchise record with four shorthanded goals in 2003-04.

Law, 27, joined the Wild as a free agent in July. He has 312 points (152-160=312) in 463 pro games over six seasons. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of McCreary, Man., was the fifth-leading goal scorer in the AHL last season with 32 tallies with Philadelphia. Law was an AHL All Star in 2003-04 and has one assist in nine NHL games, all with Philadelphia.

Giroux, 27, also joined the organization this summer. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder out of North Bay, Ont., has 234 points (67-167=234) in 412 pro games, and he is the fourth-leading AHL defenseman in goals, assists and points since the 2001-02 season. Giroux, who has spent the last two seasons in the New Jersey Devils organization, has 13 assists in 38 NHL games, including three helpers in 11 games last season.

Cavanaugh, 24, is entering his fourth pro season – all with the Aeros. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Springfield, Mass., has 84 points (32-52=84) in 220 games. Cavanaugh, who was a member of the Aeros’ 2003 Calder Cup winning team, set career-highs in goals (16), assists (23) and points (39) in 2003-04.

Cullen, 25, was the Aeros Man of the Year in 2003-04, a season that saw him rebound from melanoma and a serious shoulder injury. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound native of Moorhead, Minn., has 85 points (32-53=85) in 125 games over two seasons with the Aeros. The Colorado College product was also a member of Houston’s 2003 championship squad.

Beckett, 24, totaled 11 points (4-7=11) in 72 games with the Aeros in 2003-04, his first season with the team. The fifth-year-pro hails from Lethbridge, Alta. Beckett, 6-foot-3, 218 pounds, has 47 points (13-34=47) and 545 penalty minutes in 260 career games.


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