The Atlanta Thrashers, parent club of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, have acquired forward Joe Motzko from the Washington Capitals, parent club of the AHL’s Hershey Bears, in exchange for forward Alexandre Giroux.
Motzko has spent most of the 2007-08 season with Hershey, leading the Bears with 21 goals and 48 points in 48 games. He has also appeared in eight NHL games with Washington this season, registering two goals and four points.
An AHL All-Star Classic participant in 2007 and 2008, Motzko played in three playoff games with the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks in 2007. In 327 career AHL games with Hershey, Portland and Syracuse, Motzko has recorded 121 goals and 160 assists for 281 points.
Giroux, 26, registered 19 goals and 22 assists in 44 games for Chicago this season. In 474 career AHL games with Chicago, Hershey, Hartford, Binghamton and Grand Rapids, Giroux has notched 184 goals and 161 assists for 345 points.
The 2007 AHL All-Star returns to Hershey, where he scored 42 goals and helped the Bears to the Calder Cup Finals a year ago.
