American Hockey League teams shuffled their rosters in advance of Thursday afternoon’s 3:00 (ET) Clear Day deadline. The complete Clear Day lists will be released on theahl.com no earlier than 10:00 a.m. (ET) on Friday.
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have acquired center Colton Fretter from the Chicago Wolves for future considerations.
The 25-year-old Fretter is in his second professional season and has played eight games with the Wolves this year, recording one goal and three assists. Fretter played 51 games with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators last season, totaling 36 goals and 32 assists for 68 points with 46 penalty minutes.
Fretter, a 5-foot-10, 187-pound native of Harrow, Ont., played four seasons at Michigan State University from 2002-06. He was originally drafted in the eighth round (230th overall), of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, by the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Phoenix Coyotes assigned right wing Steven Goertzen to the San Antonio Rampage, the Coyotes’ top affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL), after the Coyotes acquired the forward from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Nate DiCasmirro.
Goertzen, 23, has appeared in 59 AHL games this season for the Syracuse Crunch, Columbus’ AHL affiliate, registering 13 points (8g, 5a) and 72 penalty minutes (PIM) this season. Drafted by Columbus (7th round, 225th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, the Stoney Plain, Alberta native has tallied 58 points (26g, 32a) and 351 PIM in 224 career AHL games in parts of five seasons with the Crunch. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound Goertzen has also appeared in 46 NHL career games, all with Columbus.
The 29-year-old DiCasmirro recorded eight points (6g, 2a) and 16 PIM in 23 games for the Rampage this season after being acquired by Phoenix along with a fifth-round pick from Boston in exchange for Alex Auld on Dec. 6, 2007. The Aitkokan, Ontario native has accumulated 170 points (63g, 107a) and 291 PIM in 381 career AHL games with Hamilton, Toronto, Edmonton, Grand Rapids, Providence and San Antonio.
The Norfolk Admirals re-acquired forward David Koci on loan from the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. In exchange, the Tampa Bay Lightning have loaned Norfolk defenseman Justin Fletcher to the Rockford IceHogs.
Koci, 25, is a 6’6", 238 lb. forward from Prague, Czech Republic. The seventh-year pro has registered 1,074 penalty minutes as a professional. He has skated in 18 games with the Blackhawks and seven with the IceHogs this season.
Last season, Koci was a fan favorite as an Admiral, appearing in 44 games with a team-high 223 penalty minutes. In 245 career AHL games with Rockford, Norfolk and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Koci has three goals and 20 assists and 1,018 penalty minutes.
Fletcher, 24, is a 5’11", 185-pound rookie defenseman from Maryville, Illinois. In 39 games with Norfolk this season, Fletcher has one goal and four assists with 37 penalty minutes. He made his professional debut last season on an Amateur Tryout Contract with the Springfield Falcons, notching three goals and one assist with four penalty minutes in ten games. In 49 career American Hockey League games, Fletcher has four goals and five assists with 41 penalty minutes.
