The Columbus Blue Jackets, parent club of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, have acquired forward Chad Kolarik from the Phoenix Coyotes, parent club of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, in exchange for forward Alexandre Picard.
Kolarik, 24, has collected 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points in 59 games with the San Antonio this season. He ranks tied for second on the club in goals and is fifth in points.
Phoenix’s seventh-round pick in the 2004 Entry Draft, Kolarik notched 20 goals and 30 assists in 76 games as a rookie with San Antonio in 2008-09. He made his pro debut during the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs, notching four goals and two assists in seven games.
Kolarik spent four seasons at the University of Michigan, where he collected 78 goals, 96 assists and a cumulative plus-59 rating in 163 career games. He earned NCAA West Second All-American and CCHA First All-Star Team honors as a senior in 2007-08.
The Abington, Pa., native spent two seasons with the United States Development Program from 2002-04, registering 51-56-107 and 67 penalty minutes in 120 games. He is the younger brother of former Blue Jackets draft pick Tyler Kolarik.
Picard, 24, has 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points in 42 games with Syracuse this season, his fifth as a pro. Picard was also scoreless in nine NHL games with Columbus on the year.
Picard has played 234 career AHL games with Syracuse, totaling 72 goals and 74 assists for 146 points. The eighth overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft, Picard has two assists in 67 career NHL matches with Columbus.
