Polaski, Haddon and Beatty are Back With Eagles
WINDSOR, Colo. – The Colorado Eagles announced today that they’ve re-signed defenseman Jason Beatty and forwards Steve Haddon and Scott Polaski for the upcoming season. Polaski, a Colorado Springs native and Colorado College alum, will be returning to the team for the fourth year in a row; Haddon will be entering his third full season with the team and Beatty his second.
Polaski registered a career high .72 points-per-game last season, accumulating 31 points (14-17-31) in 43 games. Twenty of his 31 points came at the Budweiser Events Center. Polaski missed 21 games – the first of his professional career – due to an ankle injury, breaking his iron-man streak of 162 games played for the Eagles. The right winger continued his strong play in the playoffs, finishing second on the team in plus/minus (5) and tied for second in goals (5) and shooting percentage among forwards (.122). He also scored two game-winning goals (Games One and Seven) in the Northern Conference Finals.
Haddon joined the Eagles on an amateur contract during the 2006 playoffs and has been with the team ever since. The Sarnia, Ontario native put up career highs in games played (63), goals (14), assists (17), points (31) and PIMs (76) last season while also excelling on faceoffs. Most notably, Haddon centered an Eagles third line that performed exceptionally well on the road (15 of his 31 points came away from the BEC) in 2007-08.
Beatty, a rugged, physical defenseman, joins the Eagles for the second year in a row after spending the first three years of his career with the now-defunct Lubbock Cotton Kings of the CHL. Beatty enters the 2008-09 season with 500 professional penalty minutes (two accumulated in the AHL) and is known around the league as a tough match in a fight. His biggest offensive contribution last season came as the game-winning goal in a pivotal, late-season contest against the Rocky Mountain Rage on March 12. The Eagles were 6-0 last regular season when Beatty registered a point. In his first extended playoff run, Beatty also showed an offensive side, scoring four points (2-2-4) in 16 games.