(Courtesy of the Youngstown SteelHounds) YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO Youngstown SteelHounds Head Coach J.F. Laforest announced today that forwards Darryl Lloyd and Jeff Christian have been called-up by the Cleveland Barons, the SteelHounds primary American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate and affiliate of the National Hockey Leagues (NHL) San Jose Sharks.
Both Lloyd and Christian will remain with the Barons for a Canadian three-game swing that will close out the 2005-06 AHL season for Cleveland. The games will be Wednesday night versus the Hamilton Bulldogs at the Copps Coliseum and Thursday and Saturday night versus the Manitoba Moose in the MTS Centre, the site of this seasons AHL All-Star game.
Lloyd, 22, finished the 2005-06 season with the SteelHounds on March 25th and for the season played in 62 games scoring 17 goals with 26 assists and 201 penalty minutes. He was selected by Youngstown in last summers CHL Expansion Draft.
For the Pickering, Ontario native, this will be his third call-up with the Barons with the first coming on February 4th when the Barons hosted the Peoria Rivermen and the second coming on February 25th when the Barons traveled to play the Chicago Wolves. Lloyd did not record a point in either game and had two penalty minutes in the game in Chicago.
Christian, 35, is coming off his best professional season leading the CHL with 55 goals, 20 power play goals and 10 game winning goals. He finished with a total of 107 points which was second in the CHL and also finished second in the leagues Most Valuable Player voting.
The CHL All-Star Starter has a place in Cleveland hockey history playing 268 career games with the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL). The Burlington, Ontario native ranks among the Lumberjacks all-time leaders with 105 goals, 131 assists and 721 penalty minutes. Christian was originally a second round selection (23rd overall) of the New Jersey Devils in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft and has played 18 career NHL games seeing action with Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Phoenix.
Both players will join the Barons in time for their game Wednesday in Hamilton.