DEFENSEMAN, KINGS AGREE TO 3-YEAR DEAL.Byline: - Rich Hammond Rich Hammond Los Angeles Daily News sports writer. Instrumental in bringing the Los Angeles Kings hockey organization closer to the fans. He is the atypical "what a guy" to Kings fans everywhere. Rich Hammond on himself. The Kings left themselves little time to spare, but managed to take care of a major offseason issue Friday when they signed defenseman Tim Gleason Tim Gleason (b. January 29 1983, Clawson, Michigan) is a professional ice hockey defenceman for the Carolina Hurricanes. Gleason was drafted twenty-third overall from the Windsor Spitfires in the first round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. to a three-year contract. Gleason, acquired in the March 11 trade that sent Bryan Smolinski Bryan Smolinski (b. December 27 1971 in Toledo, Ohio) is an American ice hockey centre currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL. Playing career Smolinski grew up in suburban Northwest Ohio and played for the Michigan State Spartans. to Ottawa, was a first-round draft pick in 2001, but the cash-strapped Senators were unable to sign him. The Kings had until Sunday afternoon to sign the 20-year-old Gleason or he would have re-entered the draft. ``We feel we have signed an outstanding young prospect for our organization,'' said Kings general manager Dave Taylor, who pulled off a similar deal before last year's deadline with Jared Aulin Jared Aulin (born March 15, 1982 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is a retired professional hockey centre who played for the Springfield Falcons in the American Hockey League. He currently plays in Canadian Interuniversity Sport with the University of Calgary Dinos. . ``Tim is an elite skater and a gritty, fierce competitor.'' The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Gleason spent last season with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior "A" Tier I ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20. and had seven goals, 31 assists and 75 penalty minutes in 45 games. Gleason will try to join the Kings' rotation of six defensemen, which includes regulars Aaron Miller, Jaroslav Modry, Mattias Norstrom and Lubomir Visnovsky. Joe Corvo, Maxim Kuznetsov and Tomas Zizka will also compete for playing time. |
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