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| PrairieThunderFriday, June 1, 2007 7:45 PM CDT |
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Ex-NHL player Skalde signed
BLOOMINGTON -- Jarrod Skalde knows what it is like to play in the National Hockey League. The Bloomington PrairieThunder hopes Skalde’s experience will rub off on its younger players as they enter their second season in the United Hockey League. The 36-year-old Skalde, who has played parts of nine seasons with eight teams in the NHL, has signed a contract to play for the PrairieThunder for the 2007-08 season, Bloomington coach Derek Booth announced Wednesday. The 6-foot, 180-pound center played 115 NHL games from 1990 through 2002 and scored 13 goals with 21 assists. “He loves hockey. He loves talking hockey and he loves playing the game and teaching the game,” said Booth. “He’s got tremendous skills. He shoots and he passes. We’re not just signing him to fill a role. “We are signing him to score goals and be one of the leaders on the ice and in the locker room. To get a goal scorer of Jarrod’s caliber to play in the UHL is a great benefit to the league and the PrairieThunder organization.” During his career, which included a season with Lausanne in the Swiss A League and Leksands in the Swiss Elite League and stints in the American and International hockey leagues, Skalde has accumulated 301 goals and 507 assists in 1,023 games. His best season came with the Las Vegas Thunder during the 1994-95 season when he scored 34 goals with 41 assists. “This is a historic signing in the short time of PrairieThunder hockey given the fact Jarrod is the first player with substantial NHL experience to play for us,” said Bloomington general manager Jerry McBurney. “Getting a player who has played 115 games in the NHL makes this a great day for the PrairieThunder.” Skalde has much in common with Booth and McBurney. Booth and Skalde both hail from Niagara Falls, Ontario, and played hockey together as youngsters. McBurney was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Utah Grizzlies when Skalde played in Salt Lake City in the AHL. “I know from our time together in Utah what he will bring to the team,” said McBurney. “He is not only a great hockey talent, but will bring leadership, experience and recruiting ability that we would not have found in any other player.” Joining Booth and McBurney sold Skalde, who lives in Orlando during the offseason, on joining the PrairieThunder. “It’s a great opportunity for me to learn from Derek and continue to play,” said Skalde. “I have a great deal of respect for Jerry and Derek and couldn’t have asked for a better situation. I was really impressed with the (U.S. Cellular Coliseum) building and the city.” Booth expects Skalde to become an integral part of the team. “Jarrod brings leadership and a number of years of playing under his belt,” said Booth. “He had a lot of successful years in the AHL, IHL and NHL. This is guy who, first and foremost, has a passion for the game, and that’s what we want in this organization.” Skalde and his wife, Erin, have two children — a 9-year-old daughter, True, and a 4-year-old son, Skate. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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