Broomfield, Colo. - The Rocky Mountain Rage Hockey Club has signed defenseman
Craig Olynick and forward
John Ronan, bringing the number of players under contract to 12 for the team's inaugural season in the Central Hockey League. The Rage opens the 2006-07 CHL campaign on the road against the rival Colorado Eagles before making its home debut at the brand new, state-of-the-art Broomfield Event Center on Nov. 10 against the Tulsa Oilers.
Olynick, who turns 24 on Aug. 21, enters his fourth year as a pro after spending his entire career in the ECHL with the Peoria Rivermen, Toledo Storm, and South Carolina Stingrays. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, he played with the Stingrays last season, registering 22 points (13g-9a) and racking up 149 PIM in 65 games. After playing major junior hockey in the Western Hockey League and getting drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 7
th round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Olynick returned to his hometown Humboldt Broncos in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in 2002-03. As a Second-Team All-SJHL defenseman, he helped lead the Broncos to the rare Junior A triple. The Broncos won the SJHL Championship, the Anavet Cup, an annual showdown between the winners of the Saskatchewan and Manitoba junior hockey leagues, and the Royal Bank Cup, Canada's Jr. A National Championship.
Ronan, 26 and listed at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, is a second-year pro who spent his rookie campaign in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades where he generated 26 points (12g-14a) in 68 games. He joined the pro ranks after playing four seasons at the University of Maine. He was the winner of the program's Perseverance Award as a sophomore and named captain of the college hockey powerhouse as a senior, Ronan helped the Black Bears capture the 2003-04 Hockey East Championship in triple overtime and make two trips to the NCAA title game in 2002 and 2004, falling just short of a championship in the latter to the University of Denver. Like Olynick, the native of South Boston, Mass., won a championship at the Junior A level when he led the Walpole (Mass.) Jr. Stars to the Eastern Junior Hockey League Championship in 2000-01 on his way to being named EJHL MVP for leading the league in scoring with 83 points (39g-44a) in just 45 games.
"I'm excited about adding both guys we've signed today to the mix," said Rage head coach
Tracy Egeland. "Craig is a top-four defenseman who plays hard at both ends of the ice and has steadily improved with each passing season. And John had a solid rookie season on a very good Florida team. I expect him to post better numbers this year with the different situations we'll be able to play him, and having been captain at a program like Maine, you know he'll bring all the intangibles to our dressing room."
The Rocky Mountain Rage is one of two expansion teams in the CHL's 17-team field. The Rage will join the Colorado Eagles, Oklahoma City Blazers and Wichita Thunder in the Northwest Division.
Season Tickets are available now for the 2006-07 season by calling 303-439-RAGE. For more information, visit
www.RockyMountainRage.com.
About the Broomfield Event Center: Currently under construction on the south side of U.S. Highway 36, between 112
th and 120
th Streets, the $45 million Broomfield Event Center will be a state-of-the-art 180,000 square foot multi-purpose event center and will include 6,000 seats, including 25 suites, 900 club seats, a sit-down restaurant, two themed bars and a separate basketball practice facility. The Broomfield Event Center will host more than 130 events per year, including concerts, trade shows, rodeos and sporting events. It is the future home of the Rocky Mountain Rage Professional Hockey Club and the Colorado 14ers Professional Basketball Club from the NBA Development League (Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Toronto Raptors affiliate team). The new venue is scheduled to open in November.
About Arista: The Broomfield Event Center is a major anchor for the 215 acre multi-use development known as Arista. Other than the event center, the Arista development will include retail, office and residential space.