Bakersfield Condors Welcome A New Bird To the Nest With Agreement With Kevin Truelson

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com – The Bakersfield Condors have agreed to terms with defenseman Kevin Truelson for the 2007- 08 season, head coach Marty Raymond announced Friday. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

Truelson returns for his third consecutive season with the Condors. Last year, he was fourth in the league among defensemen with 51 points (17g, 34a) in 66 games. His 17 goals were good for fourth among the league's blue liners. He first appeared in a Condors jersey in 2005-06, when he played 54 games and racked up 47 points (11g, 36a).

"It's great to have a pure offensive defenseman," Raymond said. "He can really shoot the puck, and should really help this team try to win a championship."

Entering the 2007-08 season, Truelson ranks first on the Condors all-time points and goals lists for defensemen with 98 points and 28 goals. He is also second on the Condors all-time assists list for defensemen with 70, only trailing Glen Mears' 79 assists, and ranks eighth on the Condors all-time assists list overall.

The 6-foot, 208-pound native of Weymouth, Mass. has spent the last four seasons in the ECHL, playing for the Fresno Falcons, Gwinnett Gladiators and Long Beach Ice Dogs in addition to the Condors. He has played a total of 215 ECHL games, and has amassed 140 points (39g, 101a), including career highs in points, goals and assists in both of his years with the Condors.

Prior to playing in the ECHL, Truelson played four years of collegiate hockey at the University of New Hampshire (NCAA). He played 130 games and accumulated 40 points (8g, 32a).

The Condors also announced Friday that forward Pontus Moren has been released, keeping the training camp roster at 27. Twelve of the 27 are Condors returnees (Scott Balan, Yutaka Fukufuji, Todd Griffith, Jamie Hodson, Mike Hofstrand, Andrew Ianiero, David Kudelka, Reagan Leslie, Brett Lutes, Truelson, Sean Venedam and Sheldon Wing), while the other 15 are new faces around Condorstown.