PORT HURON, MI – Stan Drulia, head coach and general manager of the Port Huron Icehawks, announces that the team has signed center Jeff Bateman to a contract for the 2008-09 season. Per team policy, details of the deal were not disclosed.

Bateman (6-1, 190 lbs) comes to the Icehawks with three years of professional experience, including 107 games in the American Hockey League. He was a fourth round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft and turned pro in the 2001-02 season after three years of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League.

The center began his first pro season with the CHL Fort Worth Brahmas before being called up to the AHL Utah Grizzlies. He went on to play 101 regular season games and 6 playoff games with the Grizzlies over the course of three seasons, turning in a combined 24 points (10g, 14a) in the regular season and two points (0g, 2a) in the playoffs.  

“Signing Bateman is an important upgrade for us as we rebuild our team,” Drulia said. “He can play in all situations and will make the players around him better. With AHL experience, he knows what it takes to get to the next level and will pass those skills on to our younger players.”

Bateman played for the ECHL Idaho Steelheads in the 2003-04 season and amassed 31 points (7g, 24a) in 52 games. The center then shifted to collegiate play and joined the roster of St. Thomas University (Fredericton, New Brunswick, CA) in the 2005-06 season.

The 26-year old Belleville, Ontario native played three seasons with St. Thomas and averaged 25 points per season. In the 2007-08 season, he tallied nearly two points per game, with 23 points (6g, 17a) in just 13 contests. He also led the team in the plus/minus category with a +11 rating. 

“I was familiar with Stan because he played junior hockey in my hometown (Belleville Bulls),” said Bateman, who recently completed his criminology degree. “I am excited to come to Port Huron and am ready to get back out there at the professional level. One of my goals was to get my degree done in three years so I could continue to pursue my hockey career.”

Bateman is the fifth player to sign with the Icehawks for the 2008-09 season. He joins returning players Tab Lardner (LW), Jeff Zehr (LW), Jamie Lovell (D), and Larry Sterling (G) on the roster.

The Icehawks are set to open the season with a Turner Cup Finals rematch versus the Fort Wayne Komets at home on Friday, October 17.

Season ticket packages are available now at the Icehawks office, 325 Huron Avenue, Port Huron. For more information, please call the Icehawks office at 810-966-3800 or visit www.porthuronicehawks.com.