POAPST AMONG 2013 ECHL HALL OF FAME CLASS

PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Monday that the 2013 inductees for the ECHL Hall of Fame are Dave Craievich, Marc Magliarditi, Steve Poapst and Darren Schwartz.

The four will be formally inducted as the sixth class of the ECHL Hall of Fame at a luncheon ceremony that will be held in conjunction with the 2013 ECHL All-Star Game in Loveland, Colo. on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. Details on the luncheon and ticket information will be released in the coming weeks.

“We are proud to welcome this year’s class of four players with outstanding credentials, and uniquely different resumes,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. “Marc Magliarditi was an outstanding goaltender; Dave Craievich, a well-rounded defenseman; an outstanding scorer in Darren Schwartz and a developmental player in Steve Poapst, who after beginning his career in the ECHL, went on to a fine NHL career. All four played a significant role in the growth and development of the ECHL.”

Steve Poapst joins his former ECHL, AHL and NHL teammate Olaf Kolzig as the second inductee in the Developmental Player category. Poapst began his professional career in the ECHL with the Hampton Roads Admirals in 1991-92, scoring 28 points (8g-20a) in 55 regular-season games and adding five points (1g-4a) in 14 postseason games, helping the Admirals to claim their second consecutive Riley Cup championship. He returned to Hampton Roads the following season, tallying 45 points (10g-35a) in 63 games. Poapst made his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals in 1995-96, scoring one goal in three regular-season games, while also seeing action in six games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He appeared in 307 career National Hockey League games with Washington, Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, tallying 36 points (8g-28a). Poapst also registered 205 points (45g-160a) in 498 career games in the American Hockey League with Baltimore, Portland and Norfolk. He is currently in his third season as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

Dave Craievich began playing in the ECHL as a rookie in 1991-92 with the Cincinnati Cyclones, and went on to play 516 games over nine seasons in the league with the Cyclones, Birmingham Bulls and Mobile Mysticks. He ranks third all-time among ECHL defensemen with 123 goals and 467 points while ranking fourth among blue-liners with 344 assists. Twice during his career he scored at least 20 goals, and in 1995-96, he led the expansion Mysticks in scoring with 74 points (23g-51a) in 65 games. Craievich played in three ECHL All-Star Games, and was selected as a starter for the 1994 and 1996 games. He was named to the All-ECHL Second Team in 1993-94, 1995-96 and 1997-98.

Marc Magliarditi becomes the second goaltender to join the ECHL Hall of Fame. He is the League’s all-time leader with 25 career shutouts and ranks second behind 2008 Hall of Fame inductee Nick Vitucci with 217 career wins and 21,154 minutes played. He played in 366 games, which is third all-time among goaltenders, with the Columbus Chill, Florida Everblades, Louisiana IceGators, Richmond Renegades and Las Vegas Wranglers. Six times in his ECHL career he won at least 20 games, and is tied for the league’s all-time mark with two seasons of 30 or more wins. He also ranks 17th in ECHL history with 15 career postseason wins.

Darren Schwartz arrived in the ECHL during the league’s second season in 1989-90 and played eight seasons in the league with the Johnstown Chiefs, Winston-Salem Thunderbirds, Wheeling Thunderbirds, Tallahassee Tiger Sharks and Wheeling Nailers. Schwartz made his biggest mark in the ECHL during Wheeling’s inaugural season in 1992-93. He scored a team record 62 goals in 62 games that season, becoming one of just eight players in ECHL history to score at least 60 goals in a single season. He set the ECHL record with a 16-game goal streak, scoring 25 goals from Jan. 14-Feb. 21, 1993; tallied a hat trick in a span of 30 seconds on Dec. 20, 1992; and was named the Most Valuable Player of the league’s inaugural All-Star Game with four points (2g-2a). Schwartz ranks seventh in ECHL history with 313 goals, is 13th with 571 points, is tied for seventh with 32 postseason goals and is 11th with 70 postseason points. He was named to the All-ECHL First Team in 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95 and upon his retirement following the 1998-99 season, held the ECHL career record with 490 games played.

The inaugural ECHL Hall of Fame class inducted in 2008 was Henry Brabham, Patrick J. Kelly, Chris Valicevic and Nick Vitucci while the second class in 2009 was John Brophy, Blake Cullen, Tom Nemeth and Rod Taylor. The 2010 ECHL Hall of Fame class was Cam Brown, E.A. “Bud” Gingher, Olaf Kolzig and Darryl Noren; the 2011 class was Richard Adams, Phil Berger, Luke Curtin and Joe Ernst; and the Class of 2012 was Bill Coffey, Sheldon Gorski, John Marks, Dave Seitz and Bob Woods. Inductees are enshrined in the ECHL Hall of Fame, which is open around the clock online at ECHLHallOfFame.com, as well as being recognized at the league office in Princeton, N.J. and in the ECHL section at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.

The third-longest tenured professional hockey league, behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League has grown from five teams in four states in 1988-89 into a coast-to-coast league with 23 teams in 16 states for its 25th Anniversary in 2012-13.

Hall of Fame members are selected in four categories: Player, Developmental Player, Builder, and Referee/Linesman. Players must have concluded their career as an active player for a minimum of three playing seasons, though not continuous or full seasons. Development Players must have began their career in the ECHL and went on to a distinguished career in the NHL, playing a minimum of 260 regular season games in the NHL, AHL and ECHL. Builders may be active or inactive whereas Referee/Linesman must have concluded their active officiating career for a minimum of three playing seasons.

No more than five candidates may be elected to the ECHL Hall of Fame each year with no more than three Players, one Developmental Player, two Builders and one Referee/Linesman. The Developmental Player, Builder and the Referee/Linesman categories are dependent upon the number of candidates in the Player category.

The nomination and/or selection of candidates will be determined by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee and its Chairman Patrick J. Kelly.

Only members of the Selection Committee, the Board of Governors, teams or persons affiliated with the ECHL may submit official nominations which must be made in writing to the league office. Fans are encouraged to contact their team to propose names for nomination.