MISSIAEN, HUGE IN NET, UP FROM GREENVILLE 

GOALTENDER JASON MISSIAEN JOINS WHALE

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Six-foot-eight-inch Backstop Reassigned from ECHL Greenville

Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned goaltender Jason Missiaen to the Whale from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Missiaen, who, at 6-8 and 220 pounds, is the tallest goaltender in North American pro hockey, is 5-3-1 with a 2.43 goals-against average, 92.6% save percentage and three shutouts in 10 games with Greenville.  That ties him for the ECHL lead in shutouts, and the 21-year-old rookie from Chatham, Ontario ranks fifth in the league in save percentage and eighth in GAA.  Missiaen was named ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the week of December 5-11, after stopping 69 of 70 shots in a pair of wins, and strung together back-to-back shutouts in home games December 9 vs. South Carolina (38 saves in a 3-0 victory) and December 12 against Florida (31 saves, 3-0).

Missiaen was signed as a free agent by the Rangers March 24, 2011, and played last season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.  He finished 2010-11 third among QMJHL goaltenders in saves (1,403) and fourth in minutes-played (3,026), going 10-33-8 with a 3.33 GAA, an 89.3% save percentage and one shutout.

Prior to joining Baie-Comeau, Missiaen spent four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Peterborough Petes.  In 131 career games with Peterborough, he was 48-65-6 with a 3.77 GAA, a 90.1% save percentage and one shutout.

Missiaen was a fourth-round selection (116^th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2008 NHL Draft.

The Whale are back in action this Friday night, December 30, when they travel to Worcester to take on the Sharks in a 7:30 PM game.  All the CT Whale Rockin’ Hockey action can be heard live on “The Rock”, 106.9 FM, WCCC, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com.  The Whale’s next home game is this Saturday night, New Year’s Eve, as they battle the Springfield Falcons.  The Whale will be celebrating the coming of the New Year with a special ticket discount, as all upper-level seats for Saturday’s game will be available for only $5 each at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center.

Tickets to all 2011-12 Whale home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats and mini plans, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

The AHL’s Connecticut Whale is operated by Whalers Sports and Entertainment, a Hartford-based sports marketing and event firm founded by Howard Baldwin and Howard Baldwin, Jr..  The team is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers.

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