Affliate News

Damian Cristodero of the St. Pete Times reports winger Michel Ouellet has been assigned to AHL Norfolk after clearing waivers earlier this week.

The Norfolk Admirals have announced eight players have been cut from their training camp roster. In this first round of cuts, no Tampa prospects were released. The camp roster now counts 29 players remaining, including the still unsigned Tampa prospect forward Mitch Fadden.

Four of the eight players cut were reassigned to Tampa's ECHL affiliate in Augusta including forwards Matt Auffrey, Michael Field, Sean E. O'Connor, and Jamie Thompson. Defenseman Jason Beckett and goaltender Nick Boucher were returned to the Fort Wayne Komets of the IHL, while defenseman Chris Kaufman and forward Sean D. O'Connor were returned to their respective ECHL teams in Bakersfield and Phoenix.

Despite some concern of whether forwards Brandon Bochenski and Zenon Konopka would clear waivers, both forwards passed through unclaimed at noon on Monday and have been reassigned to the Norfolk Admirals. Bochenski and Konopka was cut from the Tampa Bay training camp on Thursday night just prior to the team leaving for its European season opener against the New York Rangers next weekend in Prague. Both had to wait until Saturday's beginning of the 2008-09 NHL waiver season. The two are expected to be two-thirds of the Admirals top line to start the 2008-09 season, with head coach Darren Rumble on record as saying that Konopka would serve as the team's captain if not claimed.

Preseason action continues for the 0-2-0-0 Admirals this Friday and Saturday when the Philadelphia Phantoms play back-to-back games at the Scope in Norfolk.

Per the Tampa Tribune, following the Thursday's preseason game with the New York Rangers, the Lightning made 3 more roster cuts prior to leaving for Europe.

Tampa reassigned prospect defenseman Matt Smaby and forwards Zenon Konopka and Brandon Bochenski to the Norfolk Admirals training camp. Konopka and Bochenski will have to clear waivers before the reassignment is completed, and the these two will be placed on waivers Friday morning.

Eric Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune is reporting that the Tampa Bay Lightning have made six training camp cuts following Saturday night's first preseason game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. All six are being sent the Norfolk Admirals training camp and will join the current roster which starts on Monday. The six players include Lightning prospects Blair Jones, Brandon Segal, Chris Lawrence, and Andy Rogers. The remaining two cuts include free agent invitees Jamie Heward and Sean O'Connor.

Heward had previously said that he if he could not make an NHL roster, he would return to Europe instead of playing North American minor league hockey. It is unknown if Heward will report to the Admirals training camp.