The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned center Geoff Platt, left wing Kirill Starkov, right wing Adam Pineault, defenseman Mikko Maenpaa, and goaltender Dan LaCosta to Syracuse.
Platt, 22, appeared in 53 games with Syracuse last season, notching 28 goals, 21 assists and 59 penalty minutes. He also played in 25 games with Columbus last season tallying 4 goals, 5 assists and 10 penalty minutes. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Platt was signed as a free agent by Columbus on November 25, 2005.
Starkov, 20 appeared in 72 games with Red Deer (Western Hockey League) last season tallying 34 goals, 37 assists and 41 penalty minutes. A native of Yekaterinburg, Russia, Starkov was selected by Columbus in the 6th round, 189th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Pineault, 21 appeared in 57 games with Syracuse last season, registering 12 goals, 16 assists and 66 penalty minutes. A native of Holyoke, Massachusetts, Pineault was selected by Columbus in the 2nd round, 46th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Maenpaa, 24, appeared in 52 games last season with HPK Hameenlinna of the Finnish Elite League, recording 14 goals, 26 assists and 48 penalty minutes. A native of Tampere, Finland, Maenpaa was signed as a free agent by Columbus on June 1, 2007.
LaCosta, 21, appeared in 19 games with Syracuse last season going 5-7-1 with a 2.82 goals against average and .894 save percentage. He also played in 10 games with Dayton last season going 3-5-1 with a 3.45 goals against average and .874 save percentage. A native of Labrador City, Newfoundland, LaCosta was selected by Columbus in the 3rd round, 93rd overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
The Crunch open their 14th AHL season on October 5 in Rochester. The club’s Quickway Opening Night is set for Saturday, October 13 vs. Hartford. Tickets are available by calling the Crunch office at (315) 473-4444, stopping by the Oncenter box office located on the State Street side of the War Memorial or by calling TicktMaster at (315) 472-0700.
Pictured: Geoff Platt (above); Adam Pineault (previous page)