AVIGNON, FRANCE – French first division club Les Castors d’Avignon have signed AAHL veterans Ryan Ford and Steve Koich, both forwards. The pair have won the Davidson Cup championship with the Evansville IceMen and have agreed to terms to play in Avignon for the 2010-11 season.
The speedy Ford spent time with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) and Laredo Bucks (CHL) this past season. In 8 AA games, he registered an assist and 5 PIMs. The second year IceMan also won Co-MVP honors at the inaugural AAHL All-Star Game with 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists), with 40 points in total for the regular season (19 goals, 21 assists) in 33 games. In the Davidson Cup playoffs, the Cambridge, Ontario native led all scorers with 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists). Steve Koich began the season with the Mississippi Surge (SPHL), notching a goal and an assist in 7 games before joining the IceMen. In 35 games, the Chelsea Michigan native posted 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists) with 51 PIMs. He posted 10 points (7 goals, 3 assists) in 9 playoff games on the way to winning the Cup. Avignon’s Manager, Romain Terpman is excited to bring two hungry young forwards to his team as they seek to advance to the next level in France. “We are proud to welcome Ryan and Steve to our team and hope they will continue winning together for us here in Avignon,” said Terpman. Koich added, “Obviously, this is a big opportunity for Ryan and I. I’m really excited to get over there and have some success. I enjoyed my time in the AAHL, both in Battle Creek and in Evansville, and grateful for all the support from the fans, the teams and of course, my family. I think this can be a chance for us to show the world that the AAHL can develop players for higher levels of hockey.”
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