Las Vegas, Nev. – With the addition of some new talent and more change in luck, the Las Vegas Wranglers have returned to their winning ways and clawed their way up from the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
In the weeks leading up to the annual ECHL Christmas break, the Wranglers were able to compile a combined record of 8-5-2, including a 4-0-0 record after trading defenseman Bretton Stamler and currently-in-the-AHL forward Chris Collins to the Greenville Road Warriors for forward Scott Pitt. Also acquired just in time for the annual Midnight Madness game on December 16 was goalie Mark Owuya from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
Forward Scott Pitt comes to the Wranglers from Greenville, after spending last season as a rookie with the ECHL Champion Florida Everblades. A graduate of Mercyhurst University, Pitt played his first full professional season with Florida, where he contributed 58 points and only 16 penalty minutes in 63 games while helping Florida to their first ever Kelly Cup against his new Wranglers. Pitt, who has also spent time in the AHL with Charlotte last season, and one game with Connecticut this year already, posted a hat trick, plus a helper, in his very first game in Las Vegas, quickly earning him fans among those at the Orleans Arena. Already, after two games played with Las Vegas, Pitt has four points and is a respectable plus three making his total ECHL plus-minus an amazing plus 30.
The other new additions to the Las Vegas Wranglers roster is goaltender Mark Owuya. The Swedish native, who spent many years backstopping for the legendary Swedish club Djurgarden and the Swedish junior National Team, comes to the Las Vegas Wranglers from Toronto after four games this season, going 2-2, with .833 save percentage and 3.79 goals-against-average. Owuya previously spent time last season with Reading of the ECHL and is the brother of Sebastian Owuya, a former member of the Stockton Thunder who currently skates for Vasterviks IK of the Swedish Division 1. Owuya, an aspiring rapper who was featured on the Swedish Idol competition, came out of the gate strong for Las Vegas, going 3-0 so far for the Wranglers, effectively relegating backup goalie Mitch O’Keefe to the stands for the time being.
Even though the addition of obvious talent in Pitt and Owuya are not the only reasons for the outstanding Wranglers upturn in the standings, it should be noted that before they arrived, the Wranglers were at the bottom of the Western Conference, trailing even expansion San Francisco and perennial bottom-feeders Bakersfield. Now, after their stellar run the last part of December, the Las Vegas club now find themselves third in the Pacific Division, ahead of San Francisco, Bakersfield and Utah in the Conference.
Contact the writer joel.hoopaugh@prohockeynews.com
Follow us on Twitter @prohockeynews
You must be logged in to post a comment.