For Immediate Release: March 1, 2019

KNODEL NAMED ECHL PLUS PERFORMER OF THE MONTH

Rearguard Led the League with Plus-16 Rating in 13 Games

Cincinnati, OH- Cincinnati Cyclones defenseman Eric Knodel has been named the recipient of the AMI Graphics ECHL Plus Performer of the Month for February, after posting an on-ice rating of plus-16 through 13 games during the month. He joins forward Alex Wideman, who was co-recipient of the AMI Graphics ECHL Plus Performer of the Month in December.

Knodel posted an even or better rating in 12 of his 13 games during the month, including pair or plus-four games- an 8-1 road win over the Maine Mariners on February 8, and a 5-4 overtime victory against Adirondack on February 17. He ranks third among ECHL defensemen, and sixth overall in the league, with a plus-35 rating this season, and is also tied for first among blueliners with 14 goals and is tied for second with 39 points.

Signed to an American Hockey League (AHL) contract this past summer by the Rochester Americans, Cincinnati’s AHL affiliate, the 6-6, 225-pound blueliner ranked third in ECHL defenseman scoring a season ago, accounting for 13 goals and 39 assists in 57 games played. Currently in his third season with the Cyclones, Knodel skated in 58 games with the Cyclones in 2016-17, leading the team in defenseman scoring with eight goals and 20 assists, and was tied for third with a plus-seven on-ice rating. He was one of the ECHL’s top defensemen at the midway point of 2016-17, and for his efforts he was awarded a spot in the 2017 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic in Glens Falls. He also took part in the All-Star Hardest Shot competition, where he finished in second place with a shot of 96mph.

Overall, Knodel has appeared in 302 pro games, accounting for 47 goals and 124 assists for 171 total points. Prior to turning pro, Knodel spent four seasons at the University of New Hampshire, and was named captain during his season year in 2013-14. In 116 games for the Wildcats, he accounted for 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 total points, including a career-high 28 (7g, 21a) during his senior year. 

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