D Eric Knodel Has 3 Assists in 7 games for Phantoms
February 15, 2020
Lehigh Valley, Pa – The Philadelphia Flyers have announced today that they have recalled defenseman Mark Friedman from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In addition, defensemen David Drake and Eric Knodel have been recalled from the Reading Royals of the ECHL.
Friedman, 24, has played in 38 games for Lehigh Valley this season and has scored three goals and 10 assists for 13 points and 26 penalty minutes. He played in 75 games for Lehigh Valley last year and set a new career-highs in goals (5), assists (21), and points (26). He was recalled by the Flyers for the first time this season on January 8, 2020 and played five games for Philadelphia. He tallied his first NHL point on January 13 with an assist on Connor Bunnaman’s first NHL goal. He made his NHL debut at the end of the 2018-19 season and on April 6, 2019 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Friedman was drafted in the third round (#86 overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. He has played 179 games in the AHL for Lehigh Valley and has accumulated 56 points on 10 goals and 46 assists. Prior to turning pro, he played three seasons at Bowling Green State University where he was named to a conference All-Star team in all three seasons. He was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team in 2014-15, WCHA First All-Star Team in 2015-16 and WCHA Third All-Star Team in 2016-17. Before attending Bowling Green, Friedman played two seasons in the USHL for the Waterloo Black Hawks from 2012-14.
Drake, 25, was signed to an AHL deal by Lehigh Valley on September 18, 2019 and has appeared in 41 games for the Reading Royals this season, tallying a goal and five assists and 20 penalty minutes. He played 64 games last season for the Reading Royals in his first full professional season and registered one goal and seven assists to go along with 48 penalty minutes. He appeared in one game for Lehigh Valley in 2018-19, playing in the season opener on October 6.
A native of Naperville, Illinois, Drake played seven games for the Phantoms at the end of the 2017-18 season and tallied an assist in his professional debut on March 31, 2018 against Belleville. He turned pro after a successful four-year career playing college hockey at the University of Connecticut. Drake posted 25 points on 4 goals and 21 assists in 124 games and served as the Alternate Captain during his junior and senior year at UConn.
The 6-foot-6 defenseman was drafted in the seventh round (#192) of the 2013 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Knodel, 29, signed an AHL contract with Lehigh Valley on July 1, 2019 and appeared in seven games for the Phantoms after being recalled from the ECHL on January 11, 2020. Knodel registered three assists with Lehigh Valley, including a two-assist game January 15 against the Binghamton Devils. He has played 33 games for the Reading Royals this season and has tallied six goals and 26 assists for 32 points, which leads all Reading defensemen. The 6-foot-6 defenseman also leads the Royals with a +25 rating on the season.
A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Knodel spent last season in the ECHL with the Cincinnati Cyclones. He posted 53 points (17G, 36A) in 70 games and was a +38 rating and was named 2018-19 ECHL Defenseman of the Year. Prior to this season, Knodel had played 39 games in the AHL over four seasons, spending time with the Toronto Marlies, San Diego Gulls, and Rochester Americans. He was drafted in the fifth round (#128) of the 2009 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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