Knodel Has 4 Points in 9 Games for Lehigh Valley
March 11, 2020
Lehigh Valley, Pa – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, proud AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, have announced today that they have recalled defenseman Eric Knodel from the Reading Royals. In addition, defenseman Mark Friedman has been recalled from loan by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Knodel, 29, signed an AHL contract with Lehigh Valley on July 1, 2019 and has appeared in nine games for the Phantoms after being recalled from the ECHL on four occasions. Knodel has registered four assists with Lehigh Valley, including a two-assist game January 15 against the Binghamton Devils. He has played 44 games for the Reading Royals this season and has tallied seven goals and 32 assists for 39 points, which leads all Reading defensemen. The 6-foot-6 defenseman also leads the Royals with a +26 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.
Friedman, 24, has played in 45 games for Lehigh Valley this season and has scored three goals and 15 assists for 18 points and 30 penalty minutes. He recently tallied three multi-point games in the month of February. He played in 75 games for Lehigh Valley last year and set a new career-highs in goals (5), assists (21), and points (26). This marks his forth NHL call up this season and he has played six 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 186 games in the AHL for Lehigh Valley and has accumulated 61 points on 10 goals and 51 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.
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