An Atlanta Gladiators player is now second in the league in career games. | File photo
An Atlanta Gladiators player is now second in the league in career games. | File photo
Atlanta Gladiators forward Michael Pelech now has the second-most career games in the ECHL AA hockey league, according to a news release.
Pelech, 32, started his career in Ontario in 2009 and recently played his 790th game at Florida, the league said. Only Hall of Famer San Florek has more career games, with 859 over 15 seasons, according to the league.
Pelech also ranks third in league history with 406 assists, behind Louis Dumont (566) and Chris Valicevic (460). Only seven players in the history of the league have reached the 600-point milestone, the news release said.
Pelech, from Ontario, has played for eight ECHL teams in his career, the league said. He originally signed with the Gladiators in 2020 but the team opted out of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the league said. Pelech also played parts of five seasons with the American Hockey League.
"Two of Pelech’s best seasons came recently in 2018-19 and 2019-20 with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits," the league said, "In that two-year span, he racked up 118 points (34g-84a) in 135 regular-season games, including 53 points in 2019-20 as Greenville’s captain."
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