The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins assigned seven hockey players to the Florida Everblades, including Mark Senden, who helped the team win the 2024 Kelly Cup. The assignment also includes ECHL All-Rookie Team defenseman Brent Johnson and five other players with professional or NCAA experience.
Along with Senden and Johnson, the group includes Jack Horbach, David Breazeale, Daniel Laatsch, Broten Sabo and Tyler Duke. The Florida Everblades are based in Estero and compete in the ECHL.
Mark Senden Returns to Florida
Senden, 28, returns to the Florida Everblades two years after helping the team win the 2024 Kelly Cup. He recorded nine goals and six assists in 23 playoff games during that championship run.
The Medina, Minnesota, native spent the last two seasons with the Colorado Eagles, recording 12 goals and 24 assists in 114 games. His assignment gives the Everblades a player with direct experience from their most recent Kelly Cup championship.
Brent Johnson Leads Wheeling Group
Johnson, 23, led all rookie defensemen in scoring last season with the Wheeling Nailers. He recorded 55 points, including 12 goals and 43 assists, in 72 games.
Johnson was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team and added six assists in 13 postseason games. The Dallas, Texas, native is an Ohio State alumnus and a former third-round pick of the Washington Capitals.
Breazeale, 26, also completed his rookie season with the Wheeling Nailers. The Grandville, Michigan, native recorded 19 points, including four goals and 15 assists, in 57 regular-season games and added two assists in 17 playoff games.
Three Players Bring University of Wisconsin Experience
Horbach, 24, begins his professional career after four seasons at the University of Wisconsin. The right-shot forward recorded 16 goals and 23 assists in 144 NCAA games.
Laatsch, 24, is in the final year of his entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh selected him in the seventh round of the 2021 draft, and he played 39 games between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Wheeling last season before appearing in seven playoff games with Wheeling.
Laatsch is from Altoona, Wisconsin, and also played four seasons at the University of Wisconsin. Sabo, 24, played one game for the Penguins last season after signing with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton out of Ohio State.
The Rosemount, Minnesota, native finished his collegiate career with two goals and 19 assists in 35 games at Ohio State after beginning his NCAA career with two seasons at the University of Alaska.
Tyler Duke Begins Professional Career
Duke, 22, begins his professional career after spending the last three seasons at Michigan. During his senior season, he recorded two goals and 16 assists in 40 games, with Michigan’s season culminating in a Big Ten Conference Championship.
Duke also has family ties to professional hockey. His father, Steve Duke, played 149 ECHL games in the late 1990s, while his brother, Dylan Duke, is a prospect with the Tampa Bay Lightning and has played in three NHL games.
FSB Take
The assignment brings seven players to the Florida Everblades, with Senden providing a verified connection to the team’s 2024 Kelly Cup championship. Johnson arrives after leading rookie defensemen in ECHL scoring and earning All-Rookie Team honors, while Horbach and Duke are beginning their professional careers.
The group also includes recent experience from the Wheeling Nailers, Colorado Eagles, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and several NCAA programs. Those backgrounds give the Everblades a mix of championship experience, ECHL production and players moving into professional hockey.
Source: Original report