Everblades add pair of forwards to roster

ESTERO, Fla. — Forwards Justin Auger and David Friedmann have agreed to terms with the Florida Everblades for the 2018-19 season, President and General Manager Craig Brush and Head Coach Brad Ralph announced on Thursday.  

Auger brings both NHL and AHL experience to the ‘Blades lineup, while Friedmann has previous professional experience in the ECHL and Europe.

A native of Waterloo, Ontario, Auger, 24, has played in the Los Angeles Kings system since turning professional in the 2014-15 season and appeared in games for both the Kings and the American Hockey League’s Ontario Reign last season. In 65 games with the Reign, Auger tabbed 25 points on 11 goals and 14 assists. The 6-foot-6, 232-pound right winger made his NHL debut at the start of the 2017-18 campaign on Oct. 18 against the Montreal Canadiens and played in two games total in the NHL a year ago.

With 266 games of professional experience, Auger now has the second-most pro experience of any player on Florida’s roster behind defenseman Jordon Southorn. Auger has played in 264 career AHL games, including three seasons with the Reign and one season with the Manchester Monarchs in his first pro season in 2014-15. Over four AHL seasons, Auger recorded 110 points on 54 goals and 56 assists.

Prior to turning pro, Auger played 179 games with the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2011-2014, posting 70 career points (34G, 36A).

Friedmann, 25, has one full season of ECHL experience and played last season in Europe in both Slovakia and Norway. A bulk of his time in the 2017-18 season came with Lørenskog in Norway, as he suited up in 32 games and registered 22 points (12G, 10A). He also saw action in 10 games for HK Nitra in Slovakia, recording two goals and three assists in that span.

Before Friedmann played in Europe, the native of Toronto, Ontario, spent parts of two seasons in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets and Wichita Thunder. In 75 games in the ECHL, Friedmann tallied 17 goals and 14 assists. He made his ECHL debut in the 2015-16 season following a four-year career at Robert Morris University.

While at RMU, Friedmann played in 144 career games and totaled 103 points. His best season came his senior year in 2015-16 when he broke out for 42 points on 12 goals and 30 assists to finish tied for third in scoring for the Colonials.

Friday night is Opening Night at Hertz Arena presented by Hertz. Single-game tickets start as low as $10.

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Single-game tickets for all regular season games are on sale now!

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The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliateof the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes