BLUE JACKETS RETAIN CENTER MARK HARTIGAN; SIGN DEFENSEMAN ANDRE LAKOS AND FORWARD MATTIAS TRATTNIG
Hartigan returns for second season; Lakos and Trattnig starred for Austria at 2004 World Championships
COLUMBUS, OHIO - The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed center Mark Hartigan, Blue Jackets President and General Manager Doug MacLean announced today. It also announced that the club has signed defenseman Andre Lakos (pronounced LOCK-ohse) and forward Mattias Trattnig (pronounced Mah-TEE-iss, TROT-nig). As is club policy, terms were not disclosed.
Hartigan, 26, split the 2003-04 season between the Blue Jackets and the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), recording 1-3-4 with 15 shots on goal in nine NHL contests. He scored 23-23-46 in 69 AHL games, ranking tied for third on the Crunch in goals. The 6'0", 205-pound native of Fort St. John, B.C. was Syracuse's second-leading scorer during the playoffs with five points in seven games (1-4-5). Signed as a free agent in July 2003, Hartigan has 6-5-11 in 32 career NHL games and 38-54-92 in 126 career AHL contests. Before turning pro, Hartigan spent three seasons at St. Cloud State (Minnesota) University, winning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Player of the Year award in 2001-02.
Lakos, 24, was a third round pick of the New Jersey Devils in the 1999 Entry Draft. A regular on the Austrian National Team, he has represented his country in four World Championships, most recently recording 1-2-3 with a team-best +2 plus/minus rating in six games at the 2004 tournament in the Czech Republic. The 6'6", 240-pound native of Wien, Austria also appeared in all four games for Austria during the qualification round for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Lakos spent the past two seasons with Vienna of the Austrian League, scoring 10-38-48 in 85 games. Prior to joining Vienna, he spent three seasons in the American Hockey League, recording 2-31-33 in 178 games split between Albany and Utah, setting career-highs of 20 assists and 21 points in 2000-01. He played his Junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League, spending one season each with Toronto and Barrie.
Trattnig, 24, was a fourth round selection of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1998 Entry Draft. The 6'1", 207-pound forward has represented Austria in four World Championships, scoring 6-4-10 in 24 career games. A native of Graz, Austria, he also appeared in all four games for Austria in the qualification round for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Trattnig played collegiate hockey at the University of Maine for four seasons, winning the NCAA title with the Black Bears in 1999. Following his collegiate career, Trattnig returned to Europe and spent two seasons with Djurgarden of the Swedish Elite League before joining Kassel of the German Elite League last season.
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