Coyotes recall McKenna, assign 4 to Portland
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday announced they recalled goaltender Mike McKenna and assigned defensemen Brandon Gormley and Philip Samuelsson, forward Lucas Lessio and goaltender Mike Lee to the Portland Pirates, the club's American Hockey League affiliate.
The moves are to get the young players more ice time during the NHL All-Star break, Coyotes coach Dave Tippett told FOXSportsArizona.com. McKenna likely will split backup goalie duties with Louis Domingue. The two will alternate being with the club and being with Portland.
The 31-year-old McKenna posted a 16-13-2 record with a 2.09 goals against average (GAA) and a .934 save percentage (SV%) in 32 games with the Pirates. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound native of St. Louis, Missouri, owns a 3.40 GAA and a .891 SV% in 21 career NHL games.
The 22-year-old Gormley has recorded 2-1-3 and four penalty minutes (PIM) in 15 games with the Coyotes this season. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound native of Murray River, Prince Edward Island has also collected 1-2-3 and six PIM in nine games with the Pirates.
The 23-year-old Samuelsson has appeared in four games with Arizona this season. The 6-foot-2, 194-pound native of Leksand, Sweden has totaled 1-2-3 with 14 PIM and a plus-six rating in 16 games with the Pirates in 2014-15.
The 21-year-old Lessio has 1-1-2 and eight PIM in nine games with the Coyotes in 2014-15. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound native of Maple, Ontario, also recorded 9-7-16 and 16 PIM in 26 games with the Pirates.
The 24-year-old Lee has posted a 1-3-1 record with a 2.98 GAA and a .897 SV% in five games with the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL) this season.
