ATHERTON ASSIGNED TO LAS VEGAS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday assigned defenseman P.J. Atherton to the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers. Atherton, 26, has appeared in two games with the Griffins this season, going scoreless with four penalty minutes.

Atherton logged 55 games with ECHL Reading last season, leading Royals defensemen in all scoring categories and ranking third overall on the club with 41 points (16-25—41). Tampa Bay’s fifth pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, he also matched his AHL career high by appearing in nine games with the Manchester Monarchs, earning three assists and eight PIM.

Hailing from Edina, Minn., Atherton has totaled 81 points (24-57—81) in 139 pro contests over his three pro campaigns, including 10 points (3-7—10) in 27 AHL games. He skated four seasons for the University of Minnesota and was a member of the Golden Gophers’ 2003 national championship team as a freshman.

The Griffins will look to improve upon their Western Conference-leading 4-0-1-0 (0.900) record tonight, when they host the Syracuse Crunch at 7 p.m. in a battle for first place in the North Division.