MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com – FRESNO, CALIF. – The Fresno Falcons announced today that head coach Matt Thomas and assistant coach Ryan Mougenel are in attendance at the training camp of the Chicago Blackhawks, the team’s new National Hockey League affiliate for the 2008-09 season, while nine players with Falcons ties are attending various AHL camps.

Thomas and Mougenel have been in Chicago since Tuesday, and will see three NHL pre-season games while with the Blackhawks.  They will remain in Chicago until Saturday, when they head to Rockford to take in a few days of AHL Ice Hogs camp.

“It has been a great experience for us here in Chicago thus far,” Thomas said.  “The Blackhawks are really excited about working with us this season, and this time in training camp has given us an opportunity to see what Chicago has in its system.”
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Not only are the Falcons’ coaches getting a taste of the higher level, but six players who will be in Falcons’ training camp in the coming weeks will also attend training camp in Rockford.  Included among those six are three players who were with the Falcons last season: Kenny Bernard, Igor Gongalsky, and Kenny MacAulay.  Also attending Rockford’s camp are Falcons’ signees Judd Blackwater, Rob Klinkhammer, and Ryan Nie.

Also in attendance at AHL camps this week are Oren Eizenman (Manitoba), Brian O’Hanley (Worcester), and Matt Stefanishion (Iowa).  Stefanishion was reassigned to Iowa by the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, one day after scoring a goal in Anaheim’s 6-4 pre-season game win over San Jose. 

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