ORIGINAL ARTICLE CAN BE SEEN AT NEW YORK RANGERS WEBSITE
New York, June 8, 2010 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Dane Byers on a contract extension.
Byers, 24, skated in five games with the Rangers this season, registering one goal and 31 penalty minutes. He notched his first career NHL goal in his season debut on October 30 at Minnesota. Byers spent most of the season with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), recording 25 goals and 27 assists for 52 points, along with 100 penalty minutes in 74 games. He established career-highs in goals, points and power play goals (13). He ranked second on the team in points and power play goals, third in goals and fourth in assists. His 13 power play goals also tied for seventh in the AHL. Byers posted 12 multi-point performances, including two, three-point efforts on February 13 vs. Bridgeport (two goals and one assist) and April 10 vs. Springfield (one goal and two assists). He also registered a career-high, seven-game point streak from October 23 at Adirondack to November 19 vs. Wilkes-Barre Scranton, tallying nine points (four goals and five assists) over the span.
In 2008-09, Byers recorded four goals and three assists for seven points, along with 18 penalty minutes in nine games with Hartford (AHL). He registered six points (three goals and three assists) in a five-game span from October 22 at Worcester to October 31 vs. Worcester, before missing the last 71 games of the regular season to injury. Byers returned to the lineup for the playoffs, and finished tied for the team lead in goals (three) and second in points (four) in six games. His three goals and four points both established playoff career-highs.
The 6-3, 204-pounder has skated in 239 career AHL games over five seasons with Hartford (AHL), registering 69 goals and 85 assists for 154 points, along with 521 penalty minutes. He established a career-high in plus/minus rating (plus-23) during the 2007-08 season, and made his NHL debut with the Rangers that season vs. Los Angeles on February 5, 2008. In 2006-07, he set career-highs in games played (78), assists (30) and penalty minutes (213). His 30 assists ranked second on the Wolf Pack, while his 213 penalty minutes finished third on the team. Byers notched his first career AHL hat trick on March 31, 2007 vs. Manchester. As an AHL rookie in 2005-06, he collected an assist in his professional debut on April 7, 2006 vs. Portland.
The Nipawin, Saskatchewan native was originally the Rangers’ second round selection, 48th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Madison Square Garden is a fully-integrated sports, entertainment and media business. The company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment and MSG Media, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive its overall business, and built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that MSG creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports consists of the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League). MSG Entertainment is a leader in managing and creating concerts and events at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Chicago Theatre, the Wang Theatre in Boston, and produces the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Media is comprised of leading television networks MSG, MSG Plus, MSG HD and MSG Plus HD, as well as MSG Interactive, which oversees all company wireless and online initiatives, and Fuse and Fuse HD, the national television network dedicated exclusively to music. The company owns and operates the Madison Square Garden arena complex located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area. More information is available at www.msg.com.
