The Atlanta Gladiators, in collaboration with the ECHL, have announced that six players have been offered qualifying offers for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Each team in the league can offer a maximum of eight players.
The qualifying offers will remain available for acceptance until July 22. After this date, the offer expires, and the team can either sign the qualified player to any salary or choose not to proceed further. Teams offering a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player will maintain rights to that player for one playing season.
Players Who Received Qualifying Offers
(D) Aidan De La Gorgendiere
During his time in the WHL, De La Gorgendiere played 248 games, scoring 22 goals and providing 133 assists for a total of 155 points. Serving as the team captain in his final two seasons with the Blades, he led the defensemen in scoring. He was also honored by being selected for the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team in his last season with the Blades. Following his stint with the Gladiators, where he contributed five points in 10 games, De La Gorgendiere returned to the University of Alberta and scored an additional 11 points (1 goal, 10 assists).
(F) Parker AuCoin
Acquired from the Idaho Steelheads at the end of March on the 20th, AuCoin quickly made an impact for Atlanta by recording five goals in the month of April alone after joining the team (10 points). During his time in Idaho, AuCoin would rack up three goals and seven assists for 10 points. Excitement awaits as this skilled player gears up to potentially return to Atlanta this fall and make a significant impact throughout the season.
(F) Carson Denomie
Denomie joined the Gladiators as a late-season addition, arriving in Atlanta in mid-March. He contributed five assists in 18 games while playing for the Walleye beforehand. Denomie has also played a total of 68 games across the Orlando Solar Bears, Jacksonville Icemen, and Iowa Heartlanders. Once with Atlanta, Carson Denomie went to work, adding a hat trick in the closing stages of the season, scoring three goals, and assisting in the win against the Jacksonville Icemen on 4/14.
(F) Mitch Fossier
If there’s one player who’s going to be eager to have a bounce-back season next year on the Gladiators roster, it would be Fossier. Placed on the injured reserve list towards the end of the season, Fossier still managed to maintain his position as one of the team’s key scorers. He recorded a total of 33 points in the 27 games he took part in (scoring 10 goals and providing 23 assists). Chosen for last year’s All-Star team, the Alpharetta native is a fan-favorite and is someone many would love to see back in action, especially so fans can witness the impact Fossier could make with the Gladiators if given the chance.
(F) Chase Gresock
The Atlanta Gladiators obtained Forward Chase Gresock from the Toledo Walleye in late June, finalizing a trade that included sending Defenseman Jacob Graves to Toledo. Chase Gresock delivered an impressive performance last season for Toledo, accumulating 35 points from 16 goals and 19 assists. He played a pivotal role in the Walleye’s Kelly Cup Playoff journey, notably contributing to a significant victory over the Wheeling Nailers. His first postseason goal not only secured a win for the team but also propelled them into the Western Conference Finals to compete against the Kansas City Mavericks.
(F) Alex Whelan
Another fan favorite within the Gladiator community is Alex Whelan. During his 23 games with the Gladiators, he scored 14 goals and contributed nine assists (23 points). Upon being called up to the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters, he scored seven goals and assisted seven times, totaling 14 points. As the Monsters aimed for the Calder Cup playoffs, Whelan continued to shine, scoring five goals and providing four assists (9 points). Last season, he also served as one of the alternate captains for the team.
Players who had signed a contract before July 7th were exempt from needing a qualifying offer. Each team had the right to reserve up to eight qualified players, with a limit of four being veterans (having played 260 regular season professional hockey games by the start of the upcoming 2024-25 season). Players under open qualifying offers are restricted from being traded.
The Atlanta Gladiators will kick off their season at home against the Indy Fuel on October 19, 2024.
