Buffalo State's all-time leading scorer in men's hockey Joe Urbanik signed a contract to play professionally with Miami Manatees of the World Hockey Association 2 (WHA2) for the coming season.

Urbanik completed his playing career this past season with a school record 131 points in 99 games. He holds six other school records including overall records most goals, most assists, and most penalty minutes in a career.

"Joe is a proven scorer at the college level," Miami Coach Zak Boyer said. "He?s a great young player who wants to learn and is an important piece of the puzzle for our team."

The 6-foot, 190-pound forward recorded two goals in three games during the regular season and one goal in three playoff games for the Winston-Salem Parrots of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League.

"I?m very excited to be signed to play in Miami. I?m glad to know I have a place to play now, instead of having to wait until June or July to find out." Urbanik said.

"My dad tried out for Winnipeg of the WHA (World Hockey Association) in the 1970?s. The opportunity I might have to play in the new WHA would be good to fulfill the expectations he wanted of me."

The WHA2 will act as a developmental league for the WHA, which is set to return to the ice in 2004 for the first time since the original league merged with the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1979.

The Miami Manatees begin their season in late October at the Miami Arena. They will face the WHA2?s Jacksonville Barracudas, Orlando Seals, Lakeland Loggerheads and a yet to be named Central Alabama team.