Orlando Seals General Manager/Head Coach Stan Drulia announced the signing of Buffalo State College all-time leading scorer Todd Nowicki earlier this week. The rookie forward is the first player signed by the Seals, who will begin their inaugural Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) season at TD Waterhouse Centre in October of 2002. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.



"Todd Nowicki is a proven performer at the collegiate level, and we think he will make an excellent transition to the professional game and be an integral part of our club this season," Drulia said of the NCAA Division III All-American honoree.



Nowicki led both the Buffalo State Bengals and the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) in scoring during the 2001-02 season with 46 points on 23 goals and 23 assists in 27 games played. In the process, the 5-9, 175-pound forward collected SUNYAC Player of the Year honors, earned a share of the "Male Athlete of the Year Award" at Buffalo State, and became the first Bengal hockey All-American. Nowicki capped off his senior season by leading Buffalo State to its first-ever berth in the SUNYAC playoffs, representing his school at the Eastern College Senior All-Star Game, and appearing in two (2) games late in the season with the East Coast Hockey League's (ECHL) Reading Royals.



He finished tied for tenth in SUNYAC in scoring during his junior campaign, posting 35 points on 17 goals and 18 helpers in 21 contests. Nowicki concluded his career as the Bengals all-time leading scorer with 116 career points and the owner of eight school records. He also earned the Hube Coyer Award, presented to a male athlete for outstanding accomplishments during his career at Buffalo State.



The Orlando Seals are one of seven franchises set to take the ice for the inaugural ACHL season, joining the Cape Fear (Fayetteville, NC) FireAntz, Jacksonville (FL) Barracudas, and as-yet-unnamed clubs in Knoxville, TN; Lakeland, FL; St. Petersburg, FL; and Tallahassee, FL.



- BENGALS -