BY MIKE MASTOVICH
The Johnstown Chiefs’ newest defenseman actually brought a familiar face to the ECHL team’s locker room.
Wednesday’s ECHL transactions listed Trevor Hendrikx’s name under Johnstown’s signings.
The same sheet noted that the Chiefs had released defenseman Erik Felde.
“I was in Elmira. I had a four-game suspension. Basically, they didn’t want to pay me while I was not playing,” said Hendrikx, who parted ways with the Jackals for a second time in his career. “They released me. The Chiefs gave me a call. They told me they’d like me to come here. It should be a good year. I came here with hopes of being called up to the next level. We have a good group of guys, and this should be a good year.”
Last season Hendrikx played 49 games with the Chiefs,
scoring nine goals and 24 points while collecting 145 penalty minutes. His numbers might have been better but injuries and some movement to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch had him out of the Johnstown lineup for stretches.
“I got hurt a couple times and that put a little bit of a road block up for a while,” said Hendrikx, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound blueliner twice drafted by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
“When I was playing here, it was good. We had a good team. We lost a couple guys who were called up. It was tough not to make the playoffs. But this year, we should be right there. We’ve got a good core group of players.”
Columbus drafted Hendrikx in the ninth round in 2003, but he remained with his OHL junior team, the Peterborough Petes for three more years. The Blue Jackets selected him in the seventh round in 2005.
His pro debut included 41 ECHL games with the former Dayton Bombers in 2006-07.
The next season, Hendrikx played 72 games with Elmira, posting eight goals, 31 points and 170 penalty minutes with the Jackals that year. Then-Johnstown coach Ian Herbers signed Hendrikx last year, and the defenseman developed into one of the more popular players because of his work ethic and physical style.
“I like to get my nose dirty, obviously,” said Hendrikx, who netted three goals and seven points in the final 12 games of the 2008-09 regular season.
“That’s part of my game. I think I’m an all-around player, and I can bring a lot of things to the game.”
Hendrikx practiced with the Chiefs on Wednesday morning and is expected to accompany the team to Trenton on Friday.
“I already have served the suspension, so I can play on Friday,” he said.
