08/05/2009 11:24 AM -
BOSSIER CITY, LA – The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the Central Hockey League today announced their sixth player signing for the 2009-10 season with the return of forward Neil Clark to the club. The coming season will be Clark’s second in Bossier-Shreveport and fourth as a pro.
“‘Clarkie’ is a complete player who epitomizes leadership,” remarked Head Coach Scott Muscutt. “He’s a guy who will do the right thing in a game and say the right thing in the locker room. He brings a tremendous amount of personal responsibility to team success, and that’s one of the strongest indicators of leadership in a player. To get a guy like that back for another year is definitely one of the more exciting offseason transactions for our hockey team.”
Clark, 28, enjoyed a career year with the ‘Bugs in 2008-09, bringing to the ice an impressive combination of toughness and scoring ability. The Burnaby, British Columbia native set new career highs in goals, assists, points and penalty minutes last season. He shattered his previous best with 21 goals and added 15 assists for a career-most 36 points in 52 games. Clark also racked up 160 penalty minutes and finished the season with 14 fighting majors.
“I enjoyed the opportunities I was given to play a bigger impact role on the team last year,” Clark said. “I was still able to go out and protect my teammates, but I was also afforded more opportunities offensively. As a team, not having the success we wanted in the playoffs left a bad taste in our mouths, so I needed to come back and help us reach our goals this year.”
Clark started 08-09 with Rochester of the American Hockey League, playing two games with the Americans before joining the ‘Bugs. The 6-2, 210-pound winger was called-up to Rochester again in January and played six more games with the Amerks. He totaled one assist and 17 penalty minutes in eight AHL appearances last year.
Clark has seen time in the National Hockey League in his career, playing in two exhibition games with the Detroit Red Wings prior to the 2007-08 season. He also played 14 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit’s AHL affiliate) that year in addition to the 43 appearances he made in the IHL.
After playing four years of college hockey, Clark skated in his rookie season for the CHL’s Laredo Bucks, where he recorded 17 points and 140 penalty minutes. He played a vital role in the playoffs that year as Laredo advanced all the way to the 2007 President’s Cup Finals before falling to Colorado.
“There’s not a whole lot wrong with Clarkie’s game,” Muscutt said. “He is an up-and-down winger with good speed, good toughness and last year he developed a real knack around the net. He’s a multi-dimensional player, and it’s nice to know that one of those dimensions is scoring.”
Clark joins forwards Joe Blaznek, Travis Clayton and Brett Smith and goaltenders Ken Carroll and John DeCaro as the six Mudbugs under contract for 2009-10.
The Mudbugs will begin their 13th season in Bossier-Shreveport this October at the CenturyTel Center. Season ticket packages for 2009-2010 are available now, so call (318) 752-BUGS or visit our website at www.mudbugshockey.com for more information. 
