Steelheads loan defenseman to AHL's Stars

Boise, ID (12/28/12) ? Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Brad Ralph announced Friday afternoon that defenseman Gord Baldwin has been loaned by the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads to Texas of the American Hockey League. The 25-year-old Baldwin is the fifth player to be called up by an AHL team since December 11, joining Kael Mouillierat (St. John's, Dec. 11), Hubert Labrie (Texas, Dec. 17), Patrick Cullity (Springfield, Dec. 19) and Austin Smith (Texas, Dec. 27). Baldwin is in his sixth professional season overall, first with Idaho. With the Steelheads, he has been a mainstay on the blue line with 13 points (three goals, ten assists) and a plus-11 rating in 25 games. He has skated in 234 games at the AHL level with Abbotsford and Quad City after being a third-round draft pick by the NHL's Calgary Flames in 2005. Baldwin played major-junior hockey for the Medicine Hat Tigers, who were coached by Willie Desjardins. Desjardins is now the head coach for the Texas Stars. Baldwin's younger brother, Corbin, has also played in both the ECHL (Orlando) and AHL (Houston) this season. The American Hockey League is the highest level of minor-league hockey in North America. The Steelheads (18-7-4) are in action on the road this weekend at Bakersfield (Saturday) and Las Vegas (Sunday) to draw the curtain on the 2012 calendar year. Idaho returns home on Friday, January 4, to host the Bakersfield Condors. Group nights are a great way to get family, friends, co-workers, and colleagues together at CenturyLink Arena at a discounted price. Groups can also include a Double-R Ranch hot dog, Tim's Cascade chips, and a small Pepsi. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.