I got an e-mail that former Panthers prospect David Lemanowicz has signed with the Elmira Jackals of the UHL. This is probably not as odd as it might otherwise be as Brent Cullaton is playing for the Jackals and the two played together in Laredo of the CeHL.

Both had also played for the old ECHL Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, but not at the same time.

I just strikes me as a bit amusing when names resurface like that.

A 9th round (218th overall) draft pick of the Florida Panthers in the 1995 NHL entry draft, he has also played with the old AHL Carolina Monarchs, the AHL Beast of New Haven, and the Austin Ice Bats (then with the Western Professional Hockey League) and the Memphis Riverkings of the Central Hockey League.

During the stint with Memphis he played for former Tiger Sharks netminder Mark Richards, who was coaching the team at that time. Richards never played with Manny. In fact, he left the Sharks the year that Manny arrived because Florida was assigning two goalies to the Tiger Sharks, the other being Aaron MacDonald.

The Riverkings were Leafs affilated at the time he played there, he had been working as a practice goalie for the Maple Leafs when they learned they needed someone in Memphis, so they signed him and shipped him south.

And yes, all those interconnections in the hockey world strike me as amusing as well.

Manny also made a very brief stop in Port Huron and played for the then Florida affiliated Port Huron Border Cats where he got into a bit of trouble during a game in Flint, Michigan. Manny only played 3 games with the B-Cats before the league suspended him, and the Panthers moved him over up to the Carolina Monarchs.

Richards also played one game for the Monarchs the year Manny was there. In fact, I think he replaced Manny in net during one game.

In any case, Manny began this season playing in Europe. He played 15 games for Wojas Podhale Nowy Targ in Poland, posting a record of (7-6-2) before returning to the USA to sign with the Jackals.

Elmira needs the netmind help as goalie Kris Tebbs has played 12 consecutive games and could probably really do with a night off.

Manny took a break after his stint with Austin to play two years of college hockey with the University of Toronto, his hometown. Elmira is currently 12-8 on the season, good for 4th in the 10 team United Hockey League. They trail league leading Muskegeon by 14 points.

The Jackals are a home this weekend, hosting the Fort Wayne Komets for a two game series on Friday and Saturday.