Kings Re-Sign Four Players

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Gauthier inks two year deal; Ersberg, Moulson, Piskula sign on for one year

MANCHESTER, NH – The Los Angeles Kings, the parent club of the Manchester Monarchs, have re-signed restricted free agent forward Gabe Gauthier to a two-year contract; goaltender Erik Ersberg to a one-year contract; forward Matt Moulson to a one-year contract; and defenseman Joe Piskula to a one-year contract, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today. Per club policy, terms of the agreements were not announced.

Gauthier, 24, played in three games for the Kings last season, recording zero points and zero penalty minutes. He has played in eight career NHL games, all with the Kings, and has zero points and two penalty minutes.

Gauthier is a 5-foot-9, 205-pound native of Torrance, California. He also played in 61 regular season games for Manchester last season, recording 60 points (23-37=60) and 43 penalty minutes. His 37 assists ranked second on the Monarchs and his 60 points were third on the team. He also had 15 power-play goals and five game-winning goals, which both ranked second on the club. In three playoff games for the Monarchs, Gauthier had zero points and four penalty minutes. He was originally signed by the Kings on July 7, 2006.

Ersberg, 26, played in 14 games with the Kings this past season and posted a 6-5-3 record, a team-leading 2.48 goals-against-average, a .927 save percentage and two shutouts. He was the first Kings rookie since 2003-04 to post multiple shutouts in one season (joining Cristobal Huet), and his first shutout, which was also his first NHL victory, came on March 6 versus Ottawa when he stopped all 40 shots.

Ersberg, the first Swedish goaltender in Kings history, is a 5-foot-11, 182 pound native of Sala, Sweden. He also played in 30 regular season games for Manchester last season, posting a 10-13-2 record, a 2.92 goals-against-average and a .897 save percentage. He originally signed with the Kings on May 31, 2007.

Moulson, 24, played in 22 games for the Kings last season, recording nine points (5-4=9) and four penalty minutes. He was one of two Kings last season (the other was Brian Boyle) and the 16th player in franchise history to score a goal in his NHL debut (Nov. 2 at San Jose). Moulson also played in 57 regular season games for Manchester last season, recording 56 points (28-28=56) and 29 penalty minutes. His 28 goals were second on the Monarchs, while his 14 power-play goals ranked third on the team. In four playoff games with Manchester, Moulson had two points (both goals) and four penalty minutes.

Moulson is a 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of North York, Ontario. He was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the ninth-round (263rd overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and was signed by the Kings on September 1, 2006.

Piskula, 24, played in 55 regular season games with Manchester last season, recording six points (0-6=6) and 57 penalty minutes. In four playoff games he had zero points and four penalty minutes.

Piskula is a 6-foot-3, 214-pound native of Antigo, Wisconsin. He has played in five NHL games, all with the Kings, and has zero points and six penalty minutes. He signed with the Kings on March 21, 2007.

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