The Reign acquired the depth defenseman coach Karl Taylor was seeking Monday, getting rookie Pat Bowen from the Gwinnett Gladiators for future considerations.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound defenseman played the last of his four seasons at Merrimack College in 2009-10, when he served as team captain and posted career highs of 18 assists, 19 points and 54 penalty minutes in 37 games. In 124 career games with the Warriors, Bowen recorded 43 points (four goals, 39 assists) and 146 penalty minutes.
“He’s a first-year guy, supposed to be a leadership type kid,” Taylor said. “The Gwinnett coach, Jeff Pyle, really likes the kid and spoke highly of him. I think he can come in and add some depth. Hopefully he turns out to be a diamond in the rough.”
Bowen isn’t likely to play Friday in Stockton because it will be 72 hours before he is added to the roster. Taylor said that Bowen must fly from Atlanta to Boston (he is a native of Marshfield, Mass.) then drive to Ontario. The team bus leaves Thursday for Stockton.