Dayton Acquires Nino Musitelli From Allen, Also Signs Him To Contract

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DAYTON, OH – The Dayton Gems added a big offensive threat to their lineup for the 2011-2012 season.

The Gems acquired Nino Musitelli from the Allen Americans.

Musitelli was one of the top performers in the CHL last season. During the 2010-2011 season, Musitelli recorded 70 points and was tied for first on the Americans in goals scored (34) and third best in assists (36).

All those totals are more than any Gems player amassed last season.

The trade brings Musitelli back to the city where he made his professional hockey debut. In 2008-2009, Musitelli played for the Bombers in the ECHL during his rookie season. While in Dayton, Musitelli was a fan favorite as recorded a team high 50 points during his rookie season. He also led the team in assists (31) and was tied for the third most goals (19) for the Bombers that season.

“We are very excited about the addition of Nino to the Gems organization. He will add a lot of offensive firepower to an already talented line-up. More importantly, he wants to be in Dayton and is committed to bringing home a championship to the Gem City,” said head coach Brian Gratz.

Prior to playing for the Bombers, Musitelli played at Miami University (Ohio) for four years. During his time as a RedHawk, Musitelli played in 133 games and recorded 58 points.

During his three years as a professional, Musitelli has played in 193 games and has averaged nearly a point a game. His 76 goals and 107 assists give him a career total of 183 points for his professional career, which has been spent in the ECHL and CHL.

“I am very excited about the trade. It was a decision that I made to pursue other options and come back to Dayton,” Musitelli said during a phone conversation. “I enjoyed the city while I was there. I know a couple of guys on the team and they gave me a lot of positive feedback about the team.”

Although the stat sheet says he will be one of the top players on the Gems roster heading into next season, the thought of being the top player on the team never crossed his mind. When the trade was made, Musitelli was more focused on moving back to a familiar area that he wanted to live in again and playing for a team that has made a lot of improvements over the past year.

Despite not playing against the Gems last season, Musitelli is also familiar with a few of the Gems players.

As a member of the Bombers, Musitelli spent his rookie season with Greg Labenski, one of the Gems’ key veteran players for the upcoming season. He also played against Brandon Naurato in college.

“It’s always good to know some guys when you are moving,” said Musitelli. “They all had nothing but good things to say about the area and the team.”