ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Thrashers claimed center Rico Fata off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
Fata, the sixth overall pick in the 1998 draft, was playing for the Penguins' minor-league team in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. He arrived at Philips Arena late in the second period and watched the rest of Atlanta's game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Fata hopes to add a burst of energy to a slumping team and revive his career, which hasn't lived up to expectations.
"This is a new start for me," he said. "This team is in the playoff run. The first thing in coming here is trying to help as much as I can."
The 6-foot, 205-pound Fata set career highs for the Penguins with 16 goals and 18 assists in 2003-04, the last season before the lockout. But he was scoreless in 20 games this season before being demoted.
Fata was a first-round pick of Calgary in 1998, but lasted only three seasons with the Flames. He had a two-year stint with the New York Rangers, then moved on to Pittsburgh.
"It's a new opportunity," he said. "Basically, it's a new life for me. Sometimes, players don't get an opportunity to prove themselves again."
Fata won't be counted on to provide much offense for the Thrashers, who already have three of the NHL's top scorers in Ilya Kovalchuk, Marc Savard and Marian Hossa. But he hopes to improve on his dismal showing with the Penguins.
"I pretty much have an idea of what they're expecting of me," Fata said. "I want to run with it, and hopefully I can chip in a little bit offensively."
