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On Wednesday, Carolina Hurricanes President and General Manager Jim Rutherford announced the team's training camp roster of 56 players that will report on Friday for physicals and photos before hitting the ice on Saturday morning.
In addition to veterans Eric Staal, Cam Ward, NHL Rookie of the Year Jeff Skinner, Chad LaRose, Tim Gleason, and Jamie McBain among others, the roster includes Traverse City Prospects Tournament participants forwards Jared Staal, Brody
Sutter, Victor Rask, Justin Shugg, Gregory Hofmann and Mattias Lindstrom;
defensemen Justin Faulk, Justin Krueger, Ryan Murphy, Keegan Lowe, Austin Levi,
Rasmus Rissanen, and goaltender Matt Mahalak.
Team signs depth defenseman
In time for the start of training camp, President and General Manager Jim Rutherford also announced on Wednesday that the team signed defenseman Mathieu Roy to a one-year contract. The deal will pay Roy $600,000 on the NHL level or
$125,000 on the American Hockey League (AHL) level, with a guarantee of at
least $150,000.
“We wanted to add more depth to our defense,” said Rutherford. “Mathieu is an experienced player who is capable of contributing at the NHL level or in the AHL with Charlotte.”
Originally
drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL Entry
Draft, Roy (6’2”, 210 lbs.) has skated in 65 career NHL games with
Edmonton, Columbus and Tampa Bay, totaling 13 points (1g, 11a) and 76 penalty
minutes. He has scored 20 goals and earned 97 assists (117 points) in 301
career AHL games. Roy’s career stats are below.
The
addition of Roy will definitely promote an even more intense atmosphere
and competition for a spot on the starting roster and will give fans a
great opportunity to see what improvements the team can make on the blue
line for the 2011-2012 season.
Caniac Carnival news
Hurricanes fans will be able to watch the team practice and will be treated to a Red-White scrimmage game that will take place at Noon on Sunday as part of the team's 12th annual Caniac Carnival.
The event is free and begins on Sunday at 9 a.m. and continues until 3 p.m.
The
Red-White game will mark fans’ first opportunity this year to see the
Canes in action, and all of the team’s veteran players are currently
scheduled to participate.
Seating for the scrimmage is general admission and a
ticket is not required.
The scrimmage will be played and timed like a
regular NHL game, and will feature activities and contests for fans during the
intermissions.
Willis joins Hurricanes as Youth and Amateur Hockey coordinator
It' been just over a week since former Hurricanes forward Shane Willis was named as the team's Youth and Amateur Hockey coordinator.
In making the announcement, Jon
Chase, Director of Community Relations and Promotions for the Hurricanes, today indicated that Willis will spearhead the Hurricanes’
initiatives through Carolina Youth & Amateur Hockey (CYAH), including the
team’s summer camps and the Junior Hurricanes’ annual trip to the
Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament.
“Shane brings a wealth of hockey experience to this important role for the Hurricanes organization,” said Chase. “The team is committed to the continued growth of youth and amateur hockey in our community, and Shane, as a former Hurricanes player and longtime Triangle-area resident, is a great fit for this position.”
Willis,
34, played parts of six NHL seasons with the Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay
Lightning, scoring 31 goals and earning 43 assists (74 points) in 174 career
regular-season games.
The Edmonton, Alb., native had his best season in
2000-01, when he scored 20 goals and earned 24 assists with Carolina, and was
named to the NHL’s end-of-season All-Rookie Team.
Willis also notched 152
goals and earned 161 assists (313 points) in 399 career regular-season games
with top-level minor-league teams in the American Hockey League and the
International Hockey League.
He retired from his playing career following the
2008-09 season.
If you can't make it to the RBC
There is no better way to get the full Hurricanes experience than watching a game live and with single-game ticket sales underway, fans also have the option of purchasing a variety of 12-game ticket plans.
If attending a game is not possible and when the team is on the road, the Hurricanes' announced deal with Fox Sports Carolinas will provide coverage of 67 regular season games that will be shown in high definition.
FOX
Sports Carolinas’ coverage of live Hurricanes games in 2011-12 will
include 37 of the team’s 41 road games throughout the 82-game regular
season.
In the booth John Forslund
will handle the play-by-play duties while former professional goaltender Tripp
Tracy will provide analysis.
Recent news from the Raleigh Sports Examiner:
Many
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