ECHL Charlotte Checkers

Checkers Announce Season Ending Roster

Published on June 16, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte Checkers head coach and general manager, Derek Wilkinson announced the season-ending roster from the completed 2008-09 campaign.

The Checkers season-ending roster includes 20 players. Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players. Season-ending rosters cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2008-09 (i.e. players who were under contract to teams in either the National Hockey League or the American Hockey League).

The Checkers season-ending roster includes: Jeff Jakaitis, Julien Brouillette, Steve Ward, Ken Scuderi, Luke Lucyk, Jared Nightingale, Andrew Carroll, Matt Ford, Matt Schepke, Marty Guerin, Jeff Miles, Michel Leveille, Ryan Murphy, Cedric Bernier, Brad Ralph, Chris Capraro, Lee Falardeau, Pete Tsimikalis and Mitch Carefoot and Kevin Schaeffer who were acquired in a trade with the Phoenix Roadrunners.

Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer no later than July 1. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four can be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the 2009-10 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to July 1.

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until August 1 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.

A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player will retain the rights to that veteran until August 1. After August 1, if the veteran player is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded.

When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player's rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player's rights and the Professional Hockey Players' Association. The member with the player's rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.

If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by August 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.

ECHL:

Began in 1988-89 with five teams playing in four states, the Premier ‘AA' Hockey League has grown into a coast-to-coast league that will have 23 teams in 17 states and British Columbia.

The third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the ECHL averaged 4,258 per game last season, marking the fifth year in row and the 17th time in the last 18 years that the league has averaged over 4,000 fans.

The Checkers are getting ready for their 17th season of play as a member of the ECHL. In the team's 16-year history, the Checkers have made the playoffs 12 times including five consecutive playoff appearances to date. The Checkers are entering their fifth season of play at Time Warner Cable Arena. Season tickets are on sale now. For season ticket information, please call

704-342-4-ICE or visit www.gocheckers.com.

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