Checkers Extend Qualifying Offers To Seven Players
Published on July 2, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte Checkers head coach and general manager Derek Wilkinson announced today that the team has extended qualifying offers to seven players.
The Checkers made qualifying offers to forwards Blake Bellefeuille, Dan Murphy, Daymen Rycroft and Shawn Vinz as well as defensemen Jeff Lang, Ryan Glenn and Niko Tuomi.
Each team was entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four could be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2007-08 season). Players on open qualifying offers can not be traded.
The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until Aug. 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 Aug. 1. After Aug. 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.
The Checkers will begin their 15th season of play in the ECHL with two home games on opening weekend. The Checkers will host the Columbia Inferno on Friday, Oct. 19 and the Texas Wildcatters on Saturday, Oct. 20. In the team's 14-year history, the Checkers have made the playoffs 10 times including three-consecutive playoff appearances to date. The Checkers will enter their third season of play at St. Lawrence Homes Home Ice at Charlotte Bobcats Arena this fall. Season tickets are on sale now with full-season packages starting at just $399. The Checkers are accepting deposits on all ticket packages. For season ticket information, please call 704-342-4-ICE or visit www.gocheckers.com.
About ECHL
Opening Day for the 20th Anniversary Season will be Oct. 18 when the Johnstown Chiefs host the Wheeling Nailers at Cambria County War Memorial in a rematch of Game 7 from the first-ever ECHL Finals.
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary as the Premier 'AA' Hockey League in 2007-08, the ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in three states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that will have 25 teams in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08. The 25 teams includes the Mississippi (Biloxi) Sea Wolves, who return after missing two seasons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the expansion Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals.
The ECHL will play 900 games beginning Oct. 18 and concluding Apr. 5. The conference and division alignments and the format for the 2008 Kelly Cup Playoffs will be determined and approved at a later date by the ECHL Board of Governors.
ECHL Stories from July 2, 2007
- Reagan Leslie To Visit Sick Child At Mercy Hospital Tuesday - Bakersfield Condors
- RoadRunners Tender Qualifying Offers To Eight Players - Phoenix RoadRunners
- Bombers Extend Eight Qualifying Offers - Dayton Bombers
- Burn And Sliers Offer "Camp Of Champs" - Idaho Steelheads
- Steelheads Offer Contracts To Seven Players From 2007 Championship Team - Idaho Steelheads
- Inferno Announce Qualifying Offers - Columbia Inferno
- Stingrays Extend Qualifying Offers to Seven - South Carolina Stingrays
- Tarabrin Agrees To Terms With Chiefs - Johnstown Chiefs
- Grizzlies Issue 07-08 Qualifying Offers To Eight Players - Utah Grizzlies
- Condors Announce Qualifying Offers - Bakersfield Condors
- Gladiators Extend Qualifying Offers - Atlanta Gladiators
- Checkers Extend Qualifying Offers To Seven Players - Charlotte Checkers
- 'Blades Extend Qualifying Offers To Three - Florida Everblades
- Eight Players Issued Qualifying Offers - Stockton Thunder
- Nailers Extend Qualifying Offers to Eight - Wheeling Nailers
- Salmon Kings present seven qualifying offers - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Royals Extend Qualifying Offers To Eight Players - Reading Royals
- Trenton Devils Tender Qualifying Offers To Eight - Trenton Devils
- ECHL Releases List Of 165 Players With Qualifying Offers - ECHL
- Everblades Ink Lukin To Contract For '07-'08 - Florida Everblades
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