Florida Signs Defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick to Two-Year Deal
July 3, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release
(Rochester, NY)... Florida Panthers General Manager Jacques Martin announced today that the club has signed defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick, forward Steve MacIntyre, defenseman James DeLory and goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu to two-year contacts. The terms of the contracts were not disclosed. Fitzpatrick, 34, joins the Panthers' organization after splitting the 2007-08 season with the Philadelphia Flyers and Phantoms. In 19 games at the NHL level, Fitzpatrick recorded one assist and 11 PIM while picking up five points (1+4) and 24 PIM in 19 AHL contests.
Prior to his one-year stint in Philadelphia, Fitzpatrick spent the 2006-07 season on the blueline with the Vancouver Canucks, collecting seven points (1+6) and 46 PIM in 58 games. Fitzpatrick finished third in All-Star Game voting for defensemen in the Western Conference with 550,177 votes, falling 23,000 votes shy of second place Nicklas Lidström, winner of five Norris Trophies and four Stanley Cups.
The Rochester native is likely to return to play in his hometown after spending parts of three seasons (2001-03, 2004-05) registering 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points in 121 games in the red, white and blue.
During the 2001-02 season, Fitzpatrick made history as he became the first Rochester native to score a goal for the Amerks. In the playoffs, he led all Rochester defensemen in postseason points and was tied for third on the team. Fitzpatrick finished his first season with the Amerks with 12 points (4+8) in 60 games and was named the co-winner of the McCulloch Trophy for his service to the Rochester community. He also made his Buffalo Sabres debut that season, picking four PIM while appearing in five games.
The veteran defenseman recorded his best season in Rochester the following year, notching 16 points (5+11) in 41 games while skating in 36 games with Buffalo. After playing the entire 2003-04 season with the Sabres, Fitzpatrick completed his third stint in Rochester in 2004-05, registering two points (1+1) in 20 games.
Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second-round (47th overall) in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Fitzpatrick made his NHL debut during in the 1995-96 season after spending the early part of the season with the Fredericton Canadiens of the AHL. Fitzpatrick tallied a pair of assists in 42 games for Montreal in his first spell at the NHL level.
During the 1994-95 season, Fitzpatrick made his professional debut with Fredericton in the postseason and helped lead the Baby Habs to the Calder Cup Finals. Before turning pro, Fitzpatrick served as a member of Team USA at the 1995 World Junior Championships.
From 1992-95, the local hockey product played three seasons of junior hockey with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League where he amassed 118 points (28+90) and 252 PIM in 179 total games.
In 287 career NHL games with Montreal, St. Louis, Nashville, Buffalo, Vancouver and Philadelphia, "Fitzie" has compiled 35 points (10+25) and six points (1+5) in 20 postseason contests. At the AHL level, Fitzpatrick has picked up 138 points (35+103) in 384 career games with Fredericton, Worcester, Hamilton, Rochester and Philadelphia.
MacIntyre arrives in Sunrise, Florida, after a one-year stint with the Providence Bruins where he tallied American Hockey League career highs with five points (2+3) and 213 PIM in 62 games. In his pro career, MacIntyre has totaled 34 points (14+20) and 1,680 PIM in 387 games.
Prior to returning to the AHL level, the 6-foot-7, 265-pound hard-nosed forward played the 2006-07 season with the Quad City Mallards of the then UHL, picking up three points (2+1) and earning 168 PIM.
A native of Brock, Saskatchewan, MacIntyre scored a career high three goals while adding 238 PIM in his first full season with the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL during the 2005-06 campaign. MacIntyre made his AHL debut in the 2003-04 season, skating in three games with the Hartford Wolfpack. After spending the first half of the 2004-05 season with Charlotte, MacIntyre made his return to Hartford, recording a pair of points and 207 PIM in 27 games to finish third on the team. He scored his first career AHL points and first multi-point effort, the first of his career, on January 29th in a game against the Hershey Bears.
MacIntyre spent the 2003-04 season competing in three different leagues, including the AHL, ECHL and WHA2, playing a combined and personal-best 70 games. He played his first full season of professional hockey with the Muskegon Fury of the UHL in the 2002-03 season, registering a career high 279 PIM. MacIntyre made his professional debut in the 2001-02 season as he helped guide Muskegon to a Colonial Cup championship.
Prior to joining the professional ranks, MacIntyre spent four seasons (1997-00) in the WHL, recording four points (3+1) and 355 PIM in 123 total games with Saskatoon, Red Deer and Prince Albert.
DeLory turns pro after an illustrious four-year career (2004-08) with the Ontario Hockey League's Oshawa Generals, recording 84 points (13+71) and 539 PIM in 243 games.
A native of Scarborough, Ontario, the 20-year-old defenseman had his best season with the Generals as he posted career highs in all offensive categories with six goals, 26 assists and 32 points while leading the team with 67 games played. In only his second season with the Generals, the forward-turned-defenseman established himself as one of the team's top defensemen in just his third year at the position.
Originally drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round (98th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound blueliner completed his final season in Oshawa scoring a pair of goals while adding 20 assists and 154 PIM.
His 154 PIM were good enough for second best on the team and 15th overall in the OHL, while his 22 points placed him third on the team among defenseman.
Beckford-Tseu, 24, made his NHL debut, as a member of the St. Louis Blues, on Feb. 21, 2008 at Los Angeles in a relief effort and turned away eight of nine shots in 27 minutes played. Beckford-Tseu played in 34 games last season for Peoria (AHL) going 15-14-2 with a 2.63 GAA and a .889 save percentage. He also appeared in 16 games with Alaska (ECHL) posting a 12-4-0 record with a 2.34 GAA and a .923 save percentage.
The 6-foot-3, 201-pound goaltender backstopped Alaska (ECHL) to the 2006 Kelly Cup Championship. He appeared in 12 games during the Kelly Cup playoffs going 8-4 with a 2.04 GAA, three shutouts and a .930 save percentage. Beckford-Tseu was originally drafted by the Blues in the 5th round (159th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
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