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Nailers Extend Qualifying Offers

July 2, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release

The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens, have announced their seven players that have received qualifying offers for the 2012-13 season. Chris Barton, Cody Chupp, Paul Crowder, Cam Fergus, Denver Manderson, Tim Priamo, and Zack Torquato have all received qualifying offers from the Nailers.

Chris Barton, 24, played his first professional season in 2011-12, following a four-year collegiate career at Merrimack College in Massachusetts. Barton wasted little time in making his presence felt with the Nailers, as he scored two goals in his second game with the club on October 15th at South Carolina. Later in the month, on October 29th, Chris netted a hat trick against the Trenton Titans, leading into an incredible month of November that saw him win ECHL Rookie of the Month, and also ECHL Player of the Week. The Calgary, AB native finished the year atop the Wheeling roster with 29 goals and 60 points, and was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team.

Cody Chupp, 27, played his second professional season in 2011-12, but his first with the Nailers. Prior to turning pro, Chupp, attended Ferris State University (Michigan) for four years from 2006-10, joining the AHL's Texas Stars at the end of the 2009-10 campaign. Cody spent the entire 2010-11 season with Texas, before splitting the 2011-12 season between Wheeling and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 43 regular season games with the Nailers, the Big Rapids, MI native recorded 17 goals, 17 assists, and 34 points, while also picking up one goal and four assists in 15 AHL games with the Penguins.

Paul Crowder, 27, has played three full seasons of professional hockey, with parts of two of those seasons taking place in Wheeling. Prior to turning pro, Crowder attended the University of Alaska-Anchorage for three years from 2006-09, concluding the 2008-09 season with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack. Paul spent the entire 2009-10 campaign with the Wolf Pack, reaching double digits in goals and assists with 12-14-26 totals in 79 games. The Victoria, BC native then joined the Utah Grizzlies at the start of the 2010-11 season, before a trade brought him to the Nailers, where he finished the year with 11 points in 16 games. This past season, Crowder finished second on the team in scoring, posting 23 goals, 27 assists, and 50 points in 57 games, while also playing in five games with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs.

Cam Fergus, 25, made his professional debut at the end of the 2011-12 season, joining the Nailers after a five-year career at St. Mary's University (Nova Scotia). Fergus' journey to the pros began in 2002 with the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, where he spent parts of two seasons, before making the jump over to the QMJHL, where he played with the Gatineau Olympiques and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. His final season with the Screaming Eagles was his most productive, as he scored 53 goals, 45 assists, and 98 points in 63 games. In five years at St. Mary's, Cam registered 78 goals, 108 assists, and 186 points. The Brantford, ON native appeared in eight games with Wheeling this past spring, dishing out three assists.

Denver Manderson, 23, played his first season of professional hockey in North America in 2011-12, spending the entire year with the Nailers. Prior to turning pro, Manderson spent three seasons with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, racking up 40 goals, 73 assists, and 113 points in 50 games during his final campaign in 2009-10. After that, Denver elected to go to Finland, where he played for HeKi, producing 17 goals, 16 assists, and 33 points. This past season, the Fergus, ON native joined the Nailers, and after battling his way into the lineup at the start of the season, made his permanent mark with 18 goals, 22 assists, and 40 points in 52 games, while playing on the power play, penalty kill, and even strength.

Tim Priamo, 24, played his first season of professional hockey in 2011-12 with the Nailers, after playing each of the previous five seasons in his home town of Guelph, ON. Priamo's first three seasons in Guelph were with the OHL's Storm, where he reached double digits in goals and assists all three years, including career highs of 15 goals and 30 points in 2008-09. Tim then attended the University of Guelph for two years, where he registered 11 goals and 44 points in 51 games. Priamo's 2011-12 campaign was limited to 22 games due to injury, but he was able to pick up one goal and four points, including Wheeling's first goal of the season at WesBanco Arena on October 22nd against Elmira.

Zack Torquato, 23, has been playing professional hockey for two full seasons, including the 2011-12 campaign, which he spent entirely with the Nailers. Torquato began his journey toward the pros in 2005, when he played the first of five seasons in the OHL. Following the 2006-07 season, Zack was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the sixth round of the NHL Entry Draft, and was given the opportunity to play multiple games with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins in both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. In 2010, the Sault Ste. Marie, ON native turned pro full time, joining the Toledo Walleye, where he posted 11 goals, 33 assists and 44 points in 54 games. This past season, Torquato appeared in 60 games with Wheeling, recording 12 goals, 28 assists, and 40 points, while netting two of the club's three overtime winning goals.

Players who had already signed a contract by July 1st did not need to receive a qualifying offer.

Each team is entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. 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 upcoming 2012-13 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until August 1st, 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 1st. After August 1st, 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 31st, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.