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ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Road Warriors Submit Qualifying Offers to Eight Players

July 2, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


GREENVILLE, SC- The Greenville Road Warriors announced today that they have submitted qualifying offers to eight players from the 2011-2012 season.

"Combined with some of the players we've already signed, we've managed to put together a great nucleus of guys," said Road Warriors' Head Coach Dean Stork. "I'm excited to see each of these guys in a Road Warriors jersey next season."

The Road Warriors have submitted qualifying offers to the following eight players:

Marc-Olivier Vallerand (Forward): Vallerand was one of the Road Warriors' top producers in 2011-12. In 59 games last season, he tallied 55 points (30G, 25A). Vallerand's 30 goals were the second most on the team. His 2011-12 season also included two call-ups to the American Hockey League. Vallerand recorded two assists in nine games spent with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.

Jeremy Gouchie (Forward): Gouchie was the Road Warriors' leading scoring rookie last season. In his first professional season, Gouchie put up 23 points (6G, 17A) in 69 games. Before going pro, Gouchie spent five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Bretton Cameron (Forward): Cameron came to the Road Warriors in midseason trade with the Stockton Thunder. Following the trade, Cameron became a key part of the Road Warriors' offense, registering 23 points (6G 17A) in 30 games.

Brett Robinson (Forward): Last season, Robinson's third in the ECHL, saw him set new career highs in goals and points. The Ontario native tallied 39 points (20G, 19A) in 64 games with the Road Warriors. Last season was also a reunion for Robinson with Road Warriors' Head Coach Dean Stork. In Robinson's rookie season (2009-10) with the Cincinnati Cyclones, he and then Assistant Coach Stork helped the team to win its second Kelly Cup.

Connor Shields (Forward): Shields is one of the two remaining players who moved to with the team from Johnstown to Greenville. In 42 games last season, Shields put up 31 points (10G, 21A). His season ended abruptly in January due to a leg injury.

Adam Comrie (Defenseman): Comrie signed with the Road Warriors late last season as a free agent, having spent most of the season away from hockey for personal reasons. A third round draft pick of the Florida Panthers in 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Comrie tallied one assist in his three games with the Road Warriors last season.

T.J. Fast (Defenseman): Fast signed with the Road Warriors in September last year, but spent the entire 2011-12 season in the American Hockey League. In 42 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, Fast put up one goal and four assists. He also played in one game with the Road Warriors' AHL Affiliate, the Connecticut Whale. Fast was a second round pick by the LA Kings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Nic Riopel (Goalie): Riopel rejoined the Road Warriors last October for his second season with the team. He was the winning goalie in the Road Warriors' first ever win on October 21st 2010. Riopel's 38 career wins are the most all-time by a Road Warrior's goalie. Last season, Riopel posted 14-9 record, 3.06 Goals Against Average and a .905 Save Percentage with the Road Warriors. Riopel was fifth round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

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

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 2012-13 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot 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 Aug. 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.

Season Tickets for the 2012-2013 season are now available! The Road Warriors have lowered prices and added great new benefits to their season ticket packages. For more information on Full Season and Weekend Ticket Plans, call 864-674-PUCK (7825).

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