Steelheads Offer Contracts To Seven Players From 2007 Championship Team
Published on July 2, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release
Boise, Idaho - The ECHL's Idaho Steelheads, affiliate of the NHL's Dallas Stars and AHL's Iowa Stars, today announced it has issued qualifying offers to seven players from its 2006-07 Kelly Cup Championship roster.
Players who had agreed to terms by July 1st did not need to receive qualifying offers. The team will announce those players as contracts are signed in the coming weeks.
The following players were issued a qualifying offer by Idaho's Head Coach Derek Laxdal for the 2007-08 season: forward Jay Beagle; forward Kyle Bruce; defenseman Blake Forsyth; defenseman Mike Gabinet; defenseman Colin Peters; defenseman Kyle Peto; and forward Greg Rallo.
Each team was entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer no later than July 1st. 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 2007-08 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 1st.
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.
The Steelheads home opener is Friday, October 19th against the Victoria SalmonKings. A variety of Season Ticket Plans including a new Family Flex Plan are now available by calling (208) 383.0080 or visiting the team's website at www.idahosteelheads.com.
About the ECHL 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 (NY) Jackals.
Opening day for the 20th Anniversary Season will be Oct. 18th 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.
The ECHL will play 900 games beginning Oct. 18 and concluding Apr. 5th. 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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