PR - Hurricanes

THE CALGARY HURRICANES ARE BACK WITH SOME NEW FACES

The Hurricanes lost a lot of leadership when Chris Pronger was traded to
conference rivals, the Owls. GM Derek Major recognized this and brought
into two veteran defensemen in Brian Leetch and Derian Hatcher. The
players 39 and 35 respectively, bring a veteran presence to a blue line
corpse that already bolsters players such as Wade Redden, Bryan Mccabe,
Brian Campbell, and Robert Schnabel. "We felt we needed to bring in
some guys that could stand up in the locker room. Let's face it, these
are not long term guys. All of the defenseman that will play on the
Hurricanes this year will be at the youngest 28 years of age. That's
Brian Campbell, then Schnabel is at 29, then we start climbing into the
30's. All of these guys want a shot at the big show. We're going to
give it to them, and with this aging guys, we have the youngsters
getting ready to slide in to take their place." said GM Major.

Those youngsters he is referring to include Ryan Parent, Andy Rogers,
Badass Jack, and Frank Redliker. It's expected the Hurricanes will keep
these players in Prince George for the next season but it is also
expected that any 4 of them will start challenging for a spot with the
big club as soon as the TFHL18 season.

Up front the Hurricanes haven't changed too drastically. The top line
is getting a revamp that will continue to feature Markus Naslund and
Alexandre Svitov, but a new "Alex the Great" is ready to step in as the
team's number one centre. The 20-year-old Alexandre Sundstrom will make
his debut with the Hurricanes this season after spending 2 seasons
playing for the farm team Prince George Baracudas. The second line is
still mixed, however it is assured that both Afinogenov and Jason King
will play together again after a great season together. The team will
likely wait to see whether Matthew Lombardi or Shawn Bates will gel
better with the two snipers.

On the third line it is expected that one of the two centres just
mentioned will be running the show along with wingers Justin Williams
and Martin Cibak. The Hurricanes have developed incredible depth and
either Steve Kariya and Brendan Morrison will be able to slip into the
3rd\4th line roles as needed.

On the farm team the Hurricanes continue to develop a wealth of talent.
Down the middle, Martin Karsums might have played for the pro team if it
were not for the incredible depth they have. Although the depth down
the middle on the pro is great, the farm team still needs work.

On the wings, the Hurricanes are looking great. This years draftees
included 1st round pick and right winger Kenneth McArdle, left wingers
Michael Grabner and Jesse Joensuu.

In goal the Hurricanes are still solid. Brian Boucher will lead the
Hurricanes for the 3rd season since coming over in a trade that included
youngster Pascal Leclaire going the other way. His back remains to be
seen as both Peter Budaj (rookie) and Frederic Cassivi will fight for
the right. Although Budaj is challenging for a back up position, he is
listed 4th on the depth chart and Cassivi is 3rd. Cory Schneider
remains the goalie of the future for the Hurricanes, and with Boucher
expected to play most games, Schneider will be expected to take in as
many games as possible on the farm.

The season is looking great and exciting. Good luck to every one.


Calgary Sun