Hurricanes announce Traverse City NHL Prospect Tournament roster

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Thursday their roster entry for the upcoming 2014 Traverse City NHL Prospect Tournament that will take place at Centre I.C.E. Arena in Traverse City, Mich. from Sept. 12-16.

Carolina will make its fifth appearance at the annual tournament hosted by the Detroit Red Wings – a competition that the Hurricanes won in 2009.

Jeff Daniels, head coach and general manager of Carolina’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, along with his assistant Geordie Kinnear, will work the bench for the team during the tournament.

Rosters consist of drafted players and signees as well as amateur tryout invitees from each of the eight participating NHL clubs that include the Hurricanes, Red Wings, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Minnesota Wild.

Carolina’s squad is comprised of 13 drafted players including first-round draft pick Haydn Fleury (2014, 7th overall), and second-round picks Phil Di Giuseppe (2012, 38th overall), Brock McGinn (2012, 47th overall), Alex Nedeljkovic (2014, 37th overall) and Victor Rask (2011, 42nd overall).

Joining the team’s drafted players are free-agent signees Patrick Brown, Carter Sandlak, Sergey Tolchinsky, and Dennis Robertson, along with six tryout invitees including Dryden Hunt, Brady Vail, and Patrick McEachen among others.

Similar to previous years, teams will be divided into two divisions (Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay), with Carolina playing out of the Lindsay Division along with Buffalo, Dallas, and New York.

The Hurricanes first take to the ice on Fri., Sept. 12, against the Sabres at 4 p.m.

Carolina will face off against the Stars on Sat., Sept. 13, at 3:30 p.m., and then play the Rangers on Mon., Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m.

Following round-robin play, all teams will be ranked according to their divisional record, first through fourth, and will play a cross-divisional game on Tues. Sept. 16 to determine the tournament’s final standings ranging from first through eighth place overall.

Last year’s Carolina squad finished in sixth place with a 1-3 record with Tolchinsky finishing as the tournament’s leading scorer.

2014 Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament schedule