Hurricanes assign Ward to Charlotte for conditioning

Chris Baird - TSN via Baird Photography
Chris Baird – TSN via Baird Photography

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday announced that goaltender Cam Ward was removed from injured reserve and assigned to a conditioning stint with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Ward, who has missed the Hurricanes’ last 13 games with a lower-body injury, will join the Checkers in Cleveland as they face the Lake Erie Monsters on Friday at Quicken Loans Arena.

The veteran netminder returns from a second stint on IR this season after missing 10 games previously due to a groin muscle tear he suffered in late October.

He has posted a 6-7-5 record, a 3.15 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage in 19 games played with Carolina this season.

The Hurricanes’ first-round draft pick (25th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Ward is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played by a goaltender (450), wins (220) and shutouts (21).

His last AHL stint was in December 2005, when he played two games with the Lowell Lock Monsters during a conditioning stint.