Following their opening night loss, the Hurricanes have assigned defenseman Roland McKeown to Charlotte.
The 20-year-old made the NHL roster out of training camp but did not appear in last night’s contest in Winnipeg, serving instead as a healthy extra. Now, McKeown will head to Texas to meet up with the Checkers.
Selected in the second round of the 2014 draft by Los Angeles, McKeown was acquired by Carolina in 2015 in exchange for Andrej Sekera. After a four-year junior career with Kingston, including leading all team defensemen in scoring and earning a nomination for OHL Defenseman of the Year last season, McKeown is set to begin his rookie campaign with Charlotte. He has appeared for the Checkers before, however, notching one assist during a four-game ATO stint at the end of the 2014-15 season.
With the addition of McKeown, the Checkers currently house eight blue liners on the roster as they prepare to open the season tonight against the Texas Stars.
