July 19, 2012 2:21 PM
The Hurricanes have signed winger Tim Wallace to a one-year, two-way contract.
Wallace, 27, spent most of last season in the NHL with the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring a total of nine points (3g, 6a) in 49 games. He began the season in Bridgeport of the AHL, where he scored 20 points (9g, 11a) in just 24 outings.
“Tim is a versatile forward and played well with Tampa Bay to finish the year,” Ron Francis, the Hurricanes' vice president of hockey operations, said in a team release. “He has a good amount of pro experience and should challenge for a spot with the Hurricanes in training camp.”
Should he not earn a spot with the Hurricanes out of training camp, Wallace (6’1”, 205 lbs.), could be primed for a scoring role with the Checkers, if his offensive output to start last season is any indication. That performance earned Wallace, an undrafted product of the U.S. National Development Program and the University of Notre Dame, a long spell with the Islanders that eventually came to an end when the team placed him on waivers and the Lightning made a claim in late February.
The native of Anchorage, AK, has spent the bulk of his career in the AHL, scoring 157 points (84g, 73a) with 307 penalty minutes in 328 career games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Bridgeport, including a career-best, 27-goal season in 2009-10. Prior to setting career highs in the NHL during his most recent season, he also saw time with the Pittsburgh Penguins and has scored a total of 11 points (3g, 8a) in 73 total games.
Wallace and defenseman Marc-Andre Graganani, the only other player the Hurricanes have brought into the organization on a two-way contract this summer, have something in common - both scored their first NHL goals in Carolina. Wallace’s goal on March 3 was the first of a two-game streak that saw him find the back of the net twice in just over 13 minutes of total ice time.
All but one of Wallace’s nine points last season came during his 18-game stint with the Lightning, as he previously went 31 games with just one assist while with the Islanders. |
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