February 16, 2012 11:46 AM
To cover for a slew of day-to-day injuries, the Checkers have brought in two players for their upcoming three-in-three road trip.
At forward, rookie forward Justin Shugg returns from the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, where he spent the last four games after recovering from nearly two months on the sideline due to injury. In goal, Dave Caruso joins on a professional tryout agreement for the second consecutive week, having stopped 42 shots in the Checkers’ 5-2 loss in Peoria last Saturday.
 The moves were made with forwards Chris Durno, Riley Nash, Justin Soryal and Brett Sutter all questionable to play in Friday’s rematch in Peoria and the subsequent back-to-back set in Chicago. Goalie Mike Murphy, who has been out since Jan. 24 with a lower-body injury, will likely remain out.
In addition to the injury list, forwards Drayson Bowman and Jerome Samson are on NHL recall with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Shugg, 19, has a single point since rejoining the Everblades on Feb. 9 - an assist in his most recent game. Prior to that stretch, the Hurricanes’ fourth-round draft pick in 2010 had not played since he was hurt in the Checkers’ Dec. 11 home game against San Antonio. In 13 AHL games, Shugg has 4 points (1g, 3a), all of which came in his five most recent outings.
Between his two signings with Charlotte, Caruso, 29, did not appear in a game for his primary club – the ECHL’s Trenton Titans. His save total for the Checkers last week, which he earned in his only AHL appearance of the season, tied for the most by any Charlotte goalie this season. In 52 career AHL games dating back to the 2006-07 season, the undrafted Ohio State product is 16-28-0 with a 3.53 goals-against average and .885 save percentage.
With the Checkers playing three games in three nights for the second consecutive week, Caruso could again make a start, likely in the middle game on Saturday, to avoid an unusually heavy burden placed on de facto starter John Muse.
With both Peoria and Chicago winning their games on Wednesday, they now trail the Checkers by just five and two points, respectively, in an ever-tightening Midwest Division race. |
|
|
|
