April 23, 2012 10:42 AM
The Carolina Hurricanes bolstered their defensive depth on Monday by signing junior defenseman Beau Schmitz to an entry-level contract.
 Schmitz recently completed his fourth season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers, where he was one-time teammates with current Checkers Brett Bellemore, A.J. Jenks, Michal Jordan, Chris Terry and incoming defenseman Austin Levi. The 5-foot-10, 193-pound blueliner easily eclipsed career highs in all offensive categories, posting 14 goals, 40 assists and 54 points while tying for third in the league with a plus-37 rating.
“Beau had an exceptional overage season with Plymouth,” Jason Karmanos, the Hurricanes’ vice president and assistant general manager, said in a team release. “His game matured both offensively and defensively, and we are excited to add a character individual like him to our organization.”
An undrafted 21-year-old, Schmitz, who served as the Whalers’ captain this past season, will likely contend for a job on the Checkers’ defense next season. Having signed a three-year deal on Monday, he joins Bellemore, Jordan, Levi, Brian Dumoulin, Rasmus Rissanen and Joe Sova as defensemen under contract who may realistically spend time in the AHL.
Though plenty can change between now and training camp, including one or more players from that group impressing enough to start next season in the NHL, that already gives the Checkers a group of seven to work with. That group does not include restricted free agents Bobby Sanguinetti and Justin Krueger, who could also return next season.
While Schmitz did not become an official member of the organization until Tuesday, he does have some experience with its personnel, including coach Jeff Daniels, as he played for Carolina’s entry at the Traverse City prospects tournament in each of the last two seasons.
A native of Howell, MI, Schmitz played for Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2008. |
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