WHALE SIGN JORDAN OWENS TO AHL CONTRACT
Fifth-year Pro has Two Goals in Twelve Games
HARTFORD, November 7, 2011: Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Whale has signed forward Jordan Owens to an American Hockey League contract.
Owens, a fifth-year pro who is in his second tour of duty with the Whale franchise, had been playing this season on a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement with the Whale. The 6-0, 193-pound Toronto native has scored two goals and has 11 penalty minutes in 12 games on the year.
Owens, 25, played 160 games in a Hartford Wolf Pack uniform starting in the 2006-07 season, registering 25 goals and 45 assists for 70 points, plus 163 PIM, before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings for current Whale teammate Kris Newbury March 3, 2010. After the trade, Owens skated with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s AHL affiliate, to which he contributed six goals and 14 assists for 20 points, while serving 101 minutes in penalties, in 60 games last season.
In 249 career AHL games with the Whale/Wolf Pack and Griffins, Owens has totaled 34 goals and 63 assists for 97 points, along with 297 PIM. Prior to turning pro with the Wolf Pack late in the 2006-07 campaign, he spent three seasons in the OHL with the Mississauga IceDogs.
With what can essentially be called two trade deadlines this year due to the Olympics, the Rangers did not make any major trades to improve the NHL club at this year’s deadline. The only significant move the Rangers will have made was the Olli Jokinen deal.
As for the minor trades the Rangers did make, they were Jordan Owens for Kris Newbury, and Miika Wiikman/7th rounder in 2011 for Anders Eriksson. Owens was signed to an NHL contract over the summer, but with the Pack in need of centers, the trade was made. Eriksson, 35, is a depth defenseman, and is probably going to be used to fill the depleted defensive corps at Hartford.
That’s it. Talking about anti-climactic.
The Depth Chart has been updated to reflect these moves.
A lot of the recent Rangers signings have had undisclosed terms, so it’s been tough to find what they actually signed for. But here’s what I’ve b een able to find:
- Corey Potter – 1 year/$550k
- Dane Byers – 1 year/$500k
- Tyler Arnason – 1 year/$700k
- Brian Boyle – 1 year/$525k
- Jordan Owens – 1 year/$515k
- P.A. Parenteau – 1 year/$500k
- Tysen Dowzak – 2 years/$533k
- Michael Del Zotto – 3 years/$1.087 million cap hit (bonuses)
The entry level contracts on this list are Owens, Dowzak and Del Zotto, so they will be RFAs when the contracts expire. As for the rest, if they are going to be 27 when their contract expires, they will be UFAs, otherwise, they will be RFAs.
The Del Zotto signing, although looks expensive, is standard entry level contract (maximum of $850k base salary) plus bonuses, which bring the cap hit up. if he doesn’t participate in 11 NHL games, the payment slides a bit.
I have no idea when the Rangers signed Dowzak. I must have missed that. Can someone fill me in on when that happened?
Slats still has two key RFAs to sign (Lisin, Dubinsky), as I’m assuming Zherdev is gone. Lisin is important or else they just gave away Korpikoski for nothing.
Salary information courtesy of CapGeek.
I’ll get to the draft round up tomorrow. I want to get some specifics on the players before I post about them.
As for the rest of the Ranger news:
- Sather made qualifying offers to most RFAs, but Fred Sjostrom was not included in that list. The notables included: Nikolai Zherdev, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, and Lauri Korpikoski. You can breathe a sigh of relief.
- It’s safe to assume that Jordan Owens will be given the opportunity to take Sjostrom’s place. It’s just all business with that decision.
- The Rangers traded a 3rd round pick in 2010 (supposed to be a thin draft) for C Brian Boyle. That pretty much spells the end for the Blair Betts era in New York. With both Sjostrom and Betts gone, there goes the best PK unit in the league.
- Boyle, 24, is an RFA, is 6’7 250 lbs (he’s a freaking beast), and you have to assume he has been qualified. He’s a tough guy, and if he plays a full season, can give you maybe 10-10-20 at his peak. He was solid defensively in the AHL last season.
- Paul Mara and Derek Morris won’t be back, Glen Sather is quoted saying that he has five defensemen knocking on the door (Sauer, Sangs, DZ, Potter, Gilroy). Expect one or two of them to make the team, and maybe a stay-at-home bruiser type signing.
- Nik Antropov won’t be back, his asking price is too much. This shouldn’t shock anyone.
- Colton Orr isn’t going to be resigned, so the entire 4th line will be different next year. This is old news, but I neglected to mention it until now.
- We should start hearing about accepted/rejected qualifying offers before July 1. It will be a fun few days before free agency begins.
Over the next few days, I’m going to research each of the picks and write little blurbs about them. Keep checking back.
Posted by: Dave, on 06-27-2009 at 7:32 pm in State of the Rangers | Comments (2)
Tags: Blair Betts, Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Boyle, Derek Morris, Fred Sjostrom, Jordan Owens, Lauri Korpikoski, Nik Antropov, Nik Zherdev, Paul Mara, Ryan Callahan
As per Carp, the Rangers have signed Jordan Owens. The 23 year-old winger played in Hartford last year, registering 12 goals and 37 points.
This is a pure Wolfpack signing, don’t expect this kid to ever make it to the Rangers.
As for more, well, relevant Rangers, Nikolai Zherdev is currently playing in the 2009 World Championships in Switzerland. In two games, he has an assist and is +2. He is playing with former whipping boy Ranger Dmitri Kalinin, who is 2-2-4 and +4 in 6 games. Also on the club is Alexander Radulov, who in 6 games is 3-3-6 and +5. Maybe Zherdev can help recruit Radulov back to the US and to the Rangers? I would love it.
