The Charlotte Checkers Wednesday announced that they have signed four players to AHL contracts. Defenseman Jake Chelios agreed to a standard AHL
Chelios, the 24-year-old son of Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios, enters his second full professional season after splitting the most recent campaign between the Chicago Wolves and the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. The undrafted native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., recorded 16 points (1g, 15a) in 45 career AHL games with Chicago while also totaling five points (2g, 3a) in 15 ECHL contests with Toledo and Kalamazoo. Chelios (6’2”, 185 pounds) played collegiate hockey at Michigan State University, where he scored 54 points (17g, 37a) in 154 outings.
Peters, the 24-year-old brother of former Checkers goaltender Justin Peters, played his first professional games with the Rochester Americans and the Florida Everblades (ECHL) after concluding his collegiate career with St. Mary’s University late last season. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound native of Blyth, Ont., went 1-6-0 with a 4.07 goals-against average and .886 save percentage with Rochester and posted a 2-0-0 record, 0.96 goals-against average and .966 save percentage with Florida, the Checkers’ ECHL affiliate.
Before going on to earn Canadian college Goaltender of the Year honors with St. Mary’s last season, Peters played major junior hockey with five OHL teams (Oshawa, Kingston, Saginaw, Belleville, and Mississauga), posting career bests in terms of record (10-3-0), goals-against average (2.53) and save percentage (.915) in his final season with Mississauga in 2010-11.
Agosta, 24, turns professional after completing a four-year college career split between the University of New Hampshire and Quinnipiac University last season. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound defenseman originally from East Meadows, N.Y., scored 67 points (12g, 55a) in 155 total collegiate games, including a career-high 26 points (6g, 20a) in his junior season with UNH that preceded his transfer to Quinnipiac.
Willows, 23, made his professional debut with the Worcester Sharks, posting five points (3g, 2a) 11 games, following the conclusion of a four-year career at the University of New Hampshire late last season. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound native of Congers, N.Y., who played alongside Agosta and Carolina Hurricanes prospects Brett Pesce and Warren Foegele in college, totaled 90 points (45g, 45a) in 130 total games for the Wildcats. He served as team captain for his senior season.
