The Carolina Hurricanes, parent club of the AHL’s Albany River Rats, today announced that the team has signed defenseman Joey Mormina and forwards Brandon Nolan and Trevor Gillies to one-year contracts. The Hurricanes have also signed forward Jerome Samson to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Mormina, 25, spent the past two seasons with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs, and totaled two goals and nine assists (11 points) and 108 penalty minutes in 62 games in 2006-07. A sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Mormina (6-foot-6, 220 lbs.) has totaled two goals and 22 assists (24 points) in 123 career AHL games.
The Montreal native played college hockey at Colgate, where he notched 16 goals, 40 assists (56 points) and 156 penalty minutes in 141 games in four seasons.
Nolan, 23, recorded nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 40 AHL games with Bridgeport in 2006-07, his fourth professional season. The St. Catharines, Ont., native has totaled 23 goals and 39 assists (62 points) in 154 career AHL games with Manitoba and Bridgeport.
Gillies, 28, played the majority of the 2006-07 season with Portland (AHL), notching one goal and six assists for seven points along with 151 penalty minutes. A native of Cambridge, Ont., Gillies has played one career NHL game, registering 21 penalty minutes in his lone contest with Anaheim during the 2005-06 season. In 249 career AHL games with Lowell, Providence, Springfield, Hartford and Portland, Gillies has totaled five goals, 13 assists and 1,065 penalty minutes.
Samson, 19, completed his third season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 2006-07, splitting the season between Moncton and Val d’Or. He ranked eighth in the league in goals (44), 15th in assists (55) and 10th in scoring with 99 points. During the playoffs, Samson ranked second among QMJHL skaters in goals (14) and fifth in points (26).
