Wolves sign Coburn to ATO

The Chicago Wolves have signed defenseman Braydon Coburn, the Atlanta Thrashers’ first-round pick (eighth overall) in the 2003 National Hockey League Entry Draft, to an amateur tryout contract, the team announced on Tuesday.

Coburn joins defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, center Stephen Weiss and goaltender Kari Lehtonen as the fourth first-rounder on the Wolves’ current roster.

Coburn was named to the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference First All-Star Team for the second consecutive season after ranking sixth on the Portland Winter Hawks and 12th among league blueliners with a career-high 44 points in 60 games in 2004-05. His 144 penalty minutes ranked fourth on the team, while his 32 assists sat fifth.

The 20-year-old defenseman helped Canada win gold at the 2005 World Junior Championship. He also earned silver with Canada in 2004 and gold in the 2003 World Under-18 Tournament.

Coburn was named the WHL’s Rookie of the Year following the 2001-02 season after registering a career-high 33 assists, 37 points and 100 penalty minutes in a career-most 68 games. Overall, the Calgary native collected 29 goals, 102 assists, 131 points and 483 penalty minutes in 238 games spanning five seasons with Portland (2001-2005).