The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they have signed four recent draft choices to contracts, including centers Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, who were key components of the 2005 Calder Cup champion Philadelphia Phantoms.
Carter, 20, led the AHL in playoff scoring with 23 points (12g, 11a) in 21 games for the Phantoms in the spring of 2005. He joined the Phantoms late in the 2004-05 regular season after recording 34 goals and 40 assists for 74 points and 40 penalty minutes in 55 games for Sault Ste. Marie (OHL).
The 6-foot-3, 207-pound center led the Greyhounds in goals, points, plus/minus (+20) and power play goals (14) and was tied for first on the team in assists. A native of London, Ont., Carter was also named to the all-tournament team at the 2005 World Junior Championships, where his 10 points (7g, 3a) in six games helped Canada to a gold medal.
Carter was selected by the Flyers in the first round (11th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
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Mike Richards was a spark plug for the Phantoms after joining the team after the first round of the playoffs.
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Richards, 20, joined the Phantoms at the start of the East Division final series against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and posted seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 14 postseason contests. He picked up 58 points (22g, 36a) and 75 penalty minutes in 43 regular-season games for Kitchener (OHL) in 2004-05, and was named a Second Team OHL All-Star.
Richards, who won a Memorial Cup with Kitchener in 2003, was the captain of Team Canada at the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championships, recording five points (1g, 4a) in six games.
Richards was selected by the Flyers in the first round (24th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
The Flyers also signed left wing Triston Grant and defenseman Alexandre Picard to entry-level contracts.
Picard, 20, completed his junior season at Halifax (QMJHL) and joined the Phantoms during the postseason, skating in two games during the 2005 Calder Cup Finals. He was a third-round pick by the Flyers in 2003.
Grant, 21, registered 20 goals and 12 assists for 32 points and 193 penalty minutes in 70 regular season games for Vancouver (WHL) this past season. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound left wing was selected by the Flyers in the ninth round (286th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
