The Edmonton Oilers, parent club of the AHL’s Springfield Falcons, announced today that right wing Carl Corazzini has been signed to a two-way contract.
Corazzini will be entering his eighth season of professional hockey after spending the 2007-08 campaign with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, where he collected 24 goals, 36 assists, 60 points and 14 penalty minutes in 80 games played. The 5-foot-9, 177-pound forward led the Griffins last year in goals, assists, points and games played.
Prior to last season, Corazzini spent two years with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, collecting 54 goals and 58 assists for 112 points in 143 career games from 2005-2007. He ranked third on the Admirals in goals in back-to-back seasons totaling 28 goals during the 2006-07 campaign and scoring 26 markers during the 2005-06 season. The 29-year-old forward has reached the 20-goal plateau in each of his previous three AHL seasons.
Corazzini started his pro career in 2001 within the Boston Bruins organization. He played in a total of 164 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins from 2001-2004, collecting 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points.
All told, the Framingham, Mass., native has posted 248 points (118-130-248) in 439 career AHL games with Providence, Hershey, Norfolk, and Grand Rapids.
Corazzini made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins during the 2003-04 season scoring his first NHL goal while with Boston. In 19 career NHL games, he has recorded two goals and one assist for three points and two penalty minutes, splitting time between Boston and the Chicago Blackhawks.
Before turning pro, Corazzini spent four years at Boston University from 1997-2001. He led the Terriers in goals during both his junior and senior seasons. In 150 career games at Boston University, Corazzini registered 62 goals and 55 assists for 117 points.
Also Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins, parent club of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, announced that they have signed free agent right wing and Pittsburgh native Bill Thomas and re-signed centers Kris Beech and Ryan Stone.
Thomas, 25, split last season between the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL) and the San Antonio Rampage (AHL). He ranked second on San Antonio with 52 points, while leading the club with 24 goals. He also appeared in seven games with Phoenix, going scoreless.
The 6-1, 185 pound right wing has combined for 17 points (9-8-17) in 40 career games with Phoenix, while recording 85 points (37-4-85) in 122 games with San Antonio over his first two professional seasons.
The Pittsburgh native played two seasons of college hockey with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, leading the team in goal scoring both seasons. He combined for 95 points (46-49-95) in 80 games with the school, was named the CCHA Rookie of the Year in 2004-05 and earned First-Team All-Conference honors in 2005-06.
Beech, 27, joined Pittsburgh after being claimed off waivers on Jan. 26, 2008. He appeared in five games with the Penguins, going scoreless and minus-1 before suffering a broken wrist. He combined for 11 points (6-5-11) in 25 games with the Penguins, Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets last season, and he posted 15 points (5-10-15) in 16 AHL games for the Syracuse Crunch.
A former first round selection (seventh overall in 1999) by the Capitals, Beech has recorded 67 points (25+42) in 198 NHL games with Pittsburgh, Washington, Vancouver, Columbus and Nashville.
The native of Salmon Arm, British Columbia has also played parts of three seasons (2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05) with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and ranks fifth on the team’s all-time scoring list with 150 points (53-97-150) in 171 games.
He reached the Calder Cup Finals with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2004 and won a Calder Cup title with the Hershey Bears in 2006.
Stone, 23, recorded a career-high 39 points (11-28=39) in 65 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season, ranking fifth on the team in points and tied for third in assists. He then chipped in 17 points (5-12-17) in 22 playoff games as the Penguins advanced to the Calder Cup Finals for the first time since their 2004 appearance.
Stone also made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh during the 2007-08 campaign, posting one assist in six games with the NHL club.
The 6-2, 200 pound native of Calgary was selected in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2003 Entry Draft by Pittsburgh, and has recorded 108 points (32-76-108) in 181 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over parts of three seasons.
