The San Jose Sharks, parent club of the AHL’s Cleveland Barons, on Monday announced that they have signed goaltender Nolan Schaefer, defensemen Matt Carkner, Garrett Stafford, Doug Murray, and left wing Josh Prudden to one-year contracts.
Schaefer, 25, appeared in 43 games with the Barons in 2004-05, putting up a record of 17-23-1 with two shutouts. He has gone 31-32-4 with five shutouts in 70 outings with Cleveland over the past two seasons.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Yellow Grass, Sask., was originally drafted by San Jose in the fifth round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
In 2004-05, Carkner, 24, captained the Barons to a 35-37-2-6 record. In addition to his responsibilities as team captain, Carkner lead the team in penalty minutes (192), while also posting 10 points, all assists. For the second consecutive season, Carkner was the Barons’ team winner of the American Specialty/AHL Man of the Year award.
In four seasons with Cleveland, Carkner has registered three goals, 28 assists and 746 PIM in 246 games, ranking as the franchise leader in games played and penalty minutes.
Carkner’s contributions to the Barons have been well documented: his philanthropic work includes his annual Carkner’s Christmas program, Clip Carkner’s Curls for Cancer and his work with the Doug Dieken Foundation.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound native of Winchester, Ont., was originally drafted by Montreal in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft (second round, 58th overall), and signed with San Jose as a free agent on June 7, 2001.
Stafford, 25, posted 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 68 games with the Barons in 2004-05. A year earlier, he was selected to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team and was named a Second Team AHL All-Star, posting 46 points (12g, 34a) in 71 games. He also represented the Barons at the 2004 AHL All-Star Classic.
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Doug Murray has been a productive defenseman in his two seasons with Cleveland.
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The 6-foot, 190-pound native of Los Angeles, Calif., was signed by San Jose as a free agent on Dec. 9, 2003.
Murray, 25, posted 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 54 games with the Barons in 2004-05, bettering his previous season total by one point. The Cornell product and native of Bromma, Sweden, has totaled 16 goals and 29 assists in 126 games in his two AHL seasons with Cleveland.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound defenseman was originally selected by San Jose in the eighth round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.
Prudden, 25, posted 22 points (14g, 8a) in 73 games with the Barons in 2004-05. He was the team leader among rookies in goals, and led the club with five game-winning scores. He joined the Barons last year after four seasons at the University of New Hampshire and a year in the ECHL.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound native of Andover, Mass., was originally signed by the Barons as a free agent on September 22, 2004.
