MCKENZIE, GRAHAM CALLED UP FROM FLORIDA
Rookie forward earns first call-up of the season; Graham’s fourth stint
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Checkers general manager and head coach Jeff Daniels announced today that forward Mike McKenzie and defenseman Ethan Graham have been recalled from the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.
The transaction comes on the heels of a four-player swap with the Carolina Hurricanes which saw Jerome Samson and Zac Dalpe recalled to Raleigh and Zach Boychuk and Brett Sutter returned to the Checkers.
McKenzie, 24, leads all Florida rookies and ranks eighth among all ECHL freshmen with 35 points (17g, 18a) in 51 games. The Whitby, Ontario native was named ECHL Rookie of the Month for December when he posted 17 points in 14 games for the month. An undrafted graduate of St. Lawrence University, McKenzie was the lone player on a Checkers AHL contract to earn an invite to Hurricanes training camp last fall.
Graham, 28, joins the Checkers for the fourth time this season and has four assists in 19 AHL games. He ranks fourth among Everblades defensemen in scoring with 18 points (4g, 14a) despite playing in only 28 of the team’s 55 games. The Xenia, OH native helped the Texas Stars to the AHL’s Calder Cup Finals last season and was a member of the ECHL Checkers.
The Checkers (29-18-6) are in action again today against the Albany Devils at 3 p.m. Get four tickets, four hot dogs and four Cokes for just $55 plus fees. For ticket information, call 704-342-4423 or visit www.gocheckers.com.
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