Chase Priskie signs a two-year entry level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes organization, after the Washington Capitals lost rights to him, leaving him to be an unrestricted free agent.
Don Waddell and the Carolina Hurricanes front office have been very interested in Chase Priskie for months now. Around the time of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the Hurricanes were in talks with the Capitals about acquiring the rights and signing Priskie. This indicated speculation that Justin Faulk would be dealt away to another team.
Those talks with Washington didn’t pan out and the trade never could be complete. The best case scenario for the Hurricanes has happened and that’s signing Chase Priskie, without losing a thing. Priskie is signed to a two-year entry level deal, where he earns $832,500 in the NHL and $70,000 at the AHL-level, with a signing bonus $185,000.
Priskie signing with the Carolina Hurricanes means two things: Carolina remains a proven free-agent target destination and Priskie is a confident personality. With teams all over the league desiring him, including the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, he chose to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The future just got even BRIGHTER
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) August 17, 2019
Welcome to the #Canes, Chase! pic.twitter.com/c5pewfjc4g
Priskie was a Top 10 Finalist for the 2018-19 Hobey Baker Award. He led all NCAA Division I defensemen in goals, and managed to put up 17 goals, 22 assists, 39 total points in 36 games. Another fresh cherry on top of that is his captaincy of the Quinnipiac Men’s Ice Hockey team. His plus-minus of +18 is phenomenal, he has leadership and makes players around him better.
This is a player with a résumé that shows leadership, confidence, and determination to develop and win. It’s a player that fits well in the Rod Brind’Amour system. With the loss of Calvin de Haan and acquisitions of Priskie and Gustav Forsling, the future and line of prospects for the Hurricanes organization gets even brighter.
A moment he’ll never forget, signing his first NHL contract with the @CanesNHL #BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/o1ACEHnT5E
— Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey (@QU_MIH) August 17, 2019
Chase Priskie is yet another right-handed defenseman (we love having those here); he stands at six feet tall and weighs in at 192 lbs. His age being at 23 has him old enough already to attend the Carolina Hurricanes Training Camp, allowing him a clear chance to have a shot on the main roster for the opening night tilt against the Montreal Canadiens.
It’ll be a tough competition, as Priskie will be in competition with Haydn Fleury, Gustav Forsling, and Jake Bean, all of which have played some games in the National Hockey League, while it’d be new to Priskie. Fleury’s spot on the roster is almost guaranteed, as he’s played 87 total regular season games and 8 playoff games.
Priskie has something Hurricanes fans might like to hear and that’s leading all NCAA Division I defensemen in power-play goals at 10 and game-winning goals at 5. He was named to the 2018-19 ECAC Hockey First Team and was on the ECAC Hockey All Academic Team all four of his college years.
Whether Priskie plays in Raleigh or Charlotte, he’ll work with what he’s got, and he’ll improve to become a Top 4 Defenseman soon enough. With Trevor van Riemsdyk‘s injury, he’ll likely get other chances if he isn’t on the roster for opening night.
Question for Cardiac Cane Readers: Will Chase Priskie win the competition in Training Camp and play Opening Night?