(above) DU alum Matt Carle will man the point on Tampa's power play unitFrom: Tampa Tribune
by Eric Erlendsson
Lost in all the fireworks of Friday's trade of popular defenseman Dan Boyle to San Jose was the acquisitions coming Tampa Bay's way.
While the first-round draft pick is coveted and junior defenseman Ty Wishart was among the Sharks' top five prospects, possesses good size at 6-foot-5 and was a scoring machine in juniors, defenseman and DU Alum Matt Carle is the centerpiece of the deal.
The 6-foot, 205-pound native of Anchorage, Alaska, was a member of the NHL All-Rookie team in 2006-07 following an 11-goal, 42-point season. He was also the Hobey Baker Award winner in his second season at the University of Denver in 2005-06.
The 23-year-old suffered through a sophomore slump, however, last season in San Jose. At times he was a healthy scratch, including twice in the playoffs, while slipping to two goals and 15 points in 62 games.
But Carle had hoped to redeem himself with the Sharks next season when his four-year, $13.75 million contract kicks in. Instead, the hope is that a fresh start will rejuvenate his game in Tampa Bay, where he currently sits as the team's highest-paid defenseman with a salary cap hit of $3.4 million.
"It was a difficult year for me last year not getting the opportunities that I felt I needed," Carle said. "But I'm moving on now, so it's just a step forward in my development. I definitely take a lot out of last year and learned a lot from it, and it will benefit me the rest of my career."
Carle is expected to step into a top-four role for the Lightning next season and likely will be penciled on a point position for the top power-play unit, which he helped run his rookie season when the Sharks had one of the top power plays in the league.
"He clearly will add speed and skill to our lineup," Lightning vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton said. "He fits with our plan of trying to getting younger and better."
While Carle expressed excitement to be coming to Tampa Bay, he also has a personal connection with the organization. Last month, Tampa Bay selected David Carle, Matt's younger brother, in the seventh round of the draft despite a heart ailment that may prevent him from following in big brother's footsteps. The Carle family was touched by the gesture of Lightning owner Oren Koules, whose son attends the same high school in Minnesota as David Carle.
"That act that they did there was just first class all the way," Carle said. "When I found out about being traded to Tampa Bay, my first call was to home and I talked to my brother, so he was the first one to officially welcome me to the organization."
While the first-round draft pick is coveted and junior defenseman Ty Wishart was among the Sharks' top five prospects, possesses good size at 6-foot-5 and was a scoring machine in juniors, defenseman and DU Alum Matt Carle is the centerpiece of the deal.
The 6-foot, 205-pound native of Anchorage, Alaska, was a member of the NHL All-Rookie team in 2006-07 following an 11-goal, 42-point season. He was also the Hobey Baker Award winner in his second season at the University of Denver in 2005-06.
The 23-year-old suffered through a sophomore slump, however, last season in San Jose. At times he was a healthy scratch, including twice in the playoffs, while slipping to two goals and 15 points in 62 games.
But Carle had hoped to redeem himself with the Sharks next season when his four-year, $13.75 million contract kicks in. Instead, the hope is that a fresh start will rejuvenate his game in Tampa Bay, where he currently sits as the team's highest-paid defenseman with a salary cap hit of $3.4 million.
"It was a difficult year for me last year not getting the opportunities that I felt I needed," Carle said. "But I'm moving on now, so it's just a step forward in my development. I definitely take a lot out of last year and learned a lot from it, and it will benefit me the rest of my career."
Carle is expected to step into a top-four role for the Lightning next season and likely will be penciled on a point position for the top power-play unit, which he helped run his rookie season when the Sharks had one of the top power plays in the league.
"He clearly will add speed and skill to our lineup," Lightning vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton said. "He fits with our plan of trying to getting younger and better."
While Carle expressed excitement to be coming to Tampa Bay, he also has a personal connection with the organization. Last month, Tampa Bay selected David Carle, Matt's younger brother, in the seventh round of the draft despite a heart ailment that may prevent him from following in big brother's footsteps. The Carle family was touched by the gesture of Lightning owner Oren Koules, whose son attends the same high school in Minnesota as David Carle.
"That act that they did there was just first class all the way," Carle said. "When I found out about being traded to Tampa Bay, my first call was to home and I talked to my brother, so he was the first one to officially welcome me to the organization."
No comments:
Post a Comment