Di Giuseppe, Guptill forfeit senior year to sign with NHL clubs; Bennett signs with Montreal
By Michael Caples –
The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that they have signed one of their 2012 draft picks.
That means the Wolverines will be missing some offense next year.
The NHL franchise officially signed Michigan junior forward Phil Di Giuseppe to a three-year, entry-level contract for next season.
“These last three years with my teammates here have been great,” Di Giuseppe said via press release. “These are three years I’ll never forget and I’m glad I came to Michigan. Playing for Red Berenson and his coaching staff, it’s an honor to play for this team. Every game at Yost was memorable, and I’d like to thank the fans for making it a great environment.”
Di Giuseppe, 20, scored 13 goals and 11 assists in 35 games for the Maize and Blue this season. Over his career, he recorded 33 goals and 78 total points, along with 79 penalty minutes, in 116 NCAA games.
“We’re pleased that Phil has chosen to begin his professional hockey career,” said Carolina VP of Hockey Operations Ron Francis in a release. “He’s got good size, and adds to our organization’s depth at forward.”
On the NHL level, the ‘Canes will pay Di Giuseppe $675,000 in 2014-15, $725,000 in 2015-16 and $775,000 in 2016-17. Di Giuseppe would earn $70,000 per year on the American Hockey League level. The new contract also includes a signing bonus of $277,500.
Click here to see MiHockey’s article on Di Giuseppe being drafted by the Hurricanes at the 2012 NHL Draft in Pittsburgh.
Guptill signs with Dallas
(Updated 1:15 p.m. Thursday)
The Dallas Stars announced today that they have signed Alex Guptill to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Guptill, who will forego his senior season after signing, recorded 94 points in 110 games for the Wolverines. He was a third-round pick of the Stars in the 2010 NHL Draft.
“Red Berenson and the rest of Michigan’s coaching staff deserve a lot of credit for preparing Alex for the next level of hockey,” said Stars GM Jim Nill in a release. “He’s developed into a consistent scorer with a quick, hard shot and will continue to develop those skills in the years ahead.”
Bennett signs with Montreal
The Montreal Canadiens also announced that they have signed Wolverines senior captain Mac Bennett to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Bennett, a native of Narragansett, Rhode Island, was a third-round pick of the Canadiens in the third round of the 2009 NHL Draft.
The Wolverines’ captain had 14 points in the 2013-14 season, and was named All-Big Ten second team.