With just five healthy defenseman currently available and a two-game series in Iowa this weekend, the Checkers have signed defenseman Jordan Henry to a professional tryout contract.
Henry has served as the captain for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL this season. Despite missing significant time due to injuries, the Alberta native has put up 19 points (7g, 12a) in 29 games this season, ranking second among team defensemen in goals and third in points.
An undrafted free agent, the 29-year-old is in his eighth pro season. Henry, a WHL product, has 301 AHL games under his belt, split between Rochester, Abbotsford, Chicago, Oklahoma City and Syracuse, and has totaled 69 points (22g, 47a) and 431 penalty minutes. He also has 48 points (18g, 30a) in 85 games in the ECHL, all but two of them coming with the Everblades.
Henry helps reinforce a very thin blue line for Charlotte that has seen Danny Biega join Ryan Murphy, Michal Jordan and Rasmus Rissanen in the NHL and Keegan Lowe sidelined due to injury. Of the remaining group, the two PTOs from the Everblades, Henry and Mike Cornell (73 games) have the most AHL experience.
Henry is the third Checkers defeneman to have played for the Everblades this season, joining Cornell and Austin Levi.
