The Carolina Hurricanes have rewarded Justin Shugg for his torrid early-season goal scoring pace with his first-ever NHL recall.
Carolina made the move on Monday morning so that the 22-year-old, fourth-year pro could accompany the team on its trip to play Montreal on Tuesday, replacing the injured Andrej Nestrasil. Shugg, the Hurricanes’ fourth-round draft pick (105th overall) in 2010, leads the Checkers with nine goals in just 17 games this season, having previously missed eight due to injury.
The loss of Shugg leaves the Checkers with just 11 healthy forwards on the roster as it prepares for its next game against Oklahoma City on Tuesday. It also leaves them without each of their top two goal scorers as Greg Nemisz is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Without those two, sophomore Brendan Woods becomes Charlotte’s top gun in terms of goals with five. He also shares the team’s point lead (11) with Chad LaRose and Ryan Murphy.
Tuesday’s game starts a hectic pre-holiday slate in which the Checkers play four home games in six days before departing for a five-day break.
