Matt Corrente has cleared waivers, allowing the Carolina Hurricanes to officially assign him to Charlotte.
A 25-year-old defenseman who has also played at forward, Corrente is expected to join the Checkers for Thursday’s practice – their last before departing to begin the regular season in Oklahoma City for games on Friday and Saturday. The 2006 first-round draft pick spent his entire career in the New Jersey Devils organization prior to this season, playing each of the last two campaigns with AHL Albany.
Coach Jeff Daniels said that Corrente (6-foot-0, 205 pounds) will play his primary position with the Checkers, giving the team another experienced blueliner along with Mark Flood, Michal Jordan and Rasmus Rissanen.
“From talking to him, he’s a leader and a great team guy,” said Daniels. “He keeps the other team honest and he’s strong in front of the net.”
With injuries limiting him to just 50 total games over the last two seasons, including 11 last season, Corrente is now set to play his first regular-season game at any level since Dec. 9. A rugged player, he has posted 350 penalty minutes in 163 career AHL games.
Corrente gives the Checkers eight defensemen on their roster – two more than they are likely to dress in Oklahoma City. The team now has 25 total players at training camp, though Daniels said that he expected to make “a couple” of cuts on Wednesday.
