ESTERO, FL – The Florida Everblades announced Friday that goaltender Anthony Peters and forward Matt Berry have been assigned to the team by the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League. In addition, forward Dalton Smith was also assigned to the team from Charlotte and has agreed to terms with the Everblades for the 2016-17 season.

Peters, 25, returns to the Everblades where he registered 27 wins, three shutouts, a 2.20 goals-against-average and a.920 save percentage last season.  Peters also made one appearance with the Checkers last February. The 6-1, 196-pound netminder recorded a 32-save shutout in his professional and Everblades debut on March 7, 2015 at Greenville.  Peters agreed to an AHL contract with Charlotte earlier this summer.

Berry, 23, agreed to terms with the Everblades earlier in the summer. Berry registered 37 points (16g, 21a) with a plus-11 rating in 38 games played with the Utah Grizzles (ECHL) last season.  Berry also logged eight points (4g, 4a) in ten postseason appearances with Utah last spring.  The 5-10, 180-pound winger also posted four points (3g, 1a) in 15 games last season with the American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls.

Smith, 24, has agreed to terms with the Everblades for the 2016-17 season. Last season, the gritty forward scored two goals with 49 penalty minutes in 28 American Hockey League games split between the Providence Bruins and Lehigh Valley Phantoms.  The 6-2, 215-pound winger has totaled 40 points (22g, 18a) with 406 penalty minutes in 226 career AHL games divided between the Springfield Falcons, Syracuse Crunch, Providence and Lehigh Valley from 2012-2016.  The Oshawa, Ontario native was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The Everblades will battle the Orlando Solar Bears in a preseason game on Saturday, October 8 at Germain Arena. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.

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Opening Weekend is October 14 & 15  The Florida Everblades open up their 19thseason of hockey at home at Germain Arena on Friday, October 14 against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits beginning at 7:30 p.m. The first 5,000 fans will receive a free Everblades magnet schedule courtesy of Jack's Cleaning.  The two teams will meet again on Saturday, October 15 with a 7:00 p.m. start time.

2016-17 Season Ticket Plans Now Available!  Full and flexible partial season ticket plans are currently available for the 2016-17 season. We offer several tickets packages designed to help fit your budget and schedule.

Special Offer!  Purchase any new ticket package for the 2016-17 season, and receive a $20 gift card from Ford's Garage!  Locations include Cape Coral, Downtown Fort Myers and Miromar Outlets in Estero.

For more information, call 239-948-7825, or stop by the team’s main office located at Germain Arena from Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 This release Courtesy of Fort Myers Technical College & Cape Coral Technical College

The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliateof the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes###