Everblades Receive Three Players from AHL Charlotte

ESTERO, FL – Florida Everblades President & General Manager Craig Brush along with Head Coach Brad Ralph announced Monday that forward Mitchell Heard and defenseman Matt Finn have been assigned to the team by the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL). In addition, forward Justin Kea was released from his tryout contract with Charlotte and will return to the Everblades.

Heard, 25, returns to the Everblades where he registered 13 points (6g, 7a) in 11 games last season along with eight postseason appearances.  In addition, the 6-1, 205-pound center logged four assists in 36 appearances with the Checkers.   Heard has tallied 39 points (14g, 25a) with 500 penalty minutes in 195 career AHL games, while accumulating 54 points in 50 career ECHL games.  The Bowmanville, Ontario native was a second-round draft selection of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Finn, 23, posted 32 points (11g, 21a) in 53 games played with the Missouri Mavericks (ECHL) last season.  Additionally, the 6-1, 205-pound blueliner also made two appearances with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  Finn has logged 17 points (7g, 10) in 63 career AHL contests split between Bridgeport and the Toronto Marlies.  Finn captained Guelph (OHL) for two of his four seasons with the Storm, winning an OHL title in 2014.  The Toronto, Ontario native was a second-round draft selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Both Heard and Finn enter the season under an AHL contract with Charlotte.

Kea, 23, agreed to terms with the Everblades earlier in the summer.  He joins the team after spending the past three seasons split between the Elmira Jackals and the AHL's Rochester Americans. The 6-4, 220-pound center posted 16 points (9g, 7a) in 33 games with the Jackals last season.

To view the Everblades’ active training camp roster

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

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