AHL's Checkers assign 3 more to Everblades

ESTERO, Fla. — The American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers have assigned three more players to the Florida Everblades, forward Steven Lorentz, defenseman Josh Wesley, and goaltender Jeremy Helvig.

Lorentz and Wesley both played for the ‘Blades during the 2017-18 season, while Helvig is in his first season of professional hockey after playing major juniors in the OHL the past four years.

A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Lorentz, 22, suited up in 62 games for Florida last season and finished ninth on the team in scoring with 35 points (12 G, 23 A). The 6-foot-4, 201-pound forward also saw ice time in three games with Charlotte in his rookie season of professional hockey last year. Prior to turning professional, Lorentz played four seasons in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes, serving as an alternate captain in his final season with the Petes in 2016-17. Lorentz, who was a seventh-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015, registered 164 points in 247 career OHL games, including a career-best 61-point season in 2016-17.

A fourth-round pick by the Canes in 2014, Wesley, 22, has played parts of each of the last two seasons with Florida. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native split time between the ‘Blades and Checkers during the 2017-18 season, appearing in 38 total games. In 21 games with the Everblades, he tabbed four assists. Wesley, who stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 205 pounds, registered 29 points (9 G, 20 A) in his rookie season with Florida in 2016-17. He tallied 37 career points in three seasons in the OHL across 188 games.

Helvig, a fifth-round pick by the Canes in 2016, comes to the ‘Blades after four seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL. After appearing in 14 games for the Frontenacs in 2014-15, Helvig, 21, led the OHL in goals-against-average and save percentage in 2015-16 with a 2.13 GAA and .929 save percentage. The Markham, Ontario, native compiled a career record of 81-49-19, boasting a .910 career save percentage and a 2.75 goals-against-average.

The Everblades will play a pair of preseason games this weekend, hosting the Orlando Solar Bears on Friday and Saturday at Hertz Arena. Faceoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Single-game tickets start as low as $10.

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The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliateof the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes