HARTFORD, March 1, 2011: Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Derek Couture to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement.
Couture, a 6-1, 205-pound sixth-year pro, spent most of last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, skating in 67 games with the Pack and recording AHL career highs of 11 goals and 20 points, along with 104 penalty minutes. This year, Couture was playing in the ECHL with the Victoria Salmon Kings, for whom he has logged 25 games, scoring eight goals and adding 11 assists for 19 points, while serving 76 minutes in penalties, fifth-most on the team.
A 26-year-old native of Calgary, Alberta, Couture has played 273 career AHL games with the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, Quad City Flames, Binghamton Senators and Wolf Pack and has totaled 33 goals and 38 assists for 71 points, plus 418 penalty minutes. In 50 career ECHL games with the Elmira Jackals, Charlotte Checkers and Salmon Kings, Couture has rung up 12 goals and 38 assists for 50 points, along with 118 PIM.
The Whale’s next action is tomorrow night, Wednesday, March 2, as they return to the XL Center to host the Springfield Falcons in a 7:00 PM game. There will be a “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl Appreciation Night” promotion for that game, as Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl ticket purchasers who present their Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl ticket stub at the XL Center ticket office can purchase one $19 or $12 ticket for the March 2 game, and receive a second of equal or lesser value free. On top of that, the Whale will add a coupon for 15% off all Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl merchandise. The coupon is redeemable at the Whale Pro Shop, which is located in the Hartford Store at 45 Pratt St. in downtown Hartford and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4:30 PM. The coupon is good only for Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl merchandise.
Tickets for all 2010-11 Whale home games are available now at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ctwhale.com. Tickets start at $7 each at the XL Center ticket office on game day.
For information on Whale ticket packages, group sales and VIP packages, call (860) 728-3366.
