|
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
PORTLAND, ME – The Portland Pirates announced
today that their National Hockey League affiliate, the Washington Capitals,
has acquired center Chris Ferraro from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for
future considerations. Ferraro will be reunited with twin brother Peter who
was signed by the Capitals as a free agent on August 1st.
Chris Ferraro led the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats, in
scoring last season. In 74 games, he scored 24 goals and a team-high 42
assists for 66 points. He also recorded 111 penalty minutes. He finished
tied for second on the team with seven powerplay goals. He was also second
in game-winning goals with four.
“As individuals, Chris and Peter are good talents but together, they bring a
certain chemistry that’s something special,” said Shawn Simpson, the
Pirates’ General Manager. “We had interest in signing Peter earlier this
year and later, we thought we should find a way to get Chris as well and
finally, things came together. It’s a great benefit to the Washington
Capitals’ organization and I think it will be great for them too.”
Ferraro, 28, was originally drafted by the New York Rangers in the fourth
round of the 1992 Entry Draft. He began his professional career in 1994-95,
splitting time between the Binghamton Rangers of the AHL and the Atlanta
Knights of the International Hockey League. In that season, he played 54
games for the Knights, scoring 13 goals and 14 assists. In Binghamton, he
played 13 games, notching six goals and four assists. Chris and Peter made
their NHL debuts the next season with the Rangers. Chris played two games
with New York in 1995-96 and scored his first NHL goal. That same year,
Chris finished second to Peter in scoring for Binghamton. He scored 32 goals
and a career-high 67 assists for 99 points in 77 games. The point total
ranked him sixth in the AHL.
During his career, Chris Ferraro has played for the Rangers, Pittsburgh
Penguins, Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders in the NHL and with
Binghamton, the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Providence Bruins of the AHL. He
also played briefly for the Chicago Wolves when they were members of the IHL.
The Ferraro brothers last played together for a short time with Providence
during the 1999-2000 season.
The Native of Port Jefferson, New York is no stranger to hockey fans in
Maine. Both Chris and Peter played a little more than one season for the
University of Maine Black Bears. While their time there was brief, it was
memorable. Chris and Peter helped the Black Bears capture their first
National Championship during the 1992-93 season. That year, Chris had 25
goals and 51 points in 39 games as a freshman. He played just four games the
next season before joining the United States national team. In his time in
the red, white and blue, he scored eight goals and 42 points. He was one of
the last players cut during the selection of the 1994 U.S. Olympic team.
This will be Chris Ferraro’s eighth pro season.
© 2001 Portland Pirates Hockey Club |