Carolina Swaps Defenseman Danny Markov for Young Forward

Danny Markov played 44 games for Carolina this season after being acquired in a draft-day trade from Phoenix. >Williams Bio | Markov Bio

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RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 20. 2004) – Jim Rutherford, President / General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has acquired right wing Justin Williams from Philadelphia. In exchange for Williams, the Hurricanes sent defenseman Danny Markov to the Flyers.

Williams, 22, was drafted by Philadelphia in the first round, 28th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He has registered six goals, 20 assists (26 points), five power-play points, a plus-10 rating and 32 penalty mintues while playing in all 47 of Philadelphia’s games this season. At age 18, the Cobourg, Ont., native made the Flyers’ roster following his first training camp and has played in 226 NHL games notching 43 goals, 72 assists (115 points) and accumulating 108 penalty minutes.

“Justin is a very good, young player who already has three years of experience in the NHL,” said Rutherford. “He will be a strong addition to the restructuring of our forward lines.”

Williams represented Canada at the 2002 World Championships in Sweden, and had three assists and a team-high plus-4 rating in five of Canada’s seven games. During his second season in the NHL, Williams played for the Eastern Conference in the Topps/NHL YoungStars game as a part of All-Star Weekend.

The Hurricanes signed Markov on Aug. 12, 2003, after acquiring him in a draft-day trade with Phoenix. He has played in 44 of Carolina’s 46 games this season and notched four goals, 10 assists (14 points) and accumulated 37 penalty minutes.

The Hurricanes complete a two-game home stand tonight against the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m. Individual tickets for tonight’s game and all Hurricanes games in January and February are available at the Dodge Box Office at the RBC Center, all TicketMaster locations or by calling 919.834.4000.

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