Winger to Return to Carolina Following Conditioning Stint

RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 23, 2004) – Jim Rutherford, President / General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has assigned left wing Jaroslav Svoboda to Lowell of the American Hockey League on a two-week conditioning stint. The 22-year-old is expected to rejoin the Hurricanes after his time with the Lock Monsters.

Svoboda has been a healthy extra for 31 of the Hurricanes’ 48 games this season. In 17 games played, he has yet to record a point or a penalty while averaging 8:48 time on ice. In 75 career regular-season NHL games, the Cervenka, Czech Republic native has scored five goals and earned 13 assists (18 points) and accumulated 34 penalty minutes. Svoboda had five points (1g, 4a) while playing in all 23 of Carolina’s games during the 2002 playoffs. The Hurricanes drafted Svoboda in the eighth round, 208th overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

The Hurricanes begin a two-game home stand tonight against the New York Islanders 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.