Defenseman to finish 2006-07 season with AHL’s Albany River Rats

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—March 26, 2007

RALEIGH, NC—Jason Karmanos, Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that the team has signed defenseman Noah Babin to a two-year contract that begins with the 2007-08 season. Babin, who recently completed his four-year collegiate career at Notre Dame, will join to Hurricanes’ American Hockey League affiliate Albany River Rats for the remainder of the 2006-07 season.

“Noah has exceptional skating ability, which is extremely important in the game today,” said Karmanos. “That, combined with his strong work ethic, gives him a solid foundation to start his pro career.”

Babin (6’0’’, 190 lbs.) notched two goals and 20 assists (22 points) during his senior season with the Fighting Irish, helping Notre Dame earn the No. 1 ranking in college hockey for most of the 2006-07 season. A teammate of Hurricanes 2005 draft pick Kyle Lawson at Notre Dame, Babin, 23, finished his college career with 49 points (10g, 39a) and 106 penalty minutes in 144 games. The Fighting Irish were eliminated 2-1 by Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night. Prior to beginning his college career, the Palm Beach Gardens, FL, native played one season in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers, registering three goals and 11 assists (14 points) and 54 penalty minutes. He also spent two years in Ann Arbor, MI, playing for the United States national under-17 and under-18 teams.

The Carolina Hurricanes begin a two-game road trip tomorrow night when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in a pivotal Eastern Conference match-up (7:30 p.m., FSN South, Hurricanes Radio Network). Carolina then travels to Philadelphia for a Wednesday-evening game against the Flyers (7 p.m., FSN South, Hurricanes Radio Network) before returning home to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night at the RBC Center (7:30 p.m., FSN South, Hurricanes Radio Network). Individual-game tickets for all Hurricanes home games are available at the RBC Center box office, all TicketMaster locations, by calling 919-834-4000 or via www.CarolinaHurricanes.com. For information on Hurricanes ticket packages, please call 1-866-NHL-CANES or visit www.CarolinaHurricanes.com.