Forward was third among Blackhawks in scoring with a career-high 39 points

HAMILTON

RALEIGH, NC—Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with center Jeff Hamilton on a two-year contract. The deal will pay Hamilton $800,000 per season.

“Jeff is a very fast-skating, offensive-minded forward,” Rutherford said. “He is capable of playing the point on the power play and is a good fit for our system.”

Hamilton, 29, completed his first full NHL season in 2006-07, totaling 18 goals and 21 assists (39 points) and 22 penalty minutes in 70 games played, all of which were career highs. The Englewood, OH, native had a pair of hat tricks, including a five-point night (3g, 2a) on March 10 at Phoenix. Hamilton led the Blackhawks in game-winning goals with five, and ranked third on the team in scoring with 39 points. He was third among Chicago skaters in goals with 18. Hamilton (5’10’’, 180 lbs.) led the Blackhawks in shootout attempts (10), goals (5) and percentage (50%) in 2006-07. He was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week for the week ending March 11 with three goals and four assists in two games.

Hamilton was originally signed as a free agent by the New York Islanders prior to the 2002-03 season. He made his NHL debut with New York on Dec. 2, 2003, against Washington and netted his first NHL goal for the Islanders on Dec. 17, 2005, against Colorado. In 84 career NHL games, he has notched 20 goals, 27 assists (47 points) and 30 penalty minutes. He played four seasons in the American Hockey League with Bridgeport and Hartford, capturing the Willie Marshall Award in 2003-04 as the AHL’s top goal-scorer with 43 goals. Hamilton has also played professionally in Finland and Russia, and played four seasons at Yale (ECAC), earning ECAC first-team honors and All-American recognition three of his four full years in New Haven.