RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has reassigned forward Jon Matsumoto (mat-suh-MOH-toh) to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL). Matsumoto was recalled to Carolina on an emergency basis on Jan. 7, and played in the Hurricanes’ last two games during the recall.

Matsumoto, 24, has played in 13 games with the Hurricanes this season, scoring two goals and averaging 7:04 of ice time per game. In 25 AHL games this season wit the Checkers, the Ottawa, Ont., native, has notched 10 goals and earned 14 assists (24 points). Philadelphia’s third-round pick in the 2006 Entry Draft, Matsumoto (6’4”, 184 lbs.) has tallied 91 goals and 106 assists (197 points) in 276 career AHL games with Philadelphia, Adirondack and Charlotte. Carolina acquired Matsumoto from the Flyers on June 26, 2010, in exchange for Carolina’s 2010 seventh-round draft pick.