Faulk

RALEIGH, NC – The National Hockey League tonight announced that Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk was named to the 2011-12 All-Rookie Team.

Faulk, 20, totaled eight goals and 14 assists (22 points) in 66 NHL games during his first professional season in 2011-12. The South St. Paul, MN, native led all Hurricanes skaters in average ice time per game (22:50), ranking first among NHL rookie defensemen in that category. Faulk also ranked first among rookie defensemen in power-play goals (5) and tied for first in goals (8) and second in points (22). In addition to his 66 games with Carolina, Faulk appeared in 12 games on the American Hockey League (AHL) level with Charlotte, totaling six points (2g, 4a). Following the conclusion of the NHL season, Faulk represented the United States at the 2012 IIHF World Championship, ranking first among American skaters in plus/minus (+9) and second in points (8) in eight tournament games.

Selected in the second round (37th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Faulk played one season of college hockey at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, helping the Bulldogs capture the 2011 NCAA national championship.

This marks the second consecutive season that the Hurricanes have had a player named to the league’s All-Rookie Team. Jeff Skinner, Carolina’s first-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, was named to the 2010-11 All-Rookie Team, and also captured the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year. Faulk is the eighth player in franchise history to be named to the NHL All-Rookie Team (Sylvain Turgeon, 1983-84; Dana Murzyn, 1985-86; Peter Sidorkiewicz, 1988-89; Brad Shaw, 1989-90; Chris Pronger, 1993-94; Shane Willis, 2000-01; Jeff Skinner, 2010-11).