WELLMAN, LeBLANC ACQUIRED IN SEPARATE TRADES

January 31, 2013

HERSHEY, Pa.– The HERSHEY BEARS, in conjunction with the Washington Capitals, announced today that the organization has acquired forward Casey Wellman from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Zach Hamill.  The organization has also acquired forward Peter LeBlanc from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Mathieu Beaudoin.  The announcements were made by BEARS President/GM Doug Yingst.
 
Wellman, 25, comes to HERSHEY after appearing in 37 games this season with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage.  He has posted 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists).  He ranked third in points on San Antonio at the time of the trade.  The Brentwood, California native has tallied 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 41 NHL games with Minnesota from 2009-2012, and has recorded 105 points (44 goals, 61 assists) in 136 career AHL games with Houston, Connecticut and San Antonio.
 
The 6’0”, 185-pound forward spent two seasons at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and put up 78 points (34 goals, 44 assists) in 75 games.  He was named to the NCAA Hockey East All-Rookie Team in 2009 and the Hockey East All-Academic Team in 2010. 
 
Hamill, 24, was acquired by the Capitals on May 26, 2012, in a deal that sent long-time BEARS star Chris Bourque to the Boston Bruins.  Since joining the BEARS, Hamill appeared in all but three games in 2012-2013, and posted 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists).  His 11 goals ranked third on the club, and his point total ranked fourth.
 
LeBlanc, 24, has appeared in 34 games with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs this season, and has recorded 12 points (four goals, eight assists).  2012-2013 was LeBlanc’s third season with the club.  The 5-11, 200-pound native of Hamilton, ON is coming off of his best year on offense last season, in which he led the IceHogs with 24 goals and finished second with 44 points.
 
Prior to turning pro, LeBlanc finished a four-year career at the University of New Hampshire (HE), where he racked up 85 points (34 goals, 51 assists) in 153 career games.
 
LeBlanc was originally selected by the Blackhawks in the seventh round (186^th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
 
Beaudoin, 28, was in his second stint with HERSHEY, having also played seven games with the club during 2007-2008.  The 5-11, 178-pound native of Rock Forest, PQ appeared in 32 games this season and recorded 10 points (three goals, seven assists) along with a plus-six efficiency rating.