Fuel extend eight qualifying offers

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indy Fuel, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and the AHL's Rockford IceHogs, announced Monday that they have extended qualifying offers to eight players for the 2017-18 ECHL season.

Players tendered qualifying offers from the Fuel include forwards Shane Bakker, Josh Shalla, Alex Wideman and Paul Zanette, in addition to defensemen Travis Armstrong, Brandon Martell, Harrison Ruopp and Troy Vance. Indy already has one player under contract for the 2017-18 season, with defenseman Chris Williams re-signing with the Fuel last Monday.

Per the ECHL, each team was entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four could be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2017-18 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded.

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until Aug. 1 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.

A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player will retain the rights to that veteran until Aug. 1. After Aug. 1, if the veteran player is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player's rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player's rights and the Professional Hockey Players' Association. The member with the player's rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.

If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by Aug. 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.

Ticket Plans for the 2017-18 Indy Fuel season are now on sale! Join the team for year four at Indiana Farmers Coliseum and receive priority access to seats for the 2018 CCM/ECHL All Star Classic! Learn more by visiting IndyFuelHockey.com or calling 317-925-FUEL. Keep tabs on the team during the offseason by following the Fuel on Twitter and Instagram (@IndyFuel) and don't forget to ‘Like' the Fuel on Facebook.

— INDYFUELHOCKEY.COM —