9.14.23 ZAR PTO

RALEIGH, NC. - The Carolina Hurricanes finalized their slate of professional tryout agreements (PTOs) on Thursday, welcoming forward Zach Aston-Reese.

Aston-Reese, 29, comes to Raleigh for Canes training camp with 307 games of NHL experience under his belt. Playing in 77 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, the 6-foot, 205 lbs. left-handed shot has also skated in games with Anaheim and Pittsburgh over the last six seasons.

The Northeastern University product joins Kieffer Bellows, Cory Conacher, Jayden Halbgewachs, Brendan Perlini, Nick Shore, and defenseman Nathan Beaulieu as Carolina's PTOs ahead of the 2023 training camp.

Last season Calvin de Haan and Derek Stepan came to camp on tryouts and earned contracts for their efforts.

Why are the back-to-back Metropolitan Division Champions adding all of these tryouts? The Canes will need at least 40 active players on Friday, September 29, when the team plays two preseason games on the same day in the Sunshine State. The club will battle both the Florida Panthers (6 p.m.) and Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m.), partaking in a preseason doubleheader for the first time in the organization's history.

Carolina's quest for a fourth consecutive division championship begins on home ice versus the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, October 11. Individual game tickets for the season are on sale now.