Allegations Come From Incident Last Year When Forward — Now Islanders’ Property — Was With River Rats
Bobby Hughes, a 2006 fourth-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes and current New York Islanders prospect, was arrested last Wednesday following a Bridgeport Sound Tigers game and charged with two counts of sexual assault.
According to reports, the alleged crime occurred last season when Hughes, who turns 22 on Nov. 11, was a member of the Albany River Rats, the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate.
Hughes was traded to the Islanders this offseason for journeyman Rob Hennigar. In the 2007-08 season, Hughes was sidelined by a mysterious neck/back injury that threatened his career, but rebounded to rejoin the River Rats last season. Unfortunately, he then needed sports hernia surgery and was limited to just 27 games in 2008-09.
Both the Hurricanes and River Rats were contacted and had no comment. The Islanders have been e-mailed and have not yet responded. We will update the article if they have a statement.