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Jerome Samson was another young forward recalled by the Hurricanes later in the season last year. Like Drayson Bowman, he played in 23 games, but unlike Bowman, the forward was not returned to Charlotte to help out the Checkers during their playoff run.
While Samson was never drafted, he has established himself as a bona fide AHL scoring threat and had 37 goals and 78 points in 74 games in Albany during the 2009-10 season. He primarily played a fourth line role for the Canes with Patrick Dwyer, Jiri Tlusty, and/or Troy Bodie and averaged 6:51 of ice time per game.
He also chipped in with 13 hits and three blocked shots.
The Good:
Samson is very good at controlling the puck along the boards and has excellent strength in that area. He is adequate at cycling and puck possession and showed some promise as a potential full-time fourth line player in the NHL. He was also responsible in his own end, his plus/minus was respectable, and he did not commit any penalties.
The Bad:
He has yet to show that his AHL scoring ability can translate to the NHL level. He does not seem to be an overly physical player and if he wants to stick in the NHL, (especially as a fourth liner), he probably will need to pick up his hitting and physical play during the short time he is on the ice.
The Money:
Samson is in the final year of a two-way contract which will pay him $525,000 at the NHL level.