Hurricanes Ink Goalie John Muse To One-Year, Two-Way Deal

John Muse's season started and ended with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, and all that came in between led to him earning a contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 23-year-old goalie signed a one-year, two way contract Thursday that will pay him $525,000 at the NHL level and $50,000 in the minor leagues. He also received a $10,000 signing bonus.

Muse was MVP of the ECHL's Kelly Cup, leading the Everblades to its first title, but he also thrived in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers. In 15 games with Charlotte, Muse complied an impressive 10-3-2 record, 1.81 goals-against average and .941 save percentage with two shutouts.

As things stand right now, Muse is No. 1 on the depth chart in Charlotte, with Mike Murphy opting for the KHL, Justin Peters a currently unsigned unrestricted free agent, and 2010 draft pick Frederik Andersen announcing he would not sign with Carolina and will re-enter the draft. The Hurricanes could still re-sign Peters or will add another goaltender to fill out their AHL roster.

Muse was a two-time NCAA champion with Boston College — including in 2010 with fellow Hurricanes prospect Brian Dumoulin — and was the team's top goaltender for four seasons.

The release from the Hurricanes is after the jump.

HURRICANES SIGN GOALTENDER JOHN MUSE
Won two NCAA titles with Boston College, helped Florida to 2012 ECHL championship

RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Vice President of Hockey Operations for the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed goaltender John Muse to a one-year contract. The deal will pay Muse $525,000 on the NHL level or $50,000 in the minor leagues, and he receives a signing bonus of $10,000.

"John is a proven winner, having captured championships on both the collegiate and professional levels," said Francis. "He excelled in his first professional season with the Checkers and Everblades, and adds to our organization’s goaltending depth."

Muse, 23, completed his first full professional season in 2011-12, splitting the year between Charlotte of the American Hockey League (AHL) and Florida of the ECHL. The East Falmouth, MA, native was 10-3-2 with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage with the Checkers in the AHL, and 16-6-3 with a 2.42 goals-against average and .920 save percentage for the Everblades in the ECHL. He was named the MVP of the ECHL’s Kelly Cup playoffs, going 11-2 with a 1.78 goals-against average and .939 save percentage, and leading Florida to its first Kelly Cup championship.

Prior to beginning his professional career, Muse played four seasons at Boston College, going 89-39-16 with a 2.40 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 144 career games. He led the Eagles to three Beanpot championships (2008, 2010, 2011), three Hockey East Tournament titles (2008, 2010, 2011) and two NCAA national championships (2008, 2010). Muse (5’11", 175 lbs.) established Boston College records for career saves (3,696), career games played (144) and single-season saves (1,171 in 2007-08), and was the recipient of the 2011 Walter Brown Award as the best American-born, Division I player in New England. He was also named second-team AHCA All-American and Hockey East First-Team All-Star in 2010-11, was twice selected to the NCAA All-Tournament team (2008, 2010) and was a three-time Hockey East All-Tournament Team pick (2008, 2010, 2011).