Steelheads announce qualifying offers

(Boise, ID) ? Head coach and director of hockey operations Hardy Sauter announced Friday that the Idaho Steelheads have extended qualifying offers to seven players from the 2010-2011 team. The players are as follows, along with their statistics with Idaho last season: • Forward Kael Mouillierat (62 GP, 25 G, 38 A, 63 Pts.) ? Forward Geoff Irwin (57 GP, 12 G, 13 A, 25 Pts.) ? Defenseman Cody Lampl (53 GP, 0 G, 15 A, 15 Pts.) ? Defenseman Dustin Friesen (35 GP, 2 G, 15 A, 17 Pts.) ? Defenseman Chris Hepp (39 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 Pts.) ? Defenseman Steve Oleksy (55 GP, 7 G, 14 A, 21 Pts.) ? Defenseman Matt Case (31 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 Pts.) 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. Players who had already signed a contract by July 1 did not need to receive a qualifying offer. Steelhead Season-Ticket Holders get six games FREE when they sign up for full-season packages. Plans for all 36 home games start at just $275 per seat. Partial-season plans are also available. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 for more information.