Sneep agrees to terms with Steelheads

Boise, ID (8/27/13) - Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Brad Ralph announced Tuesday that the Idaho Steelheads have agreed to terms with defenseman Carl Sneep.The 25-year-old Sneep was part of two national championship teams at Boston College ('08, '10) before turning pro.  He was drafted in the second round of the NHL draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins and made his NHL debut in December of 2011, picking up an assist on an Evgeni Malkin goal in a victory over the Buffalo Sabres.Sneep has played in 163 professional games, 133 of them at the American Hockey League level.  The AHL is the highest level of minor-league hockey in North America.Ralph on Sneep: "Carl is a big, strong, right-shot defenseman. He'll be a top defenseman in this league and will play heavy minutes for us."Sneep split last season at the AHL level between the Texas Stars, Idaho's AHL affiliate, and the Peoria Rivermen.  In 31 games, he had six points (two goals, four assists) and a plus-6 rating.  He also skated in 29 games at the ECHL level with the Wheeling Nailers, picking up 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) and a plus-12 rating.The Minnesota native is the seventh defenseman to be added to Ralph's training-camp roster, joining James Isaacs, Dalton Reum, Mike Beck, Tyler Elbrecht, Colin Dueck and Connor Goggin.  Training camp opens in Boise in early October.Idaho opens the regular season on October 18 at Utah.  The team's home opener is Wednesday, October 23, at CenturyLink Arena in Boise against the San Francisco Bulls.Fans can still purchase season tickets for the 2013-14 season, with full-season packages beginning at just $275 per seat for all 36 home games.  Partial-season plans are also available.  Contact the team's front office at 208-383-0080 and ask to speak to an account executive for more information.