Stars send Boutet to Idaho

Boise, ID (10/2/13) - Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Brad Ralph announced Wednesday afternoon that defenseman Etienne Boutet has been assigned to the Idaho Steelheads by the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.Idaho (ECHL) and Texas (AHL) are the primary development affiliates of the NHL's Dallas Stars.Pronounced AY-tee-en BOO-tay, the 21-year-old blue-liner will be playing his first professional season after spending the past five seasons with three teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He finished his QMJHL career with the Gatineau Olympiques where, despite appearing in just 43 games with the team, he led all Gatineau defensemen in scoring and set personal highs in goals (9), assists (28) and points (37). Boutet has attended NHL training camps in 2010 (Dallas Stars) and 2011 (Philadelphia Flyers) before signing with the Stars organization this summer and competing with the team's entry in the 2013 NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, MI.Boutet is the third player to be assigned to Idaho by the Stars organization this season, joining goaltenders Josh Robinson and Pat Nagle, who were assigned on Tuesday. The Steelheads will open up their training camp on Sunday, October 6, in Boise.The Steelheads host their third-annual "Season-Ticket Holder Only" pre-season game at CenturyLink Arena on October 12 before opening up the regular season on October 18 at Utah.The 17th season of professional hockey gets underway at CenturyLink Arena in Boise on October 23 when the Idaho Steelheads host the San Francisco Bulls. Season Ticket Packages are available now, starting at just $275 per seat for all 36 home games. Partial-season packages are also available. Contact the Idaho Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 for more information.