Cornell junior Riley Nash has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League, the team announced on Monday afternoon. Nash leaves Cornell after three seasons with the Big Red, where he averaged a point per game.
Nash’s rights were acquired by Carolina from Edmonton, the club that initially drafted him in the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, on June 26. The Hurricanes picked up the 6-1, 191-pound center in exchange for the 46th overall selection (second round) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Nash is expected to compete for a spot with the NHL club at the team’s training camp this fall.
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Over his three seasons at Cornell, Nash appeared in 102 games and amassed 102 points on 37 goals and 65 assists. He earned a spot on the third-team All-ECAC Hockey and was named honorable mention All-Ivy League for his play in his final season. In each of his three seasons at Cornell, Nash compiled at least 12 goals and 20 assists while playing no fewer than 30 games in a season. A durable player, he missed just four games over his three seasons at Cornell.
Nash becomes the 33rd collegiate player to sign early this year, and joins St. Lawrence sophomore Brandon Bollig as the only two ECAC Hockey players to make that jump.
