Jonathan Cheechoo accepts invitation to try out with the Dallas Stars
Forward Jonathan Cheechoo has accepted an invitation from the Dallas Stars to try out for the team at their training camp.
The Stars training camp is slated to begin on 17 September in Prince Edward Island. Joe Nieuwendyk, the Stars’ general manager, is optimistic about Cheechoo’s decision to accept the team’s invitation.
“We're pleased that Jonathan has accepted our invitation to come to our training camp,” Nieuwendyk said in a statement. “He has shown the ability to be an effective scorer in this league. He's a competitor and we're going to give him an opportunity.”
Cheechoo’s best season in the National Hockey League was in 2005-06, where he scored a career-high 56 goals and 93 points with the San Jose Sharks to win the Rocket Richard Trophy. The acquisition of star centre Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins midway through the season was a major factor in Cheechoo’s production. The two were a potent combination when they played together on San Jose’s top line.
In recent years, the 29-year-old native of Moose Factory, Ontario has experienced a large fall from grace. After his big 93-point season in 2005-06, Cheechoo’s scoring fell to 37 goals and 69 points in 76 games. In the following season, Cheechoo managed only 23 goals.
Cheechoo continued his statistical downfall in 2009-10, when he was traded to the Ottawa Senators along with Milan Michalek and a second-round draft pick for Dany Heatley and a fifth-round pick. He only managed 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) in 61 games with the Senators, and was later sent down to the minors. Cheechoo scored 14 points (8G, 6A) in 25 games with the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League.
The Senators bought out the remaining two seasons on Cheechoo’s five-year contract this summer, leaving the right-winger as a free agent. He has racked up 305 points (170G, 135A) and 324 penalty minutes in his seven-year NHL career.
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