Former Viper Lord Eligible To Receive Qualifying Offer By Nailers:

Former Vernon Vipers forward, Andrew Lord is one of 14 players for the ECHL Wheeling Nailers who are eligible to receive a qualifying offer by July 1. Eight players can receive the offer as free agency season starts. Lord who started this past season as the Wheeling Nailers captain also played two games with the AHL Milwaukee Admirals and thirty four games with the AHL Oklahoma City Barons. Lord played two seasons in Vernon (2002-04).

This is posted on the Nailers website:

Nailers 10-11 Season Ending Roster Announced

Thursday, 06.16.11

14 ECHL contracted players listed as eligible for qualifying offers by July 1

The ECHL Wheeling Nailers have announced its 2010-11 season ending roster, which includes 14 ECHL contracted players who appeared in a Nailers uniform for the 2010-11 season.

Season ending rosters may include up to 20 players. Season ending rosters cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2010-11 (i.e. players who were under contract to teams in either the National Hockey League or the American Hockey League). The Nailers season ending roster is as follows:

Peter Merth, Dan Henningson, Zach Hansen, Kyle Bushee, Channing Boe, Kris Vernarsky, Mickael Bedard, Tim Crowder, Paul Crowder, Brandon DeFazio, Chris Kushneriuk,Anthony Maiani, Christiaan Minella and Andrew Lord.

SEASON ENDING ROSTER, QUALIFYING OFFER GUIDELINES

Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer no later than July 1. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four can be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the 2011-12 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to July 1.

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.

When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player’s rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association. The member with the player’s rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.

If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by Aug. 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.