Wings Make Qualifying Offer To Former Vernon Viper Strong:

On Monday July, 2nd the ECHL released the list of players who received a valid qualifying offer from ECHL teams by the July 1 deadline. Players who had already signed a contract by July 1 did not need to receive a qualifying offer. The Kalamazoo Wings have extended qualifying offers to eight players for the 2012-2013 season. One of is former Vernon Vipers forward Dean Strong.

Kalamazoo Wings Qualifying Player List:

Joe Charlebois, Riley Gill, Dwight Helminen, Elgin Reid, Nicholas Sirota, Dean Strong, Justin Taylor.

Strong finished his third season with the Wings was also loaned twice to the American Hockey League this past season. In November Strong was loaned to the AHL Chicago Wolves before returning to Kalamazoo and then was loaned to the AHL Lake Erie Monsters on December 15th 2011, collecting (4-10-11) with the Monsters before once again returning to Kalamazoo after the Monsters missed the playoffs. In 21 games with the K-Wings this past year Strong collected (11-12-23) before going to the AHL. Strong played one year in Vernon (2004-05) collecting (35-56-91) with the Vipers during the regular season.

Dean Strong's Player Profile:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=83858

This is posted on the Wings website:
K-WINGS ANNOUNCE QUALIFYING OFFERS

Kalamazoo Makes Offers to Eight Players

July 2, 2012 - Mike Modugno

Director of Public Relations and Broadcaster

Kalamazoo, MI- The Kalamazoo Wings, proud member of the ECHL, three-time defending North Division Champions and National Hockey League affiliate to the Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils and the American Hockey League’s Albany Devils, announce the club’s ECHL qualifying offer list

Each team was entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four could be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2012-13 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded.

Players who had already signed a contract by July 1 did not need to receive a qualifying offer.

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until August 1st 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 August 1st. After August 1st, 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 August 31st, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.