Corpus Christi Online - / Hall re-signs Van Horlick, Hoiness, Butler for one year

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Saturday, Apr. 17, 1999
Hall re-signs Van Horlick, Hoiness, Butler for one year
By MARK BUTTON
Staff Writer

   The youth movement has begun.
   With three strokes of a ball point pen, Corpus Christi IceRays coach Taylor Hall secured offensive depth Friday by resigning three young forwards for next season.
   Quinten Van Horlick, Brent Hoiness and David Butler -- all in their mid-20s -- each signed one-year deals with the IceRays. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
   "It's a commitment to the younger guys," Hall said. "I don't want to go entirely with kids straight out of juniors, but I do want guys who have played just enough professional hockey to have a taste of it."
   All three of Friday's signees qualify.
   Van Horlick, 24, is the most experienced of the three, having played 108 professional games including 50 last season with the IceRays. Van Horlick, a right wing, recorded three assists while accruing 236 penalty minutes, third highest on the team.
   Twenty-five year old Hoiness' nine games last season completes his professional experience. The right wing scored recorded two assists and two goals, including a game-winner goal against Arkansas on March 12.
   Butler, 23, saw limited action in the final four IceRays' regular-season games, made Hall's postseason roster but did not suit. The center scored 35 career goals at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.
   "Quinner made big improvements last year," Hall said. "If he continues to improve next season at the pace he did this season, he's going to have a heck of a year.
   "Brent was a great fit for our checking line. I think he is capable of scoring some goals in this league. And although David didn't get much playing time this season, he knows what he needs to work on for next season."
   A developmental league, the Western Professional Hockey League mandates that teams have at least five players with less than 100 professional games played on every roster.
   Hall said he expected more players to ink deals next week. WPHL Most Valuable Player Chris Robertson still has not re-signed, but Hall expected the 31-year-old center to make a decision as to his future by May 1.
   Staff Writer Mark Button can be reached at 886-3613, through e-mail at buttonm@scripps.com or on the internet at www. caller.com.

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