Canes and Coffee is incredibly excited to announce that 3 new writers with specific areas of coverage are joining the CandC team.  These new contributors add coverage for the AHL Charlotte Checkers, Hurricanes prospects not with the Checkers and Hurricanes hockey sports cards and memorabilia.

They will also provide much-needed intermittent relief from having to only read Matt’s incessant and endless yammering.

Each of these regular features will kick off within the next week.  Please welcome our new contributors to the Canes and Coffee team and community and support them.

Patrick Clarke will write “The Pipeline” which is a column focused on Hurricanes draftees playing in Canadian junior hockey, Europe and any other leagues other than the AHL.

Patrick has been a member of CaniacNation since January of 2000 when his allegiances were sent to Carolina along with Rod Brind’Amour, 18 months after relocating to the North Carolina. The 2008-09 season marked his last year as a full STH, so he’s solely to blame for the recent playoff drought. For years you could find him either playing, coaching, teaching, or officiating hockey at the local Triangle ice rinks. His skates are on the shelf as he’s taken a sabbatical to raise his two young sons. You can follow Patrick on Twitter @PatrickClarke, and his day-to-day prospect coverage @CanesProspects.

Jordan Futrell is joining Canes and Coffee as an intern from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and will write a weekly column entitled “Checking In” that will cover the Hurricanes AHL affiliate the Charlotte Checkers.

Jordan has loved the game of hockey ever since the age of seven years old when the Canes won the Cup in June of 2006. Ever since that year he has been a huge Hurricanes fan and has followed the team closely. Jordan is a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, studying Communications, with a goal to one day work in sports media. The Carolina Hurricanes are his favorite professional sports team or just team in general, so this is an amazing opportunity. Jordan enthusiastically looks forward to this upcoming season and covering the Checkers for Canes and Coffee.

Canes Cards will write a regular column named “Collector’s Corner” that will cover hockey cards and other memorabilia for Carolina Hurricanes players and prospects.