CALGARY – With their 2011-12 season opener just days away, the University of Calgary Dinos men's hockey team announced three roster moves Monday.

Fifth-year forward Reid Jorgensen will return for a final season, while defenceman Teigan Zahn and forward Randy McKnaught will suit up for the Dinos for the first time this weekend.

Jorgensen, the team's leading scorer last year with 33 points in 28 games, will be back in the line-up for his last season of eligibility. The team's captain, he was a first team Canada West all-star last year after a career season that saw him score 17 goals and 33 points, good enough for third in the conference scoring race.

“Reid is a proven leader, and he's excited about how far the program has come in the last few years, so it's a real positive step for us to have him back in the mix,” said Mark Howell, who enters his third season as head coach of the Dinos and was the 2010-11 CIS coach of the year. “There aren't many guys who are as competitive as him. He's such an intelligent player, and it's a huge bonus for us to get our captain back.”

Howell also announced the additions of Zahn and McNaught, two players who returned from NHL camps and enrolled at the University of Calgary this fall.

Teigan Zahn, who spent last season with the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL, is a two-time NHL draft choice. He was taken in the fifth round, 132nd overall in 2008 by the Chicago Blackhawks and, after failing to sign, reentered the draft in 2010. There he was selected in the 7th round, 186th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

A steady defenceman, Zahn recorded 23 points in 72 games with the Blades last year while racking up an impressive +39 rating on the season. He attended the Los Angeles Kings' training camp in September and enrolled at the University of Calgary immediately following his release.

Randy McNaught brings a six-foot-four, 227-pound frame to the right wing for the Dinos. A 2010 seventh-round pick by the New York Rangers (190th overall), McNaught appeared in eight games with the WHL's Vancouver Giants last season after previous stops in Saskatoon and Chilliwack. A season-ending ankle injury kept him out of the line-up for the remainder of the 2010-11 season. A big, physical forward who can handle the puck, McNaught attended the Rangers' rookie camp earlier this month.

“Randy spent five years in the WHL, and to have somebody with those physical capabilities on our team is going to be a huge plus,” said Howell. “The game is so physical, and to have that big body in our lineup is going to back other teams off for sure.

“Teigan Zahn is a big, smooth-skating, steady defenceman, and we really haven't had a guy like that in the last couple of years. He keeps it simple, and I think he'll be a real valuable addition to our team. Long-term, having a guy like that to throw out there in a variety of situations is something we need.”

The Dinos open the 2011-12 regular season Friday and Saturday nights at Father David Bauer Arena. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. both nights.

-UC-