No Zac, but there will be Zach.
Zach Boychuk, the Canes' first-round draft pick, will be at the team's training camp next month, albeit in a limited role. Boychuk underwent surgery a month ago to repair a broken bone in his left wrist, but Canes' general manager Jim Rutherford said the 19-year-old center is "ahead of schedule" in his rehabilitation.
"It's good timing that we caught [the injury] when we caught it," Rutherford said. "He'll be able to come to camp and it should be a great experience for him.
"He probably won't be able to handle the puck or shoot the puck but he can get in all the skating drills. Then he can go back to his junior team, play for the national team. We're really excited about him. He has such a high skill level."
Rutherford said Tuesday that Zac Dalpe, the team's second-round draft choice, had elected to pass up a contract offer and go to Ohio State this year, and thus would not be at camp.
After training camp, Boychuk will head back to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Western Hockey League. Boychuk helped lead Lethbridge to the WHL's Eastern Conference title last year, scoring a playoff-high 11 goals. He also competed for Team Canada, which won the 2008 World Junior Championships.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at