HAMDEN, CT -- Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey senior captain Jamie Bates (Toronto, Ont.) has been signed to an Amateur Tryout with the Norfolk (Va.) Admirals and will report to the club prior to its game against Manchester on Saturday, March 29. The Admirals are the top minor-league affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bates' signing follows a stellar four-year career in which he totaled 52 goals and 77 assists for 129 career points. This past season, the forward registered 11 goals and 23 assists and was one of four Bobcats to tally 30 points for the year. On November 16, 2007 against Princeton, Bates became the 26th player in Quinnipiac men's hockey history to score 100 career points. Bates finished his career ranked 11^th all-time at Quinnipiac and 8^th all-time at the Division I level.

"I'm very excited for Jamie," said Quinnipiac men's hockey head coach Rand Pecknold. "He's been a great player for his four years at Quinnipiac and has worked very hard to get where he is today. He's also a model student-athlete and this is a testament to his character."

Bates is scheduled to graduate in May and will continue the required coursework for a bachelor's degree in finance while embarking on his professional playing career.

As a junior, Bates ranked among the ECAC Hockey leaders with 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points while also leading the league with 12 power-play goals. As a sophomore, he scored a career-high 41 points as he tallied 21 goals and 20 assists. As a freshman, he ranked among the Atlantic Hockey League's rookie point leaders with 17 after scoring six goals and assisting on 11 others.

"We're excited to have Jamie join the Admirals," Norfolk Admirals head coach Steve Stirling said. "He'll get every opportunity to get minutes and it's always exciting when a player gets his first taste of pro hockey."

Norfolk plays in the American Hockey League Eastern Conference East Division along with the Philadelphia (Pa.) Phantoms, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pa.) Penguins, the Albany (N.Y.) River Rats, the Hershey (Pa.) Bears, the Binghamton (N.Y.) Senators and the Bridgeport (Conn.) Sound Tigers. Through 72 games, Norfolk is 25-40 and stands in seventh place with 57 points.

"Our scouts saw Jamie play at Quinnipiac and I hear that he is a big, strong player that can add to our offense," Norfolk Admirals General Manager and Tampa Bay Lightning Assistant General Manager Claude Loiselle said. "We're hoping that this tryout can turn into a contract for him."

The Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2004 National Hockey League Stanley Cup after capturing their second straight Eastern Conference Championship. Tampa Bay has finished second in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division for the past two seasons.

Bates becomes the second Bobcat to make an AHL roster in the last two years, joining former team captain and All-American defenseman Reid Cashman. Cashman capped one of the greatest careers in Quinnipiac athletics history by signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization immediately following the 2006-07 season. He has seen action with the AHL's Toronto Marlies in each of the past two seasons, recording four assists in 15 games.