Former University of Maine star Scott Pellerin said he “knew the scenario could happen” but was optimistic a temporary impasse in contract negotiations with the expansion Minnesota Wild could be worked out.

The scenario he was referring to was a trade to a Stanley Cup playoff contender and now he is getting used to the climate in North Carolina after the Wild traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes recently. He was Minnesota’s leading scorer with 11 goals and 28 assists in 58 games and he has picked up two assists in his first four games with Carolina, which is leading Boston by two points with a game in hand in the battle for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“I’m really excited about coming to a team that wanted me. Carolina plays a very similar style to the one I’ve played throughout my career. It’s a mixture of New Jersey and St. Louis and, so far, I’ve been able to adjust quickly,” said the 30-year-old former Devil and Blue, who was joined by wife Jenn and 19-month-old daughter Jordan on Friday along with the family dog.

“Obviously, I won’t get the ice time I was getting in Minnesota and my role will be different. But I understand that. We’re pushing for the playoffs. I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said the Shediac, New Brunswick, native, who amassed 106 goals, 117 assists and 276 penalty minutes in 167 games at Maine and won the Hobey Baker Award in 1992, given to college hockey’s best player.

He said the atmosphere is significantly different.

“The atmosphere was a little more relaxed in Minnesota. There wasn’t pressure to win every night. We had fun playing. What kept us alive was the respect we had for each other,” said Pellerin, who now finds himself in the thick of a tight playoff chase.

He said the Hurricanes have “pretty good depth in every position” and he has found himself playing left wing on a line centered by rookie Josef Vasicek. Thirteen-year veteran Rob DiMaio is the right wing.

Pellerin also kills penalties.

“I haven’t had much power-play time [like I did in Minnesota] but the guys here are talented and have more power-play experience. I was almost spoiled to get the opportunity to play as much as I did in Minnesota,” said Pellerin. “But I know what reality is and what it takes to be part of the puzzle and I’m prepared to do that. Over time, I’m sure I’ll be able to find the right chemistry with my linemates to the point where I’ll feel comfortable.”

He said his new teammates have been “great” to him and that he has already passed one of his tests in the local media.

“A radio station had five questions for me and one of them was name three ACC [Atlantic Coast Conference] schools. I said Wake Forest, North Carolina State, which shares the facility with us [in Raleigh], and North Carolina,” said Pellerin proudly.

He said he was surprised when he first landed in North Carolina and viewed the lakes.

“They weren’t frozen. There weren’t any ice fishing huts,” quipped Pellerin, who loves the new Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena.

Soccer making inroads in Maine

When you discuss soccer in the state of Maine, you will hear it said that all the best players hail from the southern part of the state.

Englishman and Hampden resident Gary Walker, who formerly played professional soccer in his native country for several teams including Manchester City and Stoke City, disagrees with this notion.

“That’s a lot of rubbish. There are very good players up here. They just haven’t had the opportunity to realize their full potential,” said Walker.

Walker is trying to rectify that situation.

He has set up his All Pro Soccer Sports Club in Hampden and he runs numerous soccer camps including the Center for Excellence for high school boys every Sunday morning, alternating between Hampden and Waterville.

It goes from November through the end of March.

During the summer, he brings 16 established professional coaches from England to the United States to work at his camps in Hampden, Bangor, Gorham and New York. The camps are for youngsters ages 6-18.

“Some people will bring English students over and will call them professional coaches. That’s fine. But we want the real deal. We have 16 high-quality professional coaches. Our camps are high intensity and we go half-a-day each day,” said Walker.

He added that the summer camps aren’t just for elite players.

“We want our players to realize their full potential. Just because they may not be gifted, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the best coaches available to them,” said Walker.

So how did Walker wind up in Hampden? Former Husson College coach Mark Franchi, who returned to the area with his family from Arizona a few years ago, had a lot to do with it.

Franchi runs Passport International which takes groups from the United States to Europe for a soccer experience.

“I was at a coaches clinic in Philadelphia and Mark told me about his camps in Bangor and Hampden. I came up and fell in love with the area,” said Walker, who assists Franchi with the Hampden Academy girls soccer team.

They will be taking high-school aged players to England in April to play some pro teams and get their players scouted. Professional teams in England all have youth programs starting with age 7.

Walker, married and the father of two, said he thinks the next generation of soccer players in America could be a real force to be reckoned with internationally and feels the new women’s pro league in America “could really take off.”