 Upon the completion of Bowman 's final WHL season , he was called up by the Hurricanes to travel and practice with the team during their 2009 playoff season . Carolina advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals , where they were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in four games . The following season , he was assigned to the Hurricanes ' American Hockey League ( AHL ) affiliate , the Albany River Rats . He scored his first professional goal in his AHL debut with Albany on October 3 , 2009 , in a 6 – 3 loss to the Manchester Monarchs . Midway through the season , he was called up by the Hurricanes and made his NHL debut on January 16 , 2010 . Bowman recorded one shot on goal in 10 minutes of ice time in a 5 – 3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers . After being sent back down to Albany , he received another call @-@ up on March 24 in light of an injury to forward Tuomo Ruutu . During that call @-@ up , he scored his first and second career NHL goals against goaltender Antero Niittymaki in the first period of an 8 – 5 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 6 . The milestone occurred in his seventh NHL game . Bowman completed the 2009 – 10 NHL season with two goals in nine games , while averaging 12 minutes of ice time . Hurricanes head coach Paul Maurice heralded him as a player with " a good set of hands and a really good hockey IQ " during his first stint in the NHL . As Carolina failed to qualify for the 2010 playoffs , ranking 11th in the East , Bowman was reassigned to the River Rats for their 2010 playoff season . In the AHL , he finished the regular season with 32 points ( 17 goals and 15 assists ) over 56 games , tying for 31st among league rookies and 10th among River Rats players . Bowman added nine points ( three goals and six assists ) over eight games in the playoffs ( ranking fifth among rookies and tying for first in team scoring ) as the River Rats were eliminated in the second round by the Hershey Bears . 
