Fast forward to this spring’s exit interviews and the veteran forward was exuding a vastly different outlook, as well as being clear on his future plans.
“It was great for me here, to be honest with you,” said LaRose. “Playing with a very youthful team, I found passion for the sport again. I liked coming to the rink every day and that was my main goal, to try to find that childhood love again. I did that here. “I’m back into it. I’m going to be playing hockey for quite a few more years.”
After not playing professional hockey during the 2013-14 season, LaRose’s comeback was put into motion when he signed an AHL deal with the Checkers and arrived at training camp in September.
Physically, jumping back into pro hockey after sitting out a year is a tough task, especially for a player with as much mileage as LaRose. Add to that an injury he sustained earlier in the summer during training, and the veteran had quite the battle ahead of him to get back into the swing of things. But it didn’t take long for him to pick up where he left off.
“It took me about 10 or 15 games there to start being a noticeably better player out there,” said LaRose. “I had a tough injury, but other than that I felt good. I grew and I got all my hockey sense back and I think I actually became a better player.”
Longtime Checkers head coach Jeff Daniels, whom the Carolina Hurricanes recently announced would not be returning next season, knew there would be an adjustment period for the forward, but was pleased with his progress.
“For a guy that took a year off, it took him a little while to get his legs under him and get back to game speed and in game shape, but just the experience and the patience with the puck on the ice really showed,” said Daniels. “You can tell that he’s played at the next level because there’s no panic to his game.”
LaRose scored his first goal of the season (his first AHL goal since December 2005) in the sixth game of the Checkers’ season, ripping a one-timer past Iowa Wild goalie John Curry to seal a 5-1 Charlotte win. From that point on, he became one of the team’s most consistent producers.
“He’s an energy guy that we used in all situations,” said Daniels. “Despite what our record was, it could have been a lot worse if not for a guy like Rosey who a lot of nights led the way offensively for us.”
But as big of an impact that he made on the ice, it was his off the ice leadership that made LaRose a true asset for a team that fielded a very young roster.
“It was fun for me,” said LaRose. “I’ve never played with guys that young, who are picking my brain and asking me questions like I used to do to older guys. It was fun.”
The goal for LaRose from the beginning was (and still is) to return to the NHL. That didn’t happen this year, and he saw several of his younger teammates getting their first shots at the next level. But instead of being deterred by that, he praised his young teammates and continued working toward his goal.
“It was a good year all around, to see a lot of kids who you didn’t think were great hockey players at the start of the season and then they came into their own as the season went on,” said LaRose. “You see how great the talent is here in Carolina.”
“I’m sure there was a little frustration, no different from anyone else, but he wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” said Daniels. “The start of the year was a chance to get back playing and we didn’t know if it was going to be a month, two months or the whole year, but he came to the rink every day and the biggest thing was that he enjoyed playing again.”
Now, at 33 years old, LaRose is looking ahead to his future. The question this time, however, isn’t whether or not he will keep playing. It’s where and for how long.
“I want to play hockey for five or six more years. I fell in love with it,” said LaRose. “I’ve started training for next year already. I can’t wait for it.
“I’d like to get an NHL/AHL two-way deal under my belt so I could get a call-up maybe. But I’m just hoping someone gives me a contract either way. I’ll come in and give it everything I got and they’ll be grateful that they did. Whoever it is.”
