Of the 23 players on the Checkers’ 2014-15 roster, 10 are entering their first full season with the team. Of that 10, five are rookies. Gone are a staggering six of the top eight scorers from last season, including all three captains – Brett Sutter, Nicolas Blanchard and Chris Terry – whose tenures each dated back to the inaugural AHL season in 2010-11.
With that in mind, it’s no wonder that phrases like “feeling-out process” and “adjustment period” have often crept into the early-season dialogue from players and coaches alike. Though it may take some time for Jeff Daniels to figure out exactly what he has and who is capable of what, he does have an idea of how his team will be successful.
“We’re going to be a team that comes at you hard and tries to out-work you,” he said. “We have a lot of character and high-energy guys that are willing to do the dirty work and grind it out.”
With new faces all around, we’ll take a look at changes at each position:
Forward
The area with the most turnover, this position has seen Aaron Palushaj move to the KHL, Philippe Cornet sign with Hershey and Victor Rask make the Carolina Hurricanes out of training camp in addition to the losses of Sutter, Blanchard, Terry, Sean Dolan and Matt Marquardt.Scoring would seem the facet most difficult to replace, although the somewhat unexpected return of reigning AHL goals champion Zach Boychuk, who potted a team-record 36 last season, certainly helps.
Though still just rookies with a combined seven games of professional experience as late-season tryouts with Charlotte in previous years, Brock McGinn and Phil Di Giuseppe, Carolina’s second-round picks in 2012, have the skill set to score points and help lighten that load, even if Daniels won’t necessarily ask that of them right off the hop.
“We’re not going to put any pressure on those guys to be go-to guys,” he said. “They’re going to get a chance to play in a lot of situations on the power play and killing some penalties. They’re down here to develop and get better and that’s our main focus.”
The same could be said of Chad LaRose, the longtime Carolina Hurricane who is coming back to hockey after taking a year away from the game. The 32-year-old has been a high scorer in the AHL, though his last AHL game took place in 2005.
“We understand his situation and we just want him to be a good pro and be Rosey,” said Daniels, who coached LaRose as an assistant on Carolina’s 2006 Stanley Cup team. “Be the guy that comes to the rink with a lot of energy and wants to play. Be a guy that’s tenacious on the ice. The first couple of games he might fight the puck a little bit, but he just has to battle through it and he’ll get better.”
An early area of unexpected concern could be down the middle, where injuries in Carolina have prompted the Hurricanes to recall Rask and Patrick Brown to start the campaign. After Brody Sutter and Ben Holmstrom, the Checkers are out of what they consider to be true centers.
“We’re putting (Greg) Nemisz and (Brendan) Woods in the middle and, even though both guys have experience there, I think ideally you probably want them on the wing for their size and those battles along the boards. We’ve got to make do with what we have.”
Rounding out the new additions are a pair of grinding types in winger Kyle Hagel, a responsible depth forward who’s been known to stick up for teammates in the past, and rookie Carter Sandlak, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound winger from the Plymouth Whalers. Another former Whaler in Alex Aleardi, a smaller (5-foot-9, 167 pounds) yet speedy winger, could be an unexpected source of firepower.
“Speed is a big factor to his game with the way he can skate and take the puck to the net,” said Daniels of Aleardi, who netted 16 points in 41 games as a rookie in Springfield last season. “If he can do that on a consistent basis, he’s shown he’s got some finish in practice here so it’s just a matter of figuring out the pro game and being consistent with it.”
Defense
Another position with an influx of youth, there will still be plenty of continuity at the top.Michal Jordan and Rasmus Rissanen are two of the most experienced defensemen in team history with 267 and 188 games played as a Checker, respectively. Along with Boychuk and Jared Staal, Jordan is one of just three remaining players from the inaugural AHL game on Oct. 9, 2010, while Rissanen made his professional debut following his junior season that spring.
“They’re pretty much just learning to be on their own,” said Jordan, the Checkers’ new captain, of those younger players. “Before I had great guys like Casey Borer that helped me adjust a little bit quicker to the league, so I’m going to pass on what I’ve learned over the years and help them out.”
Danny Biega, who slotted right into the top pairing alongside Jordan as a 22-year-old rookie with four college seasons under his belt, returns to form a formidable top three. Biega’s success is one that Dennis Robertson, another Ivy League grad (Brown University to Biega’s Harvard), may be able to emulate.
“He’s another high character guy with leadership qualities and he’s already shown that in Traverse City through the big camp where he’s been real solid,” said Daniels of Robertson. “Even though he’s a first-year player hopefully he won’t play like one. Danny Biega was like a 10-year vet last year.”
Other less experienced options on the back end include Keegan Lowe, a rugged sophomore who Daniels expects to take another step forward this year, returning depth options in Austin Levi and Beau Schmitz, and Trevor Carrick, a 20-year-old will make his professional debut with his next game played.
Carrick, a fourth-round draft pick in 2012 who checks in at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, improved his standing as an intriguing prospect with 51 points in 70 Ontario Hockey League games last season. According to Daniels, he’s shown early signs of being able to take the next step.
“Trevor had two real good exhibition games,” he said.
Goal
Easily the position with the highest potential to be disrupted by injuries, NHL recalls or perhaps both simultaneously – last year’s team used a club-record nine players – the Checkers are cautiously optimistic about a tandem of Drew MacIntyre and John Muse that could arguably be the strongest they’ve ever started with in a non-lockout season.
“I’m just starting to get to know Drew and you can tell he’s focused from the way he practices and competes and battles,” said Daniels. “His character and the experience he has over the years of being a No.1 guy is just going to benefit our team.”
Though this will be his fourth season with the Checkers, it marks the first that Muse has been able to start at the AHL level. Despite not having done that in the past, he’s risen to nearly every occasion when called upon, taking over the club’s all-time win record last season with 45 total victories.
Earlier this week, Daniels announced that MacIntyre would likely be the starter as the Checkers open their regular season in Milwaukee this Friday. That said, the condensed nature of the AHL schedule means that both goaltenders will get their share of games, including during the opening weekend’s three-in-three set.
“Without a doubt, you’ve got to have confidence in both guys,” said Daniels. “Drew’s record speaks for itself, and if you look at Muser’s record here in Charlotte he’s been real good for us. We have a lot of confidence that either goalie can go in and do a good job.”
