To celebrate five years of Charlotte AHL hockey, we asked you, the fans, to pick the All-Time Checkers All-Star team! Your votes have been counted and we are happy to announce the winners throughout this week. Thank you to everyone who voted!
Although his time with the Checkers was fairly short, Justin Faulk made the most of his stint in Charlotte and has developed into having arguably the best NHL career of any player that started here.
Voting Breakdown: Defensemen
| 1. Michal Jordan |
32% |
| 2. Justin Faulk |
23% |
| 3. Brett Bellemore |
18% |
| 4. Bobby Sanguinetti |
15% |
| 5. Rasmus Rissanen |
5% |
After leading the University of Minnesota-Duluth to a National Championship, Faulk made his pro debut with the Checkers, appearing in 13 playoff games during the team's run to the Eastern Conference Finals. The defenseman then spent the majority of his rookie campaign with Carolina, where he recorded 22 points in 66 games and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. Faulk played just 12 games with the Checkers that season, turning in six points.
With the NHL's labor stoppage in 2012-13, however, Charlotte got an extended look at the young blue liner, and he did not dissapoint. Faulk ranked eighth overall in scoring on the team despite playing at least 11 fewer games than everyone ahead of him and asserted himself as one of the team's top defensemen at just 20 years old.
Faulk's success in that AHL season is also amplified by the fact that the competition across the league was magnified due to the influx of NHL-caliber players. Even with those raised stakes, Faulk was "at a different level", according to head coach Jeff Daniels, and turned in one of the most impressive short-term performances the Checkers have seen, cementing him as your choice for the second defensemen slot on the All-Time All-Star team.
All-Time Checkers Stats
43 GP, 7 goals, 23 assists, 30 points, 27 PIM
Best Season
In the lockout-shortened season of 2012-13, Faulk produced 24 points in 31 games with the Checkers before rejoining the Hurricanes upon the conclusion of the labor stoppage. That ranked him second among Checkers defensemen in scoring and eighth on the team overall in scoring despite playing significantly less games. His 0.77 goals per game average also stands as the second-highest in a season by a defensemen with at least 30 games played, trailing only Bobby Sanguinetti's 50 points in 60 games from 2011-12.
Where Is He Now?
Faulk is in his fourth season with the Hurricanes and has 28 points (9g, 19a) in 47 games this season. He was also named to his first NHL All Star Game, serving as Carolina's sole representative.
