A familiar face will be returning to Bojangles’ Coliseum next season, as the Checkers have agreed to terms with Kyle Hagel on a one-year AHL contract.
Heading into his ninth pro year and third with the Checkers, Hagel enjoyed one of the best offensive seasons of his career in 2015-16. Anchoring what proved to be a highly-productive fourth line, Hagel matched a career high with five goals and recorded 10 points, his highest total since his first full AHL season in 2010-11. He also led Charlotte in penalty minutes for the second-straight season and continued to solidify his spot as one of the toughest players in the league by ranking second in the AHL in major penalties.
Hagel has established himself as a key leader on the team over the last two years as well, serving as an alternate captain in both seasons.
“[Hagel] was the policeman for the team,” said then coach Mark Morris at the end of last season. “He led this team in many ways. He really unified our team.”
Some of Hagel’s biggest impact on the team has been felt off the ice. The Hamilton, Ontario, native received his second-straight Checkers’ Man of the Year award last season, giving him the honor in each of his six full AHL seasons. Hagel’s above-and-beyond community efforts also earned him the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award in 2015 as the AHL’s overall Man of the Year.
