On the morning of Game 5 of the Checkers’ first-round series against Oklahoma City, coach Jeff Daniels didn’t think that the 22-year-old defenseman, out for nearly two months with an injury, was an option for that night’s lineup. Then, there was a knock on his door.
“He said he wanted to play,” said Daniels. “As a coach, you love to hear that, because you’re usually talking to guys and they’re kind of hemming and hawing and they’re not sure.
“He played so well all season long for us and deserved to get in the lineup, and I thought he played extremely well.”
Jordan, who had been practicing with the team throughout the week, assisted on Bobby Raymond’s power-play goal that tied the score at 2-2 near the end of the first period. Showing the other side what’s become a well-rounded, two-way game, he also broke up a two-on-one rush in the second period, delaying the Barons’ eventual three-goal surge that ended Charlotte’s season.
“Michal Jordan is a very underrated player that we have a ton of respect for,” said Checkers coach Jeff Daniels. “He’s one of those guys that when you have you maybe take him for granted, and then all of the sudden you have him out of the lineup and you say, ‘Wow, this is where Michal would be,’ or ‘This is who Michal would play against.’”
“The first couple of games (of the season) I struggled, but after that I felt more settled down and picked up my game again,” said Jordan, a soon-to-be restricted free agent. “I was pretty confident after that point, got an All-Star Game and it obviously helps your confidence when you score a couple of goals. Unfortunately I got hurt so I couldn’t really finish the year strong, but that’s part of the game.”
Jordan was one of a handful of Checkers players that made the breakthrough to the NHL throughout the season. Others include Riley Nash, who spent much of the season’s second half with the Hurricanes, and a pair of former junior hockey teammates in defenseman Brett Bellemore and forward Chris Terry, who each played their first NHL games.
For some, fortunes changed rapidly. Nash, not among the initial invites to Carolina’s training camp in January, ended up spending more time in the NHL than many who were. His 32 NHL games this season were more than any pre-lockout Checkers skater not named Drayson Bowman, Justin Faulk or Bobby Sanguinetti.
Though disappointed in not getting an initial camp invite, the development actually may have helped him in the long run. Beginning in early January, he scored 22 points (9g, 13a) in his final 18 regular-season games at the AHL level, which was easily the most productive stretch of his three pro seasons.
“When that happens you get a new role on the team, you have to step up, you have to elevate your play and you become more important,” said Nash, who turned 24 days after the season concluded. “In your development as a player that’s one of the biggest things - being able to be important to a team and finding your role.”
With the Hurricanes’ third-line center position vacant for the time being, he’ll be in the mix to do that at the NHL level for the first time, providing he re-signs with the team as a restricted free agent.
Jordan and Nash are at the conclusions of their entry-level contracts, meaning they will be waiver-eligible for the first time next season. As such, they would first have to be offered to the league’s other 29 teams before they could play in the AHL for Charlotte.
Meanwhile, Bellemore and Terry have cleared waivers in the past, including at the start of this past season, but may have a higher profile now. Both have played in the NHL and played well, as evidenced by Terry’s goal in his debut and Bellemore’s two assists and seven penalty minutes in eight games.
As a result, Carolina may be willing to give them a longer look. From their perspective, they have a better idea of what to expect.
“I know what it’s like up there and I’m going to work hard to be able to keep up at that pace,” said Terry, who led the Checkers in scoring for the second consecutive season and will turn 25 in April. “I’ve always been harped on for my conditioning, and I’ll continue to improve that going into next season.”
“Over the four or five years that I’ve been here learning from the coaches, it’s just gradually gotten to the point where I’ve felt comfortable and added different elements to my game,” said Bellemore. “I really feel like I can make an impact in this league and that can transfer to getting a shot.”
Daniels also thinks the experience will help.
“Nine or 10 guys got a chance to play in the NHL (this season), and hopefully that feeds their hunger to push themselves this summer to get a full-time job up top,” he said.
The memories, and the payoff of a career of hard work, certainly will.
“It was amazing,” said Terry. “You hear everybody say it’s what you dream of and it’s what you work for your whole life to play in the NHL and I got that experience. The bonus was scoring and that was a surreal feeling. To happen in Raleigh and have worked through this organization for four-plus years was really rewarding.”
