Being the first day of camp, head coach Jeff Daniels didn’t make things too complicated, but liked the effort that he saw from the group.
“I thought they went out and they worked hard and kept the pace up for most of the practice,” said Daniels. “We kept it somewhat simple. We’ve been off for a couple days, some guys have been off for a little longer.”
It was a small group on the ice, composed of the nine players recently sent down from Hurricanes camp, some ECHL players and two camp invites. Daniels recognizes that it can be tough for the players that just got cut from Carolina’s camp, but was pleased by their performance at practice.
One such player, Justin Shugg, has his sights set on the NHL, but knows that it will take hard work wherever he is, and contributing to this team will help his cause.
“I think playing in the NHL this year is something I’m going to strive for,” said Shugg. “That comes from team success.”
Shugg, who set a career high in points last season with 38, will be called upon to bring some more offensive firepower to the Checkers, and he is using this training camp to improve his game.
“Going to the hard areas, finding loose pucks in front, boxing out D in front,” said Shugg. “Scoring those extra 10 goals that are available in the blue paint.”
Daniels coached at the first week of Hurricanes camp, and that allowed him to catch a glimpse of some of the players that made up today’s group. He specifically mentioned the strides made by Shugg, Dennis Robertson and Keegan Lowe, and as a whole seemed impressed by their performance.
“We’ll slowly watch these guys, but I think the commitment they made over the summer to get better showed right from day one in Carolina,” said Daniels.
For the other skaters, including offseason signing Alex Aleardi, a former Plymouth Whaler, and Mitch Wahl, a camp invite who finished second in scoring on the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL last season, camp is a chance to make a mark on the coaches.“For these guys, it’s the old first impression. Show us something,” said Daniels. “At the same time, you don’t want to judge too much today, based on that they weren’t at the training camp last week, so it’s their first day on the ice and getting into the grind. But each day you get better, and if you get a chance to play this weekend, do what you do best.”
The beginning of training camp means we are one step closer to opening night, and everyone showed their excitement about getting back into games, starting with this Friday’s preseason tilt against Norfolk.
“We’ll get a few more days of structure here, and before you know it the preseason game will come this weekend and soon enough we’ll be ready to roll things,” said Jared Staal, returning for his fifth season in a Checkers uniform.
“Everyone is eager to start,” said Shugg. “First puck drop, first game, first warm up, get your bearings. I’m sure some guys haven’t played in six or seven months, so we’re excited to get started.”
“Whether it’s now or in the middle of the season, guys want to play games,” said Daniels. “That’s where they want to go out and do what they do best, play games. We’ll slowly get ready for this weekend and definitely be ready for the following weekend.”
