Earlier this week, the Checkers made a pair of rosters moves exchanging netminders with the Florida Everblades, recalling Daniel Altshuller and assigning Rasmus Tirronen.
Now, some light has been shed on the motivation behind the transaction.
“At Christmas time, Mac is going to be headed to the Spengler Cup and we have to prepare for that,” said head coach Mark Morris. “In the next couple of games, our plan is to get MacIntyre to continue to play, but to also see if we can get Altshuller in a game and get him acclimated to our team and to see what he can do. Then after a couple more games when Mac leaves we’ll see Tirronen back here.”
Though Team Canada has yet to officially release their roster and things are always subject to change, this marks the second consecutive year that MacIntyre has been tapped to represent his home country at the Spengler Cup, an international tournament hosted in Switzerland that runs from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31.
“It’s a huge honor,” said MacIntyre. “I was really hoping to get the chance again. I’m proud that they asked me.”
The tournament pits Canada against several European club teams. Last year, Team Canada made it to the semi-finals before falling to the eventual champions, Geneve-Servette HC.
“It was a huge learning experience last year, so I’ll feel a lot more comfortable knowing the rink and the style of play and the routine,” said MacIntyre. “It’s elite. The level of play is really, really good. I like the style of play and the way that it suits my game.”
To prepare for MacIntyre’s brief departure, the team brought up Altshuller, a second-year pro who spent his rookie season in Florida. He earned a call up last season for this same reason, but didn’t see any ice time as he backed up John Muse. That could be different this time, as this stint will give him time to show the coaching staff what he can bring to the table.
“I don’t really have a read on Althsuller other than what I’ve read, so we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” said Morris. “But he’s a fresh face so it’ll be a good test for him to see how he performs at this level.”
With his rookie year behind him, Altshuller has been stellar so far this season for the Everblades, going 10-3-0 and leading the ECHL at the time of his recall in goals-against average (1.58) and save percentage (.941). He also was named the league’s Goaltender of the Month for November.
“Being 20 years old and playing pro hockey, it’s tough,” said Altshuller. “You’re in a room with 30-31 year old guys and you’re living on your own. It’s important just to get that first year going and use that experience this year.”
It’s been a big step up for him since his rookie year in Florida, enough so that he has caught the attention of others with his play.
“He’s doing really well down in Florida,” said MacIntyre. “If you’re goalie of the month in any league, you’re doing something right.”
The thinking is that with this brief stint before the holidays, Altshuller will be able to get acclimated to the ins and outs of the AHL game before he is thrown into things on his own in a few weeks.
“It’s smart to get him used to the routine a bit,” said MacIntyre. “That kind of stuff makes a big difference as a goalie, just knowing what the daily routine is.”
By bringing him up to play alongside MacIntyre, the young netminder also has a veteran to help him make that transition.
“It helps a lot. Drew is a pro,” said Altshuller. “He’s been in every situation. Just watching his habits and seeing how much he focuses on the ice and in preparation too, it helps a lot.”
The other half of that swap saw Tirronen head to Florida. The rookie netminder has been with Charlotte all season and has appeared in several games, but the move was again in preparation.
“He’s just going there for three games, that’s the tentative plan,” said Morris of Tirronen, who made 27 saves in last night’s 3-2 Florida win. “This has been in the works for a while, we just didn’t want to play any head games with Tirronen because he’s a great kid and he’s worked hard. We saw this as an opportunity to get some quality games under his belt and be ready for when he comes back.”
While the young netminders will take the reins for a few games, don’t expect this Spengler Cup trip to cut into MacIntyre’s competitiveness when he returns.
“It doesn’t change anything here,” said MacIntyre. “I still want to win as much as I always do and I want to play well just as much as I always want to. It’s going to be a nice little thing halfway through the year.”
