For the first time since they rejoined the team following NHL stints with the Hurricanes, Zach Boychuk and Michal Jordan will take the Time Warner Cable Arena ice as the Checkers face the Toronto Marlies. The impact of getting those two players back in the lineup is an immediate improvement for the Checkers.
“It’s huge,” said head coach Jeff Daniels. “It gives us more depth and makes us a better team.
“First and foremost they’re well-liked guys, well-respected by their teammates, so it’s an easy fit when they come in. And then on top of that, the skill level is a boost. Michal is a guy who can play all situations and play a lot of minutes for us. Boychuk is getting back to his game, but just the threat around the net to score a goal is huge.”
Despite the team’s joy in getting two of their top players and leaders back, it is a bittersweet moment for Bocyhuk and Jordan, as it every AHL player’s goal to make it to the NHL and stick there. They appeared in 31 and 16 games for Carolina this season, respectively, but the Hurricanes reassigned them to Charlotte once their ailing roster began to get healthy.
As they did after training camp, Carolina’s coaches and management sat down with both players to map out what the two young talents need to improve in order to make it back to that level, a practice that seems to be a well-liked aspect of the new regime.
“I had some chances to put some points up but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” said Jordan. “So come back here, play my game, and work on the offensive side of the game.”
Boychuk, the AHL’s reigning goals champ, started his NHL stint strong, putting up a pair of points in his season debut and then recording three points in five games a few weeks later. After that, however, as his playing time decreased, he was held off the score sheet until his final game.
“I felt like it started off really well,” said Boychuk. “I was getting some good ice time playing with Chris Terry and Victor Rask and we were playing well at the beginning of the season. Then some guys came back from injury and we got split up a little bit and my play kind of tailed off. Hopefully being down here will get me back to the level I need to be and get me back up there.”
As a defenseman, Jordan was able to log bigger chunks of ice time, and didn’t feel out of place at the NHL level.
“I think it was good,” said Jordan. “The first couple of games it was obviously a faster pace, but once I got used to it I felt really good. Unfortunately we didn’t get a very good stretch of games.”
As they move back into the Checkers lineup, the biggest adjustment for the two players will be transitioning into different roles. Both Boychuk, who is one shy of tying Terry for the franchise’s all-time goals lead, and Jordan will go from logging small amounts of minutes to being their team’s go-to guys, a change that will take some time, but is welcome.
“It’s different when you’re only playing three or four shifts a period and now all of a sudden you’re doubling that,” said Daniels. “But yeah, their roles will be different. We’re excited to have them and get them to where they need to be.”
“It’s definitely different,” said Boychuk. “Down here you play a lot more minutes and you get power-play time and are out there a lot more. The biggest thing was getting my conditioning up to that level that it needed to be and the first couple of games were a bit of a work in progress and an adjustment.”
“I like to play lots of minutes,” said Jordan. “I try to be on the ice all the time, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Boychuk and Jordan are joining a Checkers team that is coming off one of its most successful road trips, taking five out of a possible eight points from a tough slew of Midwest Division opponents. While it’s mostly the same personnel as when they left the team, the improvement is evident.
“I think this team is really coming along,” said Boychuk. “I haven’t seen the team since the first two games of the season and it was really early with trying to figure out how our team was going to be. We knew we were going to be young and maybe not as skilled as in years past but guys are starting to step up.”
“I think the older guys have done a good job of being patient and sticking with the things that the coaches are saying,” said Jordan, who was named the third team captain in Checkers history at the start of this season. “This is probably the hardest working group I’ve ever been a part of. If we work hard, those bounces will eventually come.”
As we reach the midway point of the AHL season, the Checkers will need to make a strong push in order to have a chance to claw their way back up into contention. Boychuk and Jordan will not only help move the team toward that goal, they will use this time to improve their games and make their way back to their goal of playing in the NHL.
“I’m here to prove that I can always perform well at the minor-league level and I’ve played pretty well at the NHL level too,” said Boychuk. “Wherever they need me at the time, I’m ready to play. I’m out here to have fun with the guys, keep working hard and get better every day.”
“I just need to work on some things and try to get back there,” said Jordan. “The last couple of games the guys have played great and we’ve been winning, so hopefully it stays like that and we can win here down the stretch and win some for the fans.”
