The slate of on-ice sessions - which included a pair of intra-squad scrimmages over the weekend - have been marked by a buzz of high energy and a noticeably fast tempo carried on from the preceding Panthers training camp.
“It was a hard camp in Florida,” said Kinnear. “But the guys came down with the right attitude and went right back to work. That’s what we’re built on - outworking, outskating teams. I’m proud of the guys for doing that.”
As it stands, Charlotte is still sporting an outsized training camp roster that features 23 forwards and 14 defensemen.
With so many bodies on the ice, the coaching staff has leaned on the contingent of returning players to set the tone.
“It’s about the environment and how we carry ourselves and how we do things around here,” said Kinnear. “We play a little bit different and that takes a little bit of an adjustment. So those guys can lead by example and kind of explain.”
Working toward getting the group of new faces all on board with Charlotte’s specific style of play has been a key task over this year’s training camp.
“It’s hard work but it’s a lot of fun to play that way,” said Kinnear. “That definitely helps the buy-in with guys from other organizations. That’ll take some time. Chemistry is a big part of how we play. That’s going to take time.”
With the Panthers close to setting their group for their season opener on Tuesday, the next step for the Checkers is a tough one - cutting down their own roster.
“When guys work hard and do as you ask, it’s always hard to send them down,” said Kinnear. “But that’s part of life and part of the struggle. But if you really look at it, those moments are the ones that eventually lead to success later on if you take it the right way. It’s all part of the process for me.”
Those players who end up headed for Savannah don’t have to look back far for some positive examples of how things can change as the season progresses - last saeson Ben Steeves was sent to the Ghost Pirates to start but was quickly brought back to Charlotte and carved out a big role for the rest of the season, Riese Gaber started strong in the ECHL before earning a spot in Charlotte and players like Riley Hughes, Dennis Cesana and Nicholas Zabaneh all spent significant time with the Ghost Pirates throughout the season while also contributing for the Checkers.
“I had to make some tough decisions last year,” said Kinnear. “They went down there with great attitudes - they weren’t happy about it, competitive people would not be happy about it and I wouldn’t expect them to - but they went down with the right attitude, got to work and then ended up coming back and being major contributors to our run last year. That’s the environment part of it.”
With so much of the roster still in flux, it’s almost hard to comprehend the fact that the Checkers are set to begin their season this coming weekend with a road trip through Springfield and Providence.
Those contests represent the start of a highly anticipated regular season for Charlotte, but also a continuation of the hard work that has driven this training camp.
“You want to be very careful as a coach that you don’t get ahead of yourself,” said Kinnear. “We have those two games and there will be opportunities for players to play in those games and continue to earn ice time and roles. We just don’t have the ability here to have exhibition games, so those aren’t always easy games to play. You look back to last year in Wilkes-Barre, it was 7-6 and I saw zero structure. Lots of highs and lows to the game but the guys stuck with it and then the next night the guys made some adjustments and ended up winning. It’s just part of the process. We have to get it started, but it’s not like we’re putting hyper-focus on winning the hockey game. We need to have a good starting point and build off of that.”
