The team looks to be close to regaining some of those bodies soon, however. Danny Biega and Tyler Ganly have both been full participants in practice this week, while Keegan Lowe joined today’s skate in a yellow no-contact jersey. Rasmus Rissanen, the most recently hurt defensemen, has yet to start skating again. So it looks as if there is progress being made, though there is still no time table for anyone’s return to game action.
While missing some of your top defensemen and having to scramble to field a full slate of blue liners has created some challenges for the team, it has also paved the way for some young talent to rise to the occasion and showcase their skills in dire circumstances.
JUSTIN AGOSTA
The first such player called upon was rookie Justin Agosta. The Checkers recalled Agosta from Florida after their home opener to make his AHL debut the next day, making for a quick turnaround. “I was in Orlando Saturday night when they told me,” said Agosta. “I left at 4 in the morning and landed here at 11 and then played that night. It was almost nice to play like that for your first game so you don’t have a whole day to think about it.”Making your AHL debut on short notice is a big enough step for a rookie, but Agosta’s situation took another turn when Tyler Ganly suffered an injury during warmups, leaving the Checkers with just five available defensemen, including Agosta. Even with a larger chunk of ice time thrown his way last minute, Agosta held his own and helped the team to their first home win of the season. “Justin Agosta came in and did a fabulous job for us on the back end,” said head coach Mark Morris following the Nov. 8 game.
Agosta was able to ease his transition to the pro game by starting his season in the ECHL with Florida, where he thrived, leading all rookie defensemen in scoring at the time of his recall. That little bit of experience did wonders for Agosta and likely helped him slide into the Checkers’ lineup more seamlessly than if he had been sitting as a healthy extra to start the season.
“It’s a really great group of defensemen here and based on contracts and skills I most likely wasn’t going to start the season here,” said Agosta. “So going down to Florida I was given every opportunity I needed. At the beginning of every season you want to play games. I hadn’t played a game since March, so to come to Charlotte now with games under my belt was great. Florida implements a lot of the same stuff they do here, so learning that there and then coming here I didn’t feel out of place.”
Assistant coach Geordie Kinnear saw Agosta’s ECHL experience serving as a strong mental boost for the rookie as well.
“Whenever you go out and play games, you’re in charge of your confidence,” said Kinnear, who is in charge of the defense. “If you go out and play well, you earn your confidence. He was playing very well down there and it translated here in his very first game. Whenever you can play hockey games and work hard and get confidence under your belt, it’s great for your career.”
MIKE CORNELL
Another benefactor of the thin lineup has been Mike Cornell, who joined the team on a professional tryout contract last week and made his season debut against Milwaukee. Cornell should be familiar to fans, as he spent 18 games with the Checkers last season, netting five points and racking up a staggering 76 penalty minutes. That stint was enough to convince the team to again turn to the 27-year-old to help fill in their blue line.“We had Cornell last year and he showed that he plays the game the right way,” said Kinnear. “He plays with a lot of courage, he plays a physical game and he moves the puck well. That opportunity he had last year created another opportunity this year, so credit to him. I thought he made the most of it.”
That little bit of familiarity seemed to go a long way in terms of allowing to Cornell to get up to speed with the team quickly.
“It makes things a lot easier when you go to a team where you know some guys and the systems and the coaches and what they expect of you,” said Cornell. “I was here for a while and I really loved the city, the fans, the guys and the whole organization was a treat to play for.”
The third-year pro certainly wasted no time making an impact this go-round, potting two goals in his first appearance.
“Cornell did a fabulous job of stepping in and generating some offense from the point,” said Morris after the game.
As is the nature of a PTO, Cornell’s future with the team is on a day-to-day basis, but he will continue to produce as long as he’s called upon.
“It’s just next man in and you kind of roll with the punches,” said Cornell.
“They’re both students of the game and they’re learning fast,” said Kinnear of Cornell and Agosta. “It’s another opportunity for them if they get in this weekend.”
TREVOR CARRICK & JACCOB SLAVIN
While players like Agosta and Cornell have been thrust onto a new team, players already on the roster have also taken on bigger roles, perhaps none more so than Trevor Carrick and Jaccob Slavin. The pair of young blue liners have been elevated to what has essentially been the top pairing and have thrived despite having just one season of pro experience between them.“Our workhorses have been Carrick and Slavin,” said Morris following this weekend’s games. “They are playing a ton. They’re almost playing 30 minutes a night.”
That’s a big step up in terms of playing time and responsibility, but it shows just how much the coaching staff trusts the duo, and they have handled themselves well in the spotlight.
“You may get a little more tired, but their brains didn’t shut off, they still thought the game very well and played at a high level,” said Kinnear. “That’s important because sometimes your legs aren’t going to be there but you still have to have that mental pace to play at a high level. They both did that and I’m more than happy with them.”
KYLE HAGEL
The last few games have seen all these defensemen step up and add things to their plate to help compensate for injuries, but it was a forward who made the biggest jump.Kyle Hagel, who has embraced his role as a fourth-line grinder, filled in as the sixth defenseman on Saturday, logging significant minutes on the blue line. It had been a while, but Hagel’s past work helped him slide into the spot a bit easier.
“I haven’t played D since college,” said Hagel. “I played all my juniors as a defenseman and my first year of college as a d-man, and then my coach at Princeton made me into a forward. I felt comfortable back there just going back to my roots a little bit. It felt natural.”
Hagel, who nearly every player on the roster has pointed to as one of the biggest leaders in the locker room, stepped up when called upon to help his team out in a time of need.
“Just with so many injuries this week I filled in at practice and when Riss went down last night there was another hole that opened up,” said Hagel after the game. “I’m happy to jump in and fill it and play whatever minutes we need to try and win.”
The team relied more so on their five defensemen, not using Hagel on every shift, but when he was on the ice he played the role well and impressed the coaches.
“He played his rear end off,” said Morris following the game. “He did. He played great. He was as good as anyone back there. He’s a warrior. He did a great job for us.”
Ideally the team wouldn’t need Hagel in that spot anymore going forward, as players return to full health, but Hagel showed that he is willing to do what needs to be done when called upon.
