The Checkers are slated to kick off their 2018 Calder Cup run with a first-round matchup against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. To prepare for the impending series, here’s quick primer on who the Checkers are going up against.
SEASON SERIES
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton may have finished ahead of Charlotte in the Atlantic Division standings by a narrow three-point margin, but the Checkers got the best of the Penguins in the head-to-head series, taking three of the four contests.
Oct. 7 - Checkers 5 @ Penguins 2
The Checkers visited Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for their second game of the season and used their special teams to blow by the Penguins. Part of Warren Foegele’s four-goal weekend that kicked off his pro career, the rookie notched back-to-back shorthanded tallies as part of four unanswered goals that helped the visitors erase a Penguin’s lead they held late in the second period. Making his first start in a Checkers sweater, Jeremy Smith stopped 28 shots to pick up his first win.
Dec. 8 - Checkers 2 @ Penguins 1
The two clubs’ next meeting was a low-scoring affair marred by 17 total power plays and a combined 70 penalty minutes. Andrew Miller and Andrew Poturalski combined for goals just minutes apart in the second to give Charlotte a lead that, despite an early power-play tally from Daniel Sprong in the third, would survive to the end of regulation. The contest again featured Smith between the pipes and the veteran again turned in a strong performance, stopping 22 of the 23 shots he saw.
Mar. 13 - Penguins 5 @ Checkers 2
The series finally shifted to Charlotte months later and the Penguins were able to break through. After Valentin Zykov opened the scoring for the Checkers, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pumped in four unanswered markers of their own before the second buzzer take a commanding lead that they would not relinquish. The contest marked the last regulation loss that netminder Alex Nedeljkovic would take for the remainder of the regular season.
Mar. 14 - Penguins 1 @ Checkers 3
The next night’s rematch saw the Checkers take charge thanks to a familiar face for the Penguins. Greg McKegg, who was dealt from Pittsburgh to Carolina at the NHL trade deadline just weeks before, lit the lamp twice for his new club which, along with a tally from Julien Gauthier, was enough to put the visitors away. The Checkers held the Pens to just 18 shots on goal throughout the game, with Nedeljkovic turning aside 17 to clinch the season series for Charlotte.
FIVE TO WATCH
DANIEL SPRONG (65gp, 32g/33a/65pts, +4, 28 PIM)
The Penguins’ offensive attack, which finished the season ranked fifth in the AHL, has been largely spearheaded by the strong play of rookie Sprong. The 21-year-old native of the Netherlands used a strong push of 11 goals in his last 15 games to lead all rookies and pull within one of Valentin Zykov’s league-best 33.
TOM KOSTOPOULOS (31gp, 5g/14a/19pts, -1, 31 PIM)
The Penguins captain has been around for a long time – he made his pro debut for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 12, 1999, when current Checkers rookie Janne Kuokkanen was a year old – logging over 700 games in the AHL to go along with over 600 NHL during the course of his 19-year career. Tom Kostopoulos recently announced his decision to hang up his skates following this season, becoming the emotional motor for a Penguins team trying to send the veteran out with a bang. Although hampered by injuries this season, the 39-year-old is only a year removed from a 54-point campaign.
JEAN-SEBASTIEN DEA (70gp, 18g/32a/50pts, +20, 69 PIM)
Jean-Sebastien Dea reached new heights in his fourth pro season, notching a career with 50 points. The Quebec-born 24-year-old impressed enough this season to get five games with Pittsburgh, leading the NHL Pens head coach Mike Sullivan to call Dea
“a guy that can really skate and he can shoot the puck – he can score.”
D KEVIN CZUCZMAN (71 gp, 4g/31a/35pts, +15, 48 PIM)
A familiar foe to the Checkers last season as a member of the Manitoba Moose, Kevin Czuczman posted a career year in his first campaign with the Penguins. The 27-year-old led team defensemen in scoring during the season, and at six-foot-three can provide a strong presence on the WBS blue line.
G TRISTAN JARRY (16gp, 9-5-0, 3.05 GAA, .901 SV%)
While his numbers in the AHL haven’t been spectacular this season, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton boasts a talented number one option between the pipes in Tristan Jarry. The 22-year-old spent the majority of his third pro season in the NHL, logging 26 games with Pittsburgh and registering 14 wins and a 2.77 goals-against average. Last season, Jarry combined with Casey DeSmith to capture the Hap Holmes Memorial Award for surrendering the fewest goals per game in the AHL. With DeSmith serving as Pittsburgh’s backup for this year’s Stanley Cup run, Jarry has the reins in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while former Checker Michael Leighton completes the AHL Pens’ tandem in net.
