During the season, Checkers broadcaster Jason Shaya checks in each week with his 10 Thoughts - a series of observations about the team and the hockey world in general.
1. Senior VP of Hockey Ops for Charlotte Derek Wilkinson informed me this morning that Gregg McKegg is on a standard recall which means in order for McKegg to come back to Charlotte, he has to go through waivers.
2. I did an interview with Bobby Sanguinetti this week. We talked about how when he left the team six years ago, he wasn't married and didn't have children. He made the point that when he sees the younger guys in the room, he wants them to enjoy the time they have to focus on hockey and their careers because life goes by very quickly.
3. If there ends up being an available spot open in the AHL All Star Game, shouldn't Andrew Poturalski be considered? Poturalski, having a career season, is third in league scoring and he's on pace to smash his previous career high. Goals and assists aside, this is the best hockey he's played in his career and he helps carry the team every single night.
4. The Bradley Center, now demolished, was the longtime home of the Milwaukee Admirals. There was a man who worked there that would go absolutely bonkers if I asked to get into the broadcast area before games. He tried very hard to protect his little space in the arena and would scream at anyone who wanted access. Now, the entire arena is rumble. I wonder how he sleeps at night knowing that.
5. Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster John Forslund recently received the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year award. In the NHL, there are maybe one or two guys who are at his level... maybe. Having said that, I can't believe I've lost that award for 12 consecutive years. I'm actually fine with it...unless there is a cash prize. Then, I'm not ok. Congrats to John, one of the classiest and most decent people I've ever met in this industry. He recently called four games in four days. To a broadcaster, I find that most impressive.
6. There is never an easy night for Charlotte. Every single team circles the Checkers on their calendar and decides to make a point of trying to beat the team with the best record. The two games against Toronto, the defending champs, were real playoff-like battles. I'd expect that to happen again this weekend. Neither one of these teams wants to lose to the other. The Marlies will always be taken seriously with the absolutely superb coaching of Sheldon Keefe, whose team battled their way to a championship a season ago. Tough to do with that team salary!
7. People ask me a lot if Alex Nedeljkovic is an NHL goalie. There is only one way to find out; he needs to play in NHL games. Alex was recalled this week and will play in a game coming up soon, perhaps on the Hurricanes' Western Canada swing. The bigger the moment, the better Alex plays so I don't have any doubt that he is as ready now as he's ever been in his career. You don't lead the AHL in wins at this point in the season by accident. You do that because you're a winner, and as I've said many times before, winners win.
8. The Hurricanes made a great move trading for goal scorer Nino Niederreiter in exchange for Victor Rask. Niederreiter will fit in on the power-play as well and I wouldn't be surprised at all if his impact is felt immediately. As far as Rask, we had him here his rookie season and there haven't been many kids that displayed the kind of talent he did so early in their career. Victor is a fantastic kid and I think going to play for Minnesota will be the kind of jumpstart he needs. Losing the first few months of the season to injury makes if quite difficult to get up to speed but I believe he will get there and be an excellent addition to the Wild.
9. Jake Bean has the most points amongst rookie defenseman in the league. With six points in his last seven games, you can tell he's growing more confident with each game. His progress is moving at a seemingly exponential rate. Imagine what he will be playing like after a summer of training and one year of pro hockey under his belt.
10. Speaking of defensemen, in my estimation there is little doubt that Haydn Fleury is well suited to be an NHL defenseman right now. The most underappreciated aspect of his game is that he's tough to play against. He uses his size and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He's a smart kid and loves being around the game. You can't have too many guys like him around.
Pre-game show tomorrow night at 5:45pm. Join us on the Checkers app, ESPN Live Stream and AHLTV.
