Ending an unusually quiet period in terms of transactions between Charlotte and Carolina, defenseman Michal Jordan is returning to the NHL.
With recent AHL All-Star Ryan Murphy out four weeks with a leg injury and Ron Hainsey missing Friday’s practice due to illness, the Checkers captain will join the Hurricanes for Saturday’s game in Minnesota. Jordan has split the season between Charlotte (29 games) and Carolina (16), having only recently returned to the Checkers following a two-month NHL stint ending Jan. 8.
“We’re excited for him – we’re always excited when guys get a chance,” coach Jeff Daniels said of Jordan, who did not participate in Friday’s Checkers practice. “He came down with a lot of confidence with the way he was handling the puck, taking that extra second to make a play and his patience at the blue line. He’s been a good player for us, and that’s a big reason why he’s going back up.”
Jordan, 24, has already reached his career high in terms of most NHL games in a single season, having totaled just five over his four previous professional campaigns. He has yet to record his first NHL point. Other than Murphy, he is the only defenseman that the Hurricanes have recalled since April of 2013 (Brett Bellemore).
The transaction is just the second the Checkers have made during the month of February and the first involving the Hurricanes.
The move, which leaves the Checkers with six healthy defensemen, comes at something of a good time as the team finds itself in its only week of the season with no games on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. However, they do return to play three home games in four days starting Monday.
The Checkers will again be looking to take advantage of home ice, having earned their usual split in a two-game series in Lake Erie earlier this week. That started with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday before the Monsters answered back with a 3-2 win on Thursday.
“I thought we played real well on Tuesday night – one of our better games,” said Daniels. “We were skating, moving the puck, making plays and got a win. The next night I thought we were good for the first half of the game but kind of got sloppy and couldn’t get that third goal. They kept coming and got us back on our heels and we couldn’t recover.”
Due to a lack of available ice this weekend, the Checkers will not skate until Monday morning to prepare for that night’s game against the Norfolk Admirals. Forward Brendan Woods, out since before the All-Star break, could be ready to join them after being cleared for contact and practicing fully on Friday.
