Michal Jordan’s conditioning stint with Charlotte has come to an end as the Carolina Hurricanes officially recalled him on Monday.
The Checkers certainly enjoyed his presence over the last four games, as Jordan, who was playing his first games at any level in nearly a month, scored three goals to help lead the Checkers to a 3-0-1 record during that time. That total eclipses his total of two goals from 30 AHL games the previous season.
“Ever since Michal Jordan showed up, he seems to have put us in a good frame of mind,” Checkers coach Mark Morris said after Saturday’s win over Lake Erie. “He’s a steady influence on our team and he helps to keep people playing the minutes that they normally would play. I think that he’s a steady-handed guy that nine times out of 10 is making the right play, and that certainly settles things down for us. Our breakouts are good, our defense is a lot better and it’s almost like having a coach on the ice.”
During his conditioning stint, Jordan also became the second to appear in 300 games as a Checker, passing Hurricanes teammate Chris Terry for second on the franchise’s all-time list. Zach Boychuk, who became the first to hit the 300 mark just last month, ranks first with 309 and counting. Jordan also became one of three players (Boychuk and Rasmus Rissanen) to play at least one game in all six of the Checkers’ AHL seasons.
Jordan, who is on a one-way contract with Carolina for the remainder of the campaign, has played in 10 NHL games this season. The move leaves the Checkers with seven healthy defensemen heading into their holiday break that concludes with a game in San Jose on Dec. 28.
