Even at the height of the NHL’s lockout, Rask was able to crack the Checkers’ lineup for a 10-game stint and did not look out of place in what was the toughest competition the league has to offer. He registered five points (1g, 4a) in 10 games as the team’s third-line center while accumulating a plus-7 rating that tied for second among AHL rookies at the time.
Rask Profile
- • Has represented Sweden in 12 international competitions, including World Junior Championships in 2012 (gold medal) and 2013 (silver medal)
- • Recorded a four-game point streak at the AHL level from Oct. 21-28 of last season (1g, 4a)
- • Totaled 104 points (47g, 57a) in 101 total games in two seasons with Calgary of the WHL
“We definitely got an idea of what he can do, and there’s a good chance he would have been with us all season if not for the lockout,” said Checkers coach Jeff Daniels, who rotated Rask in and out of the lineup during the season’s first month. “If he’s with us (next season), he’s a guy that we’ll really lean on.”
If that does occur, he should enjoy the biggest role increase of any player who suited up for the team last season. Due to his talent (he could have been a first-round pick in 2011 but instead dropped to the second due to limited playing time in his draft year) and the possibility the Checkers will lose players like Riley Nash, Brett Sutter and Jeremy Welsh to the NHL, he could very well be Charlotte’s new first-line center.
Of course, there’s also the chance he could make the Carolina team himself as a third-line center behind Eric and Jordan Staal, perhaps moving Elias Lindholm, his Swedish teammate from last season’s World Junior Championship, to the wing. Based on his showing at the Hurricanes’ recent development camp, where he showed signs of augmenting his skills with increased strength on the puck, it’s something that could indeed occur.
“I’m just going to work hard this summer, give it my best and see what happens,” said Rask.
That’s a similar statement to the one given prior to last season, when he attended Checkers training camp with no clear idea of where he would play the rest of the campaign. As a player drafted from a European league, he was not subject to the age restrictions applied to players selected from Canadian juniors, making him an AHL candidate at age 19.
Though returning to Calgary may have always been the most likely development, Rask said that he was hoping to stick with the Checkers.
“I kind of expected it (going back to junior), but you always want to play at the highest level you can,” he said.
If nothing else, the experience gave him some confidence. Based on the numbers, he only seemed to get more dominant as the season went along, scoring at least one point in each of last 17 games played (7g, 17a). That streak included 11 playoff games, the longest postseason streak of any WHL player, as the Hitmen fell to Keegan Lowe’s Edmonton Oil Kings in the third round.
“It’s so much harder in the AHL than the WHL,” said Rask. “That really prepared me and made me stronger.”
Rask nearly got a second chance in the AHL last season, but, due to the length of Calgary's playoff run, only made it to Charlotte just in time for the Checkers' season-ending, Game 5 loss to Oklahoma City.
Would he have made an appearance in the postseason if Charlotte had won that game and advanced? Daniels said that he couldn't be sure of it at the time, but that he would have been a nice option to have if the opportunity presented himself.
If Daniels ends up with Rask next season, there shouldn't be much of a decision to make.
