Few hockey players have as interesting of an overall skill set as Hagel, a 29-year-old veteran who signed an AHL contract with the Checkers over the summer. Aside from the 25 points and 635 penalty minutes he’s posted in 201 career AHL games, the Princeton alum has co-founded the Shnarped hockey app and the Hockey Players 4 Kids organization and has received four Man of the Year community awards from four different AHL teams.
In hockey, the toughest, grittiest, most intimidating players on the ice are often the nicest people off it. Not only does Hagel continue that trend, he may be its best example.
“I have tons of time to spend with my teammates, going to lunch, getting to know them, hanging out and things like that, but for a couple hours a week I enjoy hanging out with kids and doing stuff in the community,” said Hagel, who is on the ice with the Checkers as they undergo their first week of training camp. “Sometimes it’s a really refreshing way to spend a Monday or Tuesday afternoon instead of lounging around and not doing much.”
On the business side, he and co-founder Dustin Sproat, a former teammate at Princeton, were able to secure significant funding for Shnarped during an appearance on the TV show "Dragons’ Den," the Canadian equivalent to "Shark Tank" in the U.S. Even prior to signing for the Checkers, Hagel the executive reached out to the team to create a verified presence.
Those endeavors and a 76-game schedule might seem like a lot to handle, but Hagel doesn’t seem fazed.
“I definitely pay attention to hockey first but the best part about our career is that we’ve got tons of free time,” he said. “In that free time I just try to stay busy, whether it’s with Shnarped, being in the community or other stuff that I find really interesting. I think it’s fun trying to grow and start a business and the community stuff is really rewarding. I don’t find it hard to balance.”
In bringing on players that have been known to drop the gloves from time to time, Checkers coach Jeff Daniels often speaks of making sure that they can be also effective in other ways. It’s part of what drew him to Justin Soryal, the closest thing the Checkers had to a true enforcer from 2011-13, while fighting was just a small part of what last season’s 100-penalty-minute men, Nicolas Blanchard and Matt Corrente, brought to the table.
“I fight a lot but I’m not a two-minute-a-night player,” said Hagel, who topped out at 245 penalty minutes with Rockford during the 2010-11 season. “I can play a role and contribute on the penalty kill and give you responsible, bottom-six minutes. That’s the way that I see myself first and foremost, but sticking up for teammates is something that I love doing and don’t have a problem doing. It’s a big part of my game but not my whole game.”
“Just watching him, he skates well, he can get in on the forecheck and he wants to be physical,” said Daniels. “He shows that he can make plays out here and he wants to shoot the puck and go to the net. I’ve been real happy with him.”
At one point, Hagel assumed he was going back to the AHL’s Portland Pirates, where he played all of last season. Did Peters going to Carolina have something to do with that change?
“One hundred percent,” said Hagel. “He was an awesome coach for me in Rockford, and the way he runs his practices and the way he pays attention to detail are similar to the way that I approach the game. We had a great working relationship there, and once I saw he got the job that definitely piqued my interest and made this the place I wanted to come to.”
For as many places as Hagel has played, Peters was the only person he knew when Hurricanes camp began two weeks ago. Fortunately, getting used to a new situation is a familiar challenge. So much so that former teammates who find themselves in that situation know to call him for advice.
“Go out for dinner with as many guys as you can and try to inject yourself into different groups,” said Hagel of that advice. “You don’t want to end up hanging out with two or three guys the whole time and not get to know anyone. Don’t be afraid to get into the locker room, mix in with the vets and mix in with the young guys. Hang out with them after practice and before when you’re warming up. Before you know it, you’re completely immersed in a new team.”
With as much turnover as the Checkers face this summer in terms of veteran players moving elsewhere, Hagel could be crucial to bringing a young group together. Along with fellow newcomer Ben Holmstrom, a tough customer himself, Daniels mentioned Hagel as an expected leader on this year’s team, whether that’s in an official captain’s role or not.
If so, it would just be another title among his already impressive collection.
