“We obviously always want to win, but it’s the process and how we played individually and collectively,” said head coach Geordie Kinnear. “Guys took a step and I thought we took a step as a team.”
That process yielded a pair of convincing wins over the Iowa Wild - first with a 6-2 victory in which six different skaters had multi-point outings, then with a stifling 4-1 triumph in the rematch.
“You look at the identity you want, we kind of saw it the second game especially,” said Kinnear. “First night, a lot of practice on the PK, took a lot of penalties. But there was a lot of good stuff in that game too. Real building block for the second game.”
A key part of that identity on display in Saturday’s win was Charlotte putting the clamps on Iowa and allowing just 12 shots on goal - a mark that matched a franchise record.
That shot suppression has been the Checkers’ bread and butter over the last few seasons, and while it produces the most eye-catching stats, it’s how it fits into the team’s overall game that really drives Charlotte.
“I look at the shots and the chances against because it kind of gives you a feel if we’re on our game or not,” said Kinnear. “The thing I think we learned last year is you have to be good in whatever game you’re playing. You can’t just be focused on the shots. But it definitely is indicative of how we want to play as a group. I saw some positive signs.”
With limited time together as a complete unit heading into the regular season, Kinnear is using these early games as a blueprint for his team going forward.
“I think the real important part is some of the guys that haven’t been here are kind of seeing, when you play with structure and compete, the results take care of themselves,” he said.
FOUR-LINE EFFORT
As he is instilling a dedication to the process within his squad, Kinnear is also taking this first chunk of the season to find chemistry among his lineup.“We watch in practice and we talk about it quite a bit,” said Kinnear. “You look for little plays in the game where it’s like they’re trusting their instincts and reading off each other. You start to see it a little bit. I’m still trying to find it with other guys, but you definitely saw some chemistry within the game.”
The good news for the coaching staff is that they have plenty of options at their disposal, with 18 forwards currently sitting on their roster. That depth is evident looking at the lineup each night. In Friday night’s win, for example, Charlotte’s fourth line of Wilmer Skoog, Kai Schwindt and Gracyn Sawchyn each lit the lamp while two of them notched multi-point efforts.
For Charlotte, that’s all part of the plan.
“It’s just how we play,” said Kinnear. “I know everyone talks about the ‘fourth line’ - on the board it’s the fourth line but we try to really spread the minutes out so we can play the right way and we’re not riding guys too heavy. We like to play four lines, I want to be able to trust four lines. I like to start that way, but it’s up to the whole group to make sure we can play four lines.”
With so many pieces remaining on the roster, the Checkers are continuing to work toward their best iteration.
It’s early,” said Kinnear. “This is a process that we have to work at as a group. I have to work with those guys on finding that right chemistry. We’re a four-line team so we need all four lines contributing and having a positive impact on the game.”
STEEVES STEPS IN
An early bright spot for Charlotte has been Ben Steeves. As a rookie last season, he was sporadically used to start - appearing in four of Charlotte’s first 12 games - before carving out an everyday role and finishing with 10 goals and 28 points over 60 games.For year two, Steeves has come out of the gates firing. The 23-year-old has lit the lamp in each of Charlotte’s first four games - marking the longest goal streak to start a season in franchise history - and currently is tied for second in the AHL with his four markers.
“I talked to the group early on about reasonable expectations and that we want guys to take a step for their second year,” said Kinnear. “He put the work in and you can see that he’s had a good start to the year.”
“I think it’s just carrying over from playoffs,” said Steeves. “Moving the feet, playing high-pace hockey. I think we have a little bit of chemistry as a team as well.”
Steeves built his game up throughout last season, culminating in a postseason that saw him tie for fifth on the team in postseason goals during Charlotte’s run to the Calder Cup Finals. With this start, it’s evident that that trajectory didn’t change over the offseason.
“You look at the work he put in this summer - a short summer too,” said Kinnear. “After your first year you can be content or complacent, but he was none of the above.”
“I like to win and be a winner,” said Steeves. “That’s what motivates me.”
Charlotte’s power play has been lights out to start the season, and a key part of that has been contributions from Steeves - who scored on the man advantage in each of the first two games.
“I think there’s opportunity,” he said. “Last year John Leonard was a 30-plus goal scorer and he was in that power-play spot and scored a lot of goals. Losing him obviously means there’s an opportunity for other guys to step in. Especially on the power play, being able to shoot and score is a big thing.”
Next up for the young forward is keeping that momentum rolling forward.
“But again, we’re looking for people who are consistent through the whole year,” said Kinnear, “It’s not easy to do. We want him to take another step in that department so there’s no drop.”
INJURY UPDATES
The Checkers picked up a pair of wins over the Wild but they didn’t quite escape unscathed.Trevor Carrick exited Friday’s contest after taking an awkward hit into the boards and was out for the following night’s rematch. The Checkers captain didn’t participate in practice early this week but was out on the ice with a small group afterward.
“We want to be careful with those types of injuries,” said Kinnear. “Part of his assets is shooting the puck so we want to make sure he’s 100 percent healthy so he can contribute with what he needs to.”
Ludvig Jansson was also banged up during Friday’s win and did not play on Saturday, but has been on the ice this week.
“Same thing, one of his assets is that he can really skate, so we just want to make sure that those guys are able to play at 100 percent. “We don’t want any long-term injuries, so we want to make sure we’re taking care of those guys. He’s a day-by-day.”
Eamon Powell also suffered an injury on Friday, getting hit up high by a puck.
“He’s going to be a little bit longer,” said Kinnear. “Tough kid for sure, took a puck right into the face. He’s getting looked at today but we’re hoping for the best with regards to the news. Tough kid, got off the ice on his own. He’ll be more week-to-week.”
With a trio of blows to the blue line already, the Checkers are getting an early test for the their next-man-up mentality.
“It’s part of the game and part of our identity,” said Kinnear. “We have a lot of guys that need to go in and play and contribute. We don’t miss a beat usually when guys go down and that was the case this weekend.”
