That All-Star break - as quick as it was - was a welcome moment of rest for a Charlotte squad that had been put through a gauntlet of a schedule since the new year.
“If you really look at it closely, our schedule has not been Checkers-friendly,” said head coach Geordie Kinnear. “It’s been a tough schedule. A lot of games, the outdoor game and then we got right back after it on the road with a three-in-three, played Wednesday, came back and played a tough opponent that sat for a week. These four days really helped the guys get recovered and get energy back.”
The heavy slate of games aside, this is typically the part of the schedule where the grind of the pro level really comes to light.
“We have a lot of young players who played - I don’t know how many college games they play, 36?” said Kinnear. “They’re at that limit already. And they work extremely hard and play extremely hard so that takes a toll on them. But it’s good to push through it.”
The buzz of energy coming off their recharged team was noticeable to the coaching staff at today’s practice - one last skate before the Checkers head off to Cleveland for a pair of tilts against the North Division-leading Monsters.
“They came in today and worked their tails off,” said Kinnear. “It gives us some energy back. It was an energized group. They work extremely hard every single day and they value each day. So I’m not surprised that it was a really good day.”
PUSHING THROUGH
The Checkers head into the weekend stuck in their worst slump of the season. They have dropped seven of the last eight contests while scoring two or fewer goals in each of those defeats.Kinnear’s mantra for his team all year has been to keep working hard and you’ll be rewarded. It’s been a frustrating stretch for Charlotte, but in the coaching staff’s eyes the key to getting back on track is sticking to that mindset.
“There’s no other way,” said Kinnear. “It’s not like you have a choice if you want to be successful in life, your career, hockey. You just have to continue to work hard.”
That message is one that has been drilled into the team from day one, and it continues to be the main sticking point for Kinnear. He noted after Saturday’s loss to Providence that the Checkers “don’t have everybody going all the time right now,” and acknowledged that that’s something they need to build towards. For the players that Kinnear is working to develop, battling through this losing streak and coming through on the other side will be a big boost.
“There’s a lot of determined people until it gets hard, then they’re not so determined,” said Kinnear. “True toughness is when you’re able to push through that limit and keep pushing no matter how hard it gets.”
GOALIE GROUP
The Checkers announced Thursday morning that they had recalled Evan Cormier from their ECHL affiliate in Florida.Rather than that move being a response to an injury, it was simply adding to Charlotte’s goalie group - with all three netminders sharing the ice this morning.
“We normally like to carry three goalies,” said Kinnear. “Corms went down and has done his part down there so we want to get him back up here.”
The trio will all be making the trip to Cleveland this weekend, while Mack Guzda continues to work his way back from an injury originally labeled as week-to-week.
“Guzda is longer term than we thought,” said Kinnear. “So these are our three goalies.”
SKOOG STEPS UP
One bright side on the ice for Charlotte as of late has been the play of rookie Wilmer Skoog. The 24-year-old forward has posted 10 points (6g, 4a) in his last 13 games - leading the team in both goals and points since Jan. 7.“I’ve been working hard and playing with really good players who are on top of their game,” said Skoog. “That makes it easy on me to come in and play my game. I think that has helped me a lot.”
Skoog - who inked an AHL deal with Charlotte this past summer after completing a four-year career at Boston University - started the season with the Checkers but only appeared in four games before Christmas while spending time in the ECHL with Florida. He started to put things together with the Everblades, though, and upon his return around Christmas Skoog turned himself into an everyday player for Charlotte.
“He's respected the process,” said Kinnear after the game on Jan. 17. “The first couple of games with me he didn’t get a lot of ice time but he went down, worked hard down there, came up and made the most of his opportunity. He’s just been a really good player for us and does everything right.”
For Skoog, that time in the ECHL helped him set the stage for his success at the AHL level.
“I went there and made sure I was working as hard as I can,” said Skoog. “Working on small things in my game every day to make sure I was ready when I came back here. I got a little taste of what the games were like before I went, which was good to have an idea when I came back. It’s great to be back here.”
The rookie can tell a difference in his game between the start of the year and now, especially as he leans on using his 6-foot-2 frame to his advantage.
“I’ve been playing with a lot more intensity, I’ve been playing harder,” Skoog. “I’ve been stronger on pucks in battles. I can still be even stronger on the puck and win even more battles, but I think that’s been the biggest difference between then and now.”
