The amount of turnover on a roster comes with the territory of being in the AHL, but the thinness of the Checkers’ lineup has certainly had an effect on the team as a whole. Over the course of the first half of the season, five different ECHL players have been brought on via professional tryout contracts, which is good for 25 games, at which point they would either have to sign another PTO, as Andrew Rowe did this morning, or an AHL contract in order to stay with the team.
Most of the PTOs used this year by Charlotte have been for quick fixes in the lineup, as was the case with Mike Aviani (two games), Kyle Jean (eight games), Mike Little (four games) and Gabriel Desjardins (12 games) who has been brought on three separate times.
While those instances of PTOs have been shorter-term, the Checkers have had two such contracts result in more long-term solutions. A.J. Jenks, who spent parts of each of the last three seasons with the Checkers, was brought on toward the end of October, where he became a fixture in the lineup, bringing his physical style of play to a team that was very thin at the center position. When Jenks reached the 25 game limit, the two sides parted ways, something we touched on last week.
The other instance has been with Rowe, who was signed at the beginning of November, shortly after Jenks was brought on. Rowe too became a fixture in the lineup, finishing his 25 games this past Sunday against Texas. With the team still short on bodies, Rowe agreed to a second PTO to remain with the Checkers.
“He has some experience and he’s earned that second PTO,” said head coach Jeff Daniels. “There’s that comfort level where we know what to expect from him instead of bringing another guy in and going through that whole process again. He’s earned the opportunity.”
Rowe has proved that he is an elite scorer at the ECHL level, averaging over a point per game in each of his last two seasons, but has yet to find that scoring touch with Charlotte. Even so, the 26-year-old has stuck in the lineup, consistently turning in solid performances in other aspects, including recently filling in at center.
“He has a skill element to his game,” said Daniels. “It hasn’t translated to the score sheet, but the chances are coming more and more now and it’s just a matter of him finishing off some of those chances. It’s a good fit right now.”
On top of those PTOs, the Checkers have turned to recalls to help plug the holes in their decimated roster. Alex Aleardi and Austin Levi have both been brought up from the Florida Everblades of the ECHL following the holiday break.
“He went down to Florida to get his confidence and work on his game and based on the one game back up I thought he was really good.”
The Checkers recalled Levi, who spent 10 games with in the AHL with Charlotte during his rookie campaign last season, on New Year’s Eve following the loss of Ryan Murphy to the NHL. With very little experience at this level under his belt, Daniels stressed the need for Levi to play to his strengths.
“Just keeping it simple,” said Daniels. “He’s not a guy who you’re going to notice a whole lot, in the sense of going in with the puck or beating guys or getting a lot of points on the score sheet. He’s a guy that just needs to keep his game simple and move the puck and as coaches, we’ll notice that.”
The patchwork lineup will need to continue perform in order for the Checkers to claw their way back up the standings, but as we saw in Sunday’s win, the talent is there.
Some other news and notes from this week:
INJURY PATIENCE
A common theme this season for the Checkers has been unfortunate injuries that have kept players out for long stretches. Brody Sutter was poised to see big minutes at center before suffering a lower-body injury in November and missing the next 22 games and counting. Beau Schimtz, who was beginning to see more and more ice time, had the same sort of setback and has missed the last 12 contests, while Greg Nemisz, who was enjoying a career year, hurt his knee and was ruled out for the season.The length of time that these injuries have kept key players out of the lineup has certainly hurt the Checkers in the long run, but the importance of not rushing back and fully healing is something bigger than that. Inserting a player that isn’t completely ready back into the lineup can create more problems down the road.
“We just want to make sure that when the guys get back in the lineup they stay, as opposed to ‘He’s okay but is one game going to lead to another two weeks out of the lineup?’” said Daniels. “We have to be smart about it.”
Another instance of an ill-timed injury was Patrick Brown, who, after beginning his rookie season by appearing in seven games in the NHL with the Hurricanes, hurt his hand in his fifth game with the Checkers, forcing him out of the next 11 contests. With it being a hand injury, Brown was still able to skate and workout to keep his conditioning up, but after missing that many games that early in your first season, returning at 100 percent required more than just being physically good to go.
“You just have to make sure that they’re conditionally ready to play, but from the players themselves it’s if they’re mentally ready to play,” said Daniels. “They can’t ease into the game. They have to feel good about whatever injury they’re coming back from and that they’re strong and ready to play.”
The good news for the Checkers is that some of those health issues are improving. Brown came back from his injury and began contributing more and more as the time passed, including recording his first pro goal Sunday against Texas, while Sutter has been participating in practice with a yellow “no contact” jersey and could be close to making his way back into the lineup. With all the roster moves that the team has endured during this half of the season, he would be a welcome addition.
DI GIUSEPPE HEATING UP
Di Giuseppe, a Carolina second-round draft pick in 2012, comes into his rookie season after three years at the University of Michigan. Entering pro hockey can be a tough transition, especially coming from college, where the season is only a fraction of what the AHL (or even juniors) play. Daniels credits settling in to the professional game as one of the factors that has led to Di Giuseppe upping his play on the ice.
“It’s confidence,” said Daniels. “It’s a big step coming in from college or junior and learning the pro game and the lifestyle on and off the ice and training to be a pro. The last couple weeks, the way he’s competed is the biggest thing for him.”
Watching the Toronto native at practice, it’s easy to see the potential that Di Giuseppe possesses. He arguably has some of the best hands on the team, as well as a quick release on a nice shot. But despite the talent, he struggled to find that offensive touch at the beginning of the season, registering just three goals and 10 points in his first 28 games. But recently, something clicked and Di Giuseppe finally broke through, rattling off a three-game goal streak that has given him four points in his last six games.
“He’s using his speed, he’s using his protection of the puck, he’s taking the puck to the net and he’s scoring goals,” said Daniels. “Now it’s just his compete and going to those tough areas and being strong on the puck. It’s just about getting his feet wet and finding his game. Some guys take some time.”
From day one, Daniels has maintained that this team would employ a grind-it-out style of play and get their goals by getting their noses dirty. Di Giuseppe naturally doesn’t seem to fit that mold, but rather than have him alter his style of play, Daniels mapped out to the young forward what he needs to do to translate that skill onto the score sheet.
“I don’t want to change his game,” said Daniels. “He is who he is. But we talked about how he can’t be a perimeter player, he has to go to the net and use that skill. Can’t just stay on the outside. It looks good, but eventually you have to go to those tough areas.”
As we saw in Sunday’s huge 5-2 win over the defending Calder Cup champs, the Checkers have offensive talent and when they’re able to get that firepower going, they can skate with any team in the league. If Di Giuseppe is able to keep his hot streak going, that could be an integral part of the team turning their season around.
“Whatever that shift presents him with, he has to make that shift great,” said Daniels. “Phil is tracking in the right direction and we’ve been happy with his play.”
