If April is anywhere near as successful as a record-setting March in which they won 12 of 16 games, including each of their last four, the Checkers should be just fine as they aim to protect the eighth seed in the Western Conference and perhaps even climb a few spots higher. This weekend sets up as perhaps their toughest test in doing so, as they play a game in San Antonio Friday night, hop on a seven-hour bus ride and play two games against the ninth-seed Oklahoma City Barons over the next two days. The Barons, currently two points behind the Checkers with equal games played, are, of course, off Friday.
“The three-in-threes are always tough but we’ve had a lot of success with them throughout the last couple of years,” said Zach Boychuk, who won the AHL’s Player of the Month award earlier in the week. “Obviously these points are huge, especially the two games against Oklahoma.”
In addition to needing points from their games against the Barons, who they defeated in back-to-back shootouts just last weekend, the Checkers also need to be wary of falling into a trap against a San Antonio club that is unlikely to make the playoffs. Charlotte has had success against the Rampage this season with a record of 5-2-0, though all five of their wins have come by a single goal.
“We’re just focused on Friday night,” said Daniels. “We’ve got a tough weekend ahead with some travel but also with having to play OK City and San Antonio, who plays us tough.”
The Checkers, 7-4-1 in games that are part of a three-in-three set this season, could head into this stretch without two of their top four scorers. Coach Jeff Daniels has already ruled Aaron Palushaj, who has missed the last four games, out for at least these next three. Meanwhile, Chris Terry remains with the Hurricanes after joining them via a recall on Tuesday.
The Checkers were off Monday and held a limited skate on Tuesday in an effort to keep players fresh and prepare for the upcoming grind. Their last four games will be much more spaced out, though the competition will be tough. The defending champion Grand Rapids Griffins, who the Checkers welcome for their last two home games on Thursday and Sunday of next week, are in contention to finish with the best record in the league. The final weekend of the season takes the Checkers through Milwaukee, a one-time bubble team that surged ahead with a productive March, and Rockford, a team in a similar situation to their own.
The latest news and notes as the Checkers prepare to hit the road:
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Already a well-established scorer at the AHL level, Boychuk, now in his fifth professional season, points to a topsy-turvy 2012-13 season that saw him claimed on waivers multiple times, causing him to change organizations three times, as motivation for his career year.
“After last season I had to regroup and start with a clean slate,” he said. “The biggest thing I talked about with my trainer over the summer was my intensity. That’s one word I’ve really tried to focus on throughout this season.”
The word Daniels often uses to describe Boychuk’s season is consistency.
“That’s the big thing right there,” he said. “With and without the puck, he’s done that all season long. That’s one thing he lacked earlier in his career where he’d be good for a stretch and then not as good. This year he’s been, night in and night out, one of our best players.”
Boychuk may not get another chance in the NHL this season due to his waiver situation. Though he played well in nine total games with Carolina earlier this season (four points), a 10th would make him subject to waivers. At this stage in the season, having him fill a temporary hole as the Hurricanes finish out their season may not make the most sense as he may not be able to return to Charlotte.
Update: Thursday's recall was on an emergency basis and he would not require waivers to return to Charlotte in the event that he plays for the Hurricanes.
With that in mind, Boychuk, who re-signed with Carolina at the 11th hour last summer, hopes to at least avoid another summer of uncertainty.
“I feel like this is a huge step forward for me as far as my career,” he said. “After last year I could have easily called it quits, stopped going for the dream of playing in the NHL and gone over to Europe. I wanted to give it another shot, and I feel like I put myself back on the map and hopefully set myself up for next season.”
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
John Muse doesn’t recall receiving any kind of direct challenge, though he says it wouldn’t have been necessary.
“I think it was pretty evident that one of us needed to step up and start winning games in order for us to have a chance to be in the playoffs,” he said. “I also think we’ve been playing a lot better defensively as a team, and it helps when you score four goals a game.”
While Muse has received a considerably higher amount of goal support than Mike Murphy, his own numbers aren’t too shabby. In addition to his weekly honor, he was in the mix for the league’s Goaltender of the Month award with a 9-1-0 record, 2.05 goals-against average, .938 save percentage and one shutout in March. In earning his second Player of the Week award of the season, he went 4-0-0 with a 0.81 goals-against, .972 save percentage and stopped nine of 11 over two shootouts. He has set the franchise record for most wins in a single season (26) and has tied Murphy for the most in team history.
All in all, not bad for a player who started at the ECHL level for the third time in three professional seasons.
“Ever since we called him up he’s come in and taken advantage of an opportunity,” said Daniels of Muse, an undrafted 25-year-old who has played for the Checkers under the trifecta of a professional tryout contract, an NHL two-way contract and a pair of AHL deals. “He’s just so focused and professional and ready to play.”
“I pretty much do the same stuff all season long, regardless of whether we’re winning or losing,” said Muse. “I try to stay as consistent as I can with my preparation and my practices, and that helps me be successful in games.”
After the Hurricanes chose not to bring him back on another NHL deal last summer, does having to claw his way back into the fold, starting with his PTO, make him appreciate his recent accomplishments a little bit more?
“I appreciate it every day, regardless of where I’m playing,” he said. “I’m lucky enough to play a sport for a living right now and I know a lot of people don’t get that chance. I’m thankful for that opportunity.”
RASK HEATING UP
One of a small group of secondary scorers Daniels hoped to emerge in support of Boychuk, Sutter, Terry and Palushaj, Rask has been doing his part.
“On Sunday I thought he played his best game of the year with and without the puck,” said Daniels. “He shows the ability to make a play offensively but also in the d-zone there’s no panic to his game. When he gets the puck, he’s strong on the puck.”
“I’ve been feeling good the last couple of games here,” said Rask, who turned 21 on March 1. “Me, Boychuk and (Matthew) Pistilli have been playing pretty good and have good chemistry. We’re having fun out there right now. I was struggling a bit there, but you have to just keep working on those little things and good things will happen.”
Though the offense hasn’t always been there, Daniels said that he has been pleased with Rask’s season as a whole. A prolific scorer at the junior level (104 points 101 total games with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen), the Hurricanes’ second-round pick in 2011 has shown signs of developing into an effective two-way player.
“He’s a very, very smart player – probably one of our smartest players,” said Daniels. “He’s going to score goals and he’s going to make plays, but he’s also a guy you can be comfortable with playing against the top lines because he’s smart defensively.”
DEBUT FOR DI GIUSEPPE?
With Palushaj, Greg Nemisz and Brendan Woods all out this weekend and Terry yet to return from Carolina, Di Giuseppe, the Hurricanes’ top draft choice in 2012 (second round, 38th overall) is now the 12th forward. If he plays this weekend, it won’t necessarily be a case of throwing him into the fire.
“He’s a skilled player and he’s shown that out in practices,” said Daniels. “He’s got good size to him, he’s strong on the puck and he seems to have a knack for being around the net. Ideally at some point we’d like to get him in there and see what he can do, but so far in practice he’s looked good.”
At Wednesday’s practice, Di Giuseppe filled in for Terry on a scoring line with Sutter and Justin Shugg, presenting the least amount of possible disruption to units that have been intact since just prior to the team’s current four-game win streak. He’s familiar with a few of his teammates, having crossed paths with Danny Biega and Keegan Lowe at Hurricanes’ rookie camps. He goes even further back with Ryan Murphy, a former high school classmate and teammate with the OJHL’s Villanova Knights. Those two still train together in the summer.
Di Giuseppe joins the Checkers after three years at the University of Michigan. The Hurricanes drafted him after he posted 26 points in 40 games as a freshman in 2011-12, with his scoring numbers leveling off over two subsequent campaigns until he decided to sign a pro contract and forego his senior season last week.
“I thought I had a good freshman year, and then in sophomore and junior year I had my ups and downs,” he said. “I thought (leaving school early) was the best thing for me. It was a good three years, but I thought I had to go. I want to develop here, be around the older guys and kind of mature.”
SEASON-ENDING INJURIES
After missing six games with the injury in January, Woods came back to play eight but had to leave the lineup once again due to continuing discomfort. He underwent surgery to correct the problem and hopefully return this season, but the recovery process did not go as smoothly as expected, leading to him to return to his offseason home in California, where his father Bob is an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks.
“It’s too bad he got hurt, because I really felt he was coming on,” said Daniels. “He definitely brought some speed and some size to our lineup.”
A 21-year-old rookie, Woods scored eight points (5g, 3a) while playing mostly as a winger on the fourth line. With two years remaining on his entry-level deal, there’s a chance he could become more of an offensive contributor as early as next season.
“I think he has an understanding of what he needs to do to get to the next level, and that’s going straight line, using his shot and speed down the wing and being physical,” said Daniels. “I don’t think he’s going to be beating guys one-on-one, but if he crashes the net he’ll get deflections and rebounds with that power game. He’s got the size and the speed that you look for.”
Nemisz, who the Hurricanes acquired in a late-December trade for Kevin Westgarth, scored 11 points (3g, 8a) in 14 games with Charlotte. Compare that to nine points 32 previous games with the Abbotsford Heat, and it’s clear that he was enjoying the move east.
“He was really good,” said Daniels. “He came here with an opportunity, and he really made the most of that new lease on life.”
The Hurricanes will now have a decision to make based on that small sample size and the chance that Nemisz, a high scorer at the junior level on a powerhouse Windsor team, can fulfill the all-around potential that made him Calgary’s first-round pick in 2008. The 23-year-old, who had something of an injury history prior to the trade (he missed the first two months of last season, which had an adverse effect on the rest of the campaign) becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
In a similar situation last season, the Hurricanes chose not to qualify Luke Pither, a high scorer following his acquisition from the Philadelphia Flyers who went on to miss significant time due to injury. That said, Nemisz’ pedigree, two-way game and versatility will work in his favor.
“He produced and he was a big body who won battles,” said Daniels. “He’s just a real smart hockey player.”
