“We’re going to play it by ear right now,” said Morris. “We’re comfortable with the number at this juncture in time but we do have to whittle it down here shortly.”
Up front, the Checkers have five lines worth of players. The majority of the lineup seems to be essentially set (though Morris mentioned that he has not settled on any line combinations just yet), but looking at the roster, it would appear that the final three slots are up for grabs among the remaining group of forwards.
With training camp winding down, the coaching staff are keeping an eye out to see if anyone jumps out to claim those spots.
“We’ll see if one of the forwards emerges as a guy who’ll start to pull away,” said Morris.
Of that group, Kyle Hagel, Patrick Brown and Carter Sandlak are the returning players from a season ago. Brown and Hagel were fixtures in last year’s lineup, but a new coach means a clean slate in terms of the past. Still, those two would seem to have the strongest hold on those spots. Sandlak was in and out of the lineup last season and found success in the ECHL during a short stint toward the end of the year. His AHL experience could give him an inside track, but there is also the option that the second-year pro could see more time in the ECHL to further develop his game if the coaches see fit.
Erik Karlsson is probably the most interesting member of that group, as he is a fairly unknown commodity. A fourth-round pick in 2012, this will be Karlsson’s first North American season after spending two years playing in the top Swedish league. While he didn’t put up any flashy numbers in Sweden, competing against grown men at the ages of 19 and 20 is quite the feat, and that pedigree could give him a bit of a leg up.
There are two remaining tryouts in camp as well. Ryan Rashid and David Wohlberg have survived the first few cuts, indicating that they’ve shown something to the staff, but are the lone players not currently under contract, meaning the team could cut ties at any point.
But regardless of their status, the tryouts are putting up quite the fight. Speaking of which...
Tryouts Continue To Battle For Spot
Inviting tryouts to training camp isn’t a rare thing for AHL teams. It lets them get a feel for players without having to commit to signing them to an AHL contract. What is rare is for the tryouts to stick around and make a push for the opening lineup, which is what Rashid and Wohlberg are currently doing. For Rashid, this isn’t his first time being in this situation. The 25-year-old was invited to the Rochester Americans’ training camp last season before spending the entirety of his rookie year in the ECHL with Elmira. Having been through this process before, Rashid has a solid grasp on what he needs to do.“Just trying to show exactly what you got,” said Rashid of his main focus this camp. “I’m just trying to do everything that I can to show coach my hard work.”
Wohlberg, on the other hand, is in camp as a tryout for the first time, looking to continue his AHL career after spending his first three pro seasons with the Albany Devils.
“I really had no expectations,” said Wohlberg. “I knew that if you play well enough there’s always a chance.”
The 25-year-old former teammate of Phil Di Giuseppe at the University of Michigan has his own key for thriving as a camp invite.
“I think just not overstepping your role,” said Wohlberg. “Keeping it simple and working hard.”
The fact that the invites are still around as we enter the final stretch of practices before the season begins is proof that they have shown the coaching staff something that caught their eyes.
“An understanding of the game, great listening skills and a will to learn the game,” said Morris on what the pair has done to stick around. “I think that the guys that are here in that [tryout] capacity have proved to us that there’s some potential there. We want to give them the best look we can with the time we have.”
Without being able to see how they fare in a game situation, the coaches will use these final three days of practice to really get a grasp on whether the tryouts can contribute to the team.
“We’re trying to make the most of the practice time we have to get a thorough read on these guys and evaluate what they can do,” said Morris.
Fighting each day to keep their AHL hopes alive, both tryouts know that it all comes down to proving to the team that they belong and that they can make an impact.
“I know when I need to do more or do something different,” said Wohlberg. “I’m responsible and can form to whatever they want me to do.”
“You just go out and work hard,” said Rashid. “For me, that’s just getting up and down the ice and being physical and energetic and bringing as much positivity as I can.”
CAPTAINCY UP FOR GRABS
As the Checkers’ roster begins to take shape, one designation that has yet to be determined is the captaincy. While Brett Sutter took up the mantle for three of the Checkers’ five AHL seasons, his departure has left a void in that area. Michal Jordan was named captain last season, but he is expected to spend the majority of his year in the NHL. So with a new head coach and several new faces, the Checkers are once again looking at having a new player wear the C.With just a few days before the season begins, however, Morris has yet to make that decision, one that he seems to put a lot of weight in.
“It’s becoming clear who the leadership group is, but this is an important decision,” said Morris. “Certain individuals are starting to emerge and that’s a good sign. I’m encouraged.”
The importance of naming captains varies among different coaches. Some subscribe more to the idea that it doesn’t matter who wears a letter, anyone can lead. While Morris maintains that there is a lot of great leadership on the team, he seems to see something special in his possible captains.
“We have a lot of guys who look like potential leaders and a few stick out that might be serious candidates to be the number one guy as a captain,” said Morris.
Morris was non-committal as to when the captains would be named. While there are games coming up this weekend, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could have three players serve as alternate captains for a few games until he’s ready to make a decision. Morris did stress the importance of seeing leadership emerge when guys are “under fire” in a game situation, so with no exhibitions to draw from, he may wait to see how the first few contests play out.
So while we still have no official captain, the way Morris has described the leadership on the team is encouraging, and however it shakes out the Checkers will be in good hands.
