“I was happy to see it,” said Wohlberg. “It’s something I was working for all year and they rewarded me with it.”
Wohlberg was invited to the Checkers’ training camp prior to the start of the season and earned his way onto the team via a professional tryout, which last 25 games. He has played in all 20 games so far this season for Charlotte, putting him close to the point where he and the organization would have to make a decision whether to sign him to another PTO, release him or sign him to an AHL contract. In the end, it was what the center brings to the table that earned him what he had been striving for all along.
“He’s played in the league before and that was a big part of it,” said head coach Mark Morris. “He knew the league well and he’s been in this position before. You never know who’s watching and you want to put your best foot forward. He did that.”
The 25-year-old has stepped up on a Checkers’ team that is short on depth at the center position. Wohlberg has anchored the fourth line, though he has moved up to the second and third lines for various stints, and has been a key part of other areas as well.
“He’s done a lot of things for us,” said head coach Mark Morris. “He’s given us stability up the middle. He’s a guy that has the ability to kill penalties and he’s a low maintenance player. He’s one of those guys who is the glue to bring everything together. He knows his role on the team and he’s taken pride in it. He’s been a great teammate.”
Players on PTOs are often brought in for short stints to patch holes in AHL teams’ lineups. The Checkers brought on several different players last season that lasted just a handful of games. They also had two players (A.J. Jenks and Andrew Rowe) stay for the full 25-game length, at which time they signed them to another PTO as opposed to giving them an AHL contract.
That commitment is what Wohlberg was looking for, and with that now behind him there’s no more wondering about his status on the team game-to-game.
“I was really just looking to get a longer commitment,” said Wohlberg. “I didn’t really want another PTO and I don’t think they did either, so it worked out. I was just hoping that the coaches liked what I had to show, and things shook out in my favor.”
“I would have to say that he has to feel a lot better knowing that this is where he’s going to be,” said Morris. “He can continue to play with the idea that everyone believes in him. That goes a long way. Confidence is a big part of anybody’s success.
“We’re behind him 100 percent.”
Some other news and notes from this week:
FAMILIAR FACES FOR MORRIS
“Obviously I’m familiar with their style of play,” said Morris. “There’s probably about half of the guys there that we worked with. It’ll be good to see how far along those guys have come.” Morris was in Manchester from 2006-2014 and racked up 338 wins, good for 10th in AHL history at the time. They had long been an AHL powerhouse, capturing the Calder Cup last season, and Morris notes that this version of the team is no different.
“They’re a big, heavy team,” said Morris. “They’ve got the back bone and the size to play a physical brand of hockey. It’s what they were designed to do. It’s what they’ve been instilled with for a lot of years now. There’s a lot of continuity there.”
Several players that were integral parts of Morris’ Manchester teams are still pillars for the Reign.
“You look at the blue line, [Jeff Schultz] is a proven NHLer. He led the NHL in plus-minus with the Captials a few years ago and he’s a big, steady guy who stabilizes their back end. Vinny LoVerde was a good player when I was in Manchester and he was the captain of the Calder Cup team. And then you look up front and they’re deep.”
Morris even has some history with players that he didn’t coach in Manchester.
“There’s also a lot of guys that I’ve been familiar with around the league,” said Morris. “[Kris] Newbury was a great player in Hartford and Hershey, Paul Bissonnette was one of my defensemen back in Saginaw [Spirit, of the OHL] in the early years.”
While it will certainly be a nice reunion for Morris and some of his former players, he will undoubtedly be using that knowledge and insight to prepare his team to keep their winning streak going and take down the Reign.
CONFIDENT POWER PLAY
The first 20 games of this season have been a completely different story, however. The Checkers’ power play has been producing at a 21.8% clip so far, good for fifth overall in the AHL. “We have two units that can score and I think as a whole we recognize that,” said Justin Shugg, who’s six power-play points are tied for the second-most on the team. “We have different personnel and different looks, whether it’s a big shot from the point or someone down low or someone screening the goalie. I think we’re pretty versatile.”
The unit came out firing, with eight power-play goals in the first six games of the season. While the rate has slowed a bit as the season has progressed, the Checkers have continued to excel on the man advantage, with different areas continuing to improve.
“In the early going, the goals were mainly coming from our D-men,” said Morris. “You look at what [Brett] Pesce and [Jaccob] Slavin and [Trevor] Carrick brought, they were sure-handed guys that put the puck on net an also put pucks in spots it needed to go to. Those guys stabilizing the back end makes room for your skill guys like [Derek] Ryan and Shugg and [Brock] McGinn to go out and do their thing.”
Above all else, the Checkers’ newfound prowess on the power play has given the team some swagger on special teams, something they lacked last season.
“We know that there’s a good chance we’re going to score a goal if we draw a penalty,” said Shugg. “So we’re working to draw penalties and get that extra one or two goals each night.”
PHIL-ING IN
“I think he’s done a pretty good job for us,” said Morris.
It’s been a while since the second-year pro has lined up at center regularly.
“I played center in my minor hockey and then when I went to play juniors up in Canada I got switched over to wing and I’ve been there since,” said Di Giuseppe.
The move may seem strange to some, as Brendan Woods and Patrick Brown both spent all of last season as centers, but Morris has mentioned multiple times how much he likes that duo alongside Brody Sutter on the third line.
But the 22-year-old has not looked out of place at his new position.
“He plays pretty well down low, he’s a good skater and he sees the ice well,” said Morris. “There was no hesitation when we asked him to play the middle. He mentioned to me today that he’s done it in the past and he’s excited about the opportunity.”
The move not only helps the team work through their shorthandedness, but it has individual benefits for Di Giuseppe going forward as well.
“I think that as a young player when you can show the big club that you’re versatile and willing to play different roles, it adds to your value as a guy in the organization that can fill a lot of holes,” said Morris.
Hensick, along with Rasmus Rissanen, returned to the ice this week, participating in some of practice while donning a yellow “no contact” jersey. Morris had no insight into where exactly Hensick was in terms of a time table of his return, but saw the development as a step in the right direction.
“He looked good out there and worked hard,” said Morris of Hensick. “Hopefully the healing process is over and now it’s just a matter of getting his wind and getting his timing and feel for the puck down. He was an important signing for the organization and we certainly miss his presence on the power play and especially as a leader.”
Hensick will likely slot back in at center upon his return to the lineup, but with that seemingly a bit down the road, nothing is set in stone.
“Right now the plan is to have T.J. go back to the center position,” said Morris. “It’s what he’s most comfortable with. But if it works out where we feel that Phil is better in the middle and T.J. is better on the wing, we’ll make that decision when the time comes. Hopefully T.J. gets himself back into game shape here shortly.
“It’s funny how the year unfolds sometimes. Things emerge through necessity. Coming off a long layoff like that is not easy, but thankfully Phil has been able to fill that hole for us.”
