Riley Nash is having himself a season.
The veteran forward is filling the scoresheet at nearly a point-per-game pace, he leads the Checkers in scoring and this weekend he’s headed to his first AHL All-Star Classic.
“It’s obviously nice,” said Nash. “It hopefully means that I’m playing some decent hockey. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Nash has been a consistent source of offense for Charlotte throughout the season - in fact, since mid-November there has only been one instance of him posting back-to-back games without a point.
“I think lately it’s just that my linemates have been playing really well,” said Nash, who has nine points in his last seven games. “Hepo [Aleksi Heponiemi] makes a ton of plays, so just trying to read off him and get to areas to shoot the puck and have that shooter mentality. Bowlbs [Henry Bowlby] opens up a lot of space with his speed.”
While his playmaking abilities are still on full display (his 20 helpers lead the team), Nash has tapped into the goal-scoring side of his game, with his 16 goals thus far already standing as a career high across any level for him.
“Throughout my career I’ve probably leaned more towards passing than shooting,” said Nash. “But now that Hepo does most of the passing I have to focus on shooting the puck a little more. It kind of frees up my mind because you just have that one focus, you’re not looking around the ice as much.”
That shift in his offensive mindset is paying dividends for Nash, who can still fly under the radar despite amassing over 600 NHL games over his career.
“I think it’s undercover how good of a hockey player he really is,” said Checkers Head Coach Geordie Kinnear, who was an assistant coach for Charlotte during Nash’s first stint from 2010-2013. “He’s a complete player, he’s not just a defensive forward, I think he has a lot of offensive instincts. He’s not flashy but he’s a really good player.”
This marks the first All-Star nod for Nash over his 13-year career. At 33-years-old and back in the city where his pro journey began, it’s an accolade that has a special meaning - and one that he can share with his family.
“It’s obviously nice before my career is over to have something like this,” said Nash. “I think it means a little bit more now that I have two kids and all that. They can come and enjoy it, especially my older one. He can come and be in the locker room with everybody and just experience that. Whether he remembers it since he’s only two, who knows, but we’ll have pictures and videos for a lifetime. My parents will be there. It’s cool.”
Twelve years after first arriving to the Queen City, Nash is back and making just as big of an impact as ever - an effort that will be celebrated in Laval this weekend.
“It’s a true honor, especially since he’s the only guy representing the Checkers,” said Kinnear. “I know he has a lot of pride having started his career here. I’m proud to have him in our group and proud to have him wearing the Charlotte Checkers jersey going to a special event.”
“It’s almost full circle,” said Nash. “Not saying that my circle is closed yet, my career’s not over, but it’s come a long way.”
