Season Recap – Charlotte Checkers
Overall, it was a Jekyll and Hyde season for the Charlotte Checkers despite placing fourth in the Atlantic Division. The Checkers for the most part did not have continuously long winning streaks outside of one in late March where they won four-straight games. It was a nice turnaround after losing five-straight at the end of January. The beginning of the season saw the team lose key players due to injuries with their parent club the Florida Panthers. However, they did manage to stick out it out and start to find a groove of winning more games than losing for most of the season.
An unfortunate injury to the team’s top defenseman in Lucas Carlsson, who led the team in shots with 207 and tallying 39 points. It’ll be interesting to see how they do in the playoff compared to how the rest of the regular season went for the team.
A huge bright spot was rookie forward sensation Mackie Samoskevich leading the team in points with 54, 10 best over second ranked Rasmus Asplund. The team leader in goals (22) looks to carry the Checkers into what they hope is a deep playoff run. His assists being ranked second on the team (32) only three behind Asplund gives the team hope that their playmaker rookie can be the X-Factor when it comes to the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The biggest thing to look at for the Checkers is that goaltander Spencer Knight looks to keep his stellar season going into the playoffs. In the 2023-24 season, he finished with a 25-14-5 record with a 2.41 goals against average (GAA) and a .905 save percentage (SV%). If he alongside Magnus Hellberg can become the two-headed monster that the Checkers hope they can be, this could be an interesting playoff for the team from the Queen City.
If there was a question mark for the team going into the playoffs is their defense. Outside of Carlsson, Casey Fitzgerald is their next best defneseman who had 17 assists and 21 points in 69 games with a plus-22. There is a case to be made for Michael Benning who had nine goalsd and 26 points in 72 games despite having a plus-7 and 50 PIMS. The loss of Carlsson might be a tough hill to climb for the blueline if they go deep into the playoffs.
Season Recap – Hartford Wolf Pack
The Hartford Wolf Pack wrapped up the 2023-24 regular season on Sunday afternoon. It was a rollercoaster season for the Wolf Pack. Hartford started the season with a 7-3-1-0 record through 11 games, quickly placing them among the top teams in the American Hockey League. However, the Wolf Pack hit the first loop in the rollercoaster on November 12th, 2023. That day, the Edmonton Oilers dismissed head coach Jay Woodcroft. His replacement? None other than Hartford’s head coach, Kris Knoblauch.
The sudden departure of Knoblauch thrust assistant coach Steve Smith into the role of interim bench boss. In their final 61 games, Smith led Hartford to a 27-25-6-3 record, for an overall season record of 34-28-7-3. The Wolf Pack collected 78 points this season, placing them in fifth place in the Atlantic Division.
Up front, the Wolf Pack boasted a combination of steady veterans and exciting rookies. Hartford’s most intriguing player entering the season was rookie forward Brennan Othmann. The 2021 16th overall pick by the New York Rangers entered his first AHL season fresh off an OHL Championship with the Peterborough Petes. Othmann was electric in his inaugural AHL campaign, recording 49 points (21 G, 28 A) and earning an AHL All-Star nomination. Fellow rookie forward Brett Berard was equally impressive. Berard tallied 48 points on the season (25 G, 23 A), finishing in second for goals among rookies.
Joining prospects like Othmann and Berard were a crop of steady veterans. Forward Alex Belzile joined the club from Laval and had arguably the best season of his AHL career. Belzile recorded 50 points (19 G, 31 A) in his first season with Hartford. Other veterans like Riley Nash and Anton Blidh helped provide guidance to the young Hartford forward group.
The Wolf Pack also featured a rebuilt blue line, highlighted by the addition of Mac Hollowell. Hollowell, the former Toronto Marlie, had a breakout season for Hartford. Hollowell recorded 41 assists on the season, becoming the first Wolf Pack player to record 40 assists since Taylor Beck dished out 47 assists in 2016-17.
Finally, the Wolf Pack featured an elite tandem in net. Veteran Louis Domingue was his usual self, posting a 2.66 GAA and a .909 SV%. Second-year netminer Dylan Garand posted similar numbers before a late-season slump, finishing with a 3.03 GAA and .898 SV%.
The Wolf Pack will now head to Charlotte, North Carolina, to face off against the Checkers in the first round of the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Regular Season Series Results
The Checkers dominated the regular season series between the two teams. The Atlantic Division rivals met eight times, with Charlotte winning seven of those meetings. The Checkers posted a 7-1-0-0 record against Hartford and collected 14 out of a possible 16 points.
The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, could not solve Charlotte for most of the season. They finally earned a win over the Checkers in the final meeting between the two, a 5-2 win on April 14th. Overall, the Wolf Pack went 1-5-2-0 against Charlotte, collecting just four points against their Atlantic Division foes.
Storylines
Fans should pay attention to the following storylines for the first round matchup:
Can Garand get his groove back?
With goaltender Louis Domingue being recalled as a black ace by the New York Rangers, the Wolf Pack will turn to Dylan Garand in net. Early in the season, this wouldn’t even be a storyline to watch – Garand got off to a fantastic start for the Wolf Pack. However, in April, it’s something fans should pay attention to.
When Domingue suffered a lower-body injury in March, the Wolf Pack leaned on Garand heavily. Garand started 11 of Hartford’s 14 games in March, including starting six in a row from March 1st to March 13th. At the same time, Hartford’s offense was heavily struggling, putting extra pressure on the second-year netminder. During this tumultuous stretch, Garand struggled heavily, and his stats ballooned as a result. The Wolf Pack are hoping Garand can get his early-season groove back and come up big in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Luckily for the Wolf Pack, history indicates that Garand can figure it out come playoff time. During the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs, Garand was the second-best goaltender in the AHL by GAA (1.76) and SV% (.935). He also posted a pair of shutouts during the playoffs, blanking the Providence Bruins twice. If Garand can regain form once the puck drops in the playoffs, the Wolf Pack should feel good about their chances.
Can Hartford overcome the Charlotte flu?
For the past few years, the Wolf Pack have suffered from what I’ve deemed “the Charlotte flu.” Just how bad is this sickness? The Wolf Pack’s 5-0 victory in Charlotte on January 10th, 2023, was their first regulation win in North Carolina – ever. The Checkers joined the Atlantic Division during the 2017-18 season, but the Wolf Pack did not earn a regulation win in Charlotte until last January. It’s safe to say that the Bojangles Coliseum has not been kind to the Wolf Pack.
This year, Hartford went winless in the Queen City, tallying just two goals in four games in the Bojangles Coliseum. They’ll need to do a lot better if they want to advance in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Can The Checkers Keep Being Hartford’s Kryptonite?
When taking a look even past the 2023-24 season, the Charlotte Checkers just seem to know how to neutralize the Wolf Pack. Over the last five seasons, the Checkers have a 12-2-1-0 record at home versus Hartford and a 9-3-1-0 record on the road in Conneticut. It seems that no matter where the game is, Charlotte just seems to have the Wolf Packs number. If they can keep up their usual play style against Hartford, this could be a quick series.
Players to Watch
The Veteran Line
Hartford’s “veteran line” is a fairly new creation by interim head coach Steve Smith. The line features Riley Nash centering Nic Petan and Alex Belzile. The trio first skated together on April 12th in Hartford’s playoff-clinching win over Springfield. They had their most impactful game together on April 19th. Belzile picked up two assists and Petan recorded the game-winning goal in Hartford’s 3-2 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Smith told The Calder Times that he felt the line has chemistry together, and Petan agreed, saying:
It’s been good so far. We’re just starting off. We all kind of have the same mindset. Obviously Riley’s been around for a long time, and Belzy as well. They just have a great mindset for the game, and I’d like to think that I do too.
Wolf Pack forward Nic Petan, 4/19/24
Look for the veteran line to keep up their impressive play from the past two weekends. If they can pace the offense in the opening round, the Wolf Pack will have a chance at advancing.
Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard
I’m combining Hartford’s lamp-lighting rookies into one entry. Most of what I write about one can be applied to the other. Othmann and Berard have been among the best rookies in the AHL this season. They finished in fourth and fifth in points among rookies, respectively. Despite having different styles, the two mesh together well. Othmann relies more on his playmaking ability and a powerful shot, while Berard’s strengths include speed, and forechecking. Combine those two together? You end up with a lot of points.
Neither rookie is new to playoff hockey; Othmann won an OHL Championship with the Peterborough Petes and won a pair of gold medals representing Canada at the World Juniors, while Berard has represented the United States at the World Juniors twice. However, this will be their first foray into playoff hockey at the professional level. Hartford will look for both to rise to the occasion during the opening round.
Series Prediction
Keegan Jarvis
The Wolf Pack have gotten hot at the right time. They won four of their last five regular-season games. They also didn’t lose many players to recall. Only Louis Domingue and Adam Edström are acting as black aces for the Rangers. Overall, things are generally trending positive for them.
However, I can’t ignore history, and history shows that the Wolf Pack do not perform well in North Carolina. In the past five years, the Wolf Pack are 3-9-3-0 in the Tar Heel State. I certainly hope I’m wrong, but I’m going to go with Checkers in 3.
Zach Martin
When it comes down to it, the Checkers just seem to know how to play the Wolf Pack well. 7-1-0-0 for the season series cannot be overlooked even if te regular season numbers don’t come over to the playoffs. If Mackie Samoskevich leads the way for the team and Spencer Knight continues his Batman Dark Knight run, this series could be done quick even with the loss of Lucas Carlsson. Overall, this is a series for Charlotte to get ready for the next opponent but they can’t overlook Hartford either. I’m going Checkers in 3.
