In case you missed it yesterday, detailed recaps and notes from last week’s Charlotte Checkers’ slate can be found HERE.
Player Spotlight – Janne Kuokkanen
After being one of the most dangerous players for the Canes in the preseason and looking like a legitimate candidate for the opening night roster, Kuokkanen was a victim of the numbers crunch and sent back to Charlotte. Considering that he will be just 20 years old for the entirety of the season, this is hardly reason for panic. He had just 73 professional games (including postseason) to his credit, and getting top line/first PP unit duties was likely the best choice for his development rather than a lesser role with the Canes. However, I think we’re getting close to the point where he may force the organization’s hand and earn a look with the big club. He has certainly been one of the best players on the best team in the AHL in 2018-19, scoring at over a point-per-game clip with 27 points through 26 games. One of the things that sticks out to me most about Kuokkanen is his smarts. He just seems to make the right play in any scenario, and unlike the stereotype with young, skilled European players he plays a mature two-way game already. He’s not quite the Aho 2.0 some of us pined for, back when he was drafted at near the same point of the draft the year after Seabass became a Cane, but I do see some similarities. For one, his confidence with the puck is top-notch, especially on the powerplay. Much like Teravainen with the Canes, Kuokkanen plays at the point and quarterbacks a powerplay unit. He is the player they want carrying the puck up the ice and making the decisions on who to go to for a zone entry. He’s relied on to make good decisions, and has great vision and quick hands to make those plays happen efficiently. It’s quite noticeable how confident he is with the puck. Janne does a great job exposing lanes in coverage and fitting passes into tight windows. He also has a very quick, underrated release which he showcased in his second goal against Hartford. While not the fastest straight-line skater, I do not think it is an issue as it was with players like Zykov or (previous years’ versions of) Nicolas Roy. He does possess really quick feet and accelerates quickly, which he showcased against Springfield when he changed directions on a dime and got to the net for a great scoring chance. He is listed at 6’1 and 188 pounds, and while he isn’t a physical player that will consistently play the body, he is strong on the puck and uses his body to protect it well. He also does a good job of avoiding taking big hits from oncoming defensemen with his quickness. While he may not have Julien Gauthier’s physical tools, or Aleksi Saarela’s blistering shot, or Necas’ blazing speed, or Aho’s Hockey Elf Magic, he’s just a really good all-around hockey player that does everything well without a glaring weakness. A year from now, I’ll be awfully surprised if we aren’t talking about him as a staple of the Hurricanes lineup.
Notable Stats
Skaters (Through 26 games; goals-assists-points)
Janne Kuokkanen – 11-16-27
Andrew Poturalski – 10-15-25
Martin Necas – 6-14-20 (22 GP)
Trevor Carrick – 5-15-20 (24 GP)
Greg McKegg – 3-16-19 (22 GP)
Nicolas Roy – 8-8-16 (19 GP)
Aleksi Saarela – 7-9-16 (24 GP)
Jake Bean – 4-9-13 (25 GP)
Roland McKeown – 2-10-12
Patrick Brown – 6-4-10 (20 GP)
Morgan Geekie – 5-4-9 (23 GP)
Nick Schilkey – 5-3-8 (15 GP)
Cliff Pu – 1-2-3 (21 GP)
Goalies (W-L-OTL; Goals Against Average; Save %)
Scott Darling – 3-1-0; 2.35; .911
Callum Booth – 3-1-0; 2.27; .907
Alex Nedeljkovic – 12-4-1; 2.94; .890
Jeremy Helvig – 1-0-0; 2.80; .875 (22 minutes of action)
The Checkers are a bright spot this season.
Not only individual player stories but the team’s resiliency and never-say-die attitude.
Hopefully that attitude will start rubbing off on the big club once we get more playres promoted to the NHL, and hopefully those promotions will be more successful than promotions in the past.
Call me an optimist (about the Checkers, at least), but I truly think they will be. The Canes have never had a prospect pool this stacked, nor have they had an AHL squad with this much talent. AHL vets such as Poturalski, McKegg, Dan Renouf, Carrick, etc. certainly play a significant part in that, but the team is carried by all the legitimate prospects they have like Kuokkanen, Necas, Roy, Bean, and Gauthier.
Call me an optimist (about the Checkers, at least), but I truly think they will be. The Canes have never had a prospect pool this stacked, nor have they had an AHL squad with this much talent. AHL vets such as Poturalski, McKegg, Dan Renouf, Carrick, etc. certainly play a significant part in that, but the team is carried by all the legitimate prospects they have like Kuokkanen, Necas, Roy, Bean, and Gauthier.
I’m totally with you there!
The trick is to find the delicate balance of transfering the talent to the NHL. I hope these guys will be given some looks this year and truly put in a position where they’ve been successful in Clt (not on the 4th line).
The Canes have either over relied on players (Lindholm) or not had the faith in them (putting all offensive guys on the 4th line instead of roles where they’ve had success).
It’s a tricky balance, I’m not sure I’d get it right, but I can picture home game auditions on back to backs where a forward is injured or the team needs fresh bodies on the ice, or a 3 or 4-game stint, hopefully while games still matter (and we hope they all matter until April, personally I have a hard time believing it but I sure hope so).
Yeaaaah I’m not the biggest fan of the way Rod has put the lines together to be honest. Especially with Ferland out… you’re gonna but Martinook on the first line? Are you serious? I know everybody has been harping on this for a while now but for the love of god, someone find me one good reason not to try something like this right now, when your team can’t score, is dealing with injuries, and there clearly there ALREADY wasn’t enough offensive firepower:
Svechnikov-Aho-Teravainen
Kuokkanen-Necas-Williams
Martinook-Wallmark-Foegele
Di Giuseppe-Rask-McGinn
I talked about Necas really coming around lately. Give him a game or two. If he’s not ready guess what? Sending him back down is real easy. But, when Staal and Ferland are back, who knows – you might have two young, talented players prove they’re ready, and suddenly the roster looks a WHOLE lot better. Best case scenario obviously but what does this struggling team have to lose right now? The potential of a lineup of:
Ferland/Svech-Aho-Teravainen
Svech/Ferland-Staal-Kuokkanen
Martinook-Necas-Williams
McGinn-Wallmark-Foegele
Is 1,000 times higher than what they’re sending out right now.
But this is obviously an exercise in futility. For whatever reason, Rod is horrified to use his young, talented players together. So we’ll prooobably keep seeing top line Martinook while Kuokkanen and Svechnikov are in the bottom six. Separate lines, though, of course. Cause you’d hate to see those two kids put together and end up succeeding.. then his entire early-season roster construction strategies would be exposed as. Dumb.
Totally with you there!
If I were GM I’d bring these guys up and tell the coach to give them real auditions, not fake 4th line time. I wonder if Gauthier could do with a call up as well, to give him a motivational jolt.
if the kids succeed or show signs of succeeding I’d try to trade Staal if there is good return in a top 6 forward, preferably center with higher scoring upside and definitely try to trade one or two RHD starting with Hamilton.
If a team wants a responsible two-way bonus winger, make any of PDG/Martinook/Mcginn/Foegele available (I like Fogele’s play he could be a keeper).
One thing that is top notch without a doubt, other than John and Trip, that’s the contributions from you and Matt, making an otherwise frustrating experience, for the most part, actually fun, even through the extended troubled times.
Keep it up!
breezy and Brandon, since you are talking about some of my favorite topics, I am adding this here.
First, I agree that two or more of the Checkers will eventually be contributors in Raleigh.
As far as Kuokkanen’s call up, it makes little sense to me not to have him on the second scoring line. Though I wouldn’t call up Necas now (I think he should be allowed to play in the WJC and I see the value in not making him eligible for the expansion draft). So I would like to see Kuokkanen/Wallmark/Williams. Which would put Svechnikov/Aho/TT.
When Ferland and Staal are back and if things are working:
Svechnikov/Aho/TT
Kuokkanen/Wallmark/Ferland
Martinook/Staal/Williams
Rask/Bishop/Foegele or McGinn (I think Rask might be better at LW for a while).
At some point Svech and Aho need to play together. Also, I am a little concerned with Ferland playing with Aho and TT. Ferland played with Gaudreau and Monahan last season and ended with 20 assists. Lindholm almost has that in 31 games. As much as Ferland’s shot is needed, he is costing Aho and TT chances at 5-on-5. That wouldn’t be as much the case with Kuokkanen and Wallmark, though those two likely would still be able to set Ferland up.
Finally, if there is still a strong market, then definitely trade Hamilton. I really want him to succeed because I identify with him. But, he has not played well–and I don’t just mean last night. I have been saying for a while now he is reducing Slavin’s effectiveness. Having a $10 million D-pairing that is average is not good.
Bringing Kuokks up and not putting him in a position to succeed would be a shame, and a frigging crime.
And…today at practice…
He was on Rask’s line with McGinn on the right.
I suppose scoring goals is overrated in the game of hockey that the Hurricnes currently play…