If he's feeling that on the inside, he tries to not let it show on the outside. It's head coach Brent Thompson's job to dictate the emotion of the game, so Carkner keeps his cool, part of the adjustment for a former player in his first year behind the bench.
"It's a little different from what I thought it would be," Carkner said. "There's a lot more that goes into coaching than players think. They think there's nothing to it, but there's a lot of work, a lot of prep, and a lot of knowledge in the office here."
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Carkner is handling analytics, video prep, doing individual work with players, and is providing support on the defensive side: d-zone, penalty kill, etc. He spent last season getting his feet wet as a first-year coach who watched games from the press box as the "eye in the sky" for Thompson and fellow assistant coach Eric Boguniecki.
On the bench he's in players' ears, but the majority of Carkner's responsibilities come postgame and during practices. He spends up to three hours reviewing video and tagging chances after games, which makes for exhausting three-in-three weekend sets, especially when the team is traveling.
"We go over the systems and I'll go over individual skills with them, what they're doing wrong, what they're doing right on the ice, stick position," Carkner said.
But his focus doesn't just stay on the X's and O's. The 37-year-old also manages team dinners on the road, planning visits to some of his favorite spots like Tournedos Steakhouse in Rochester and Number 5 in Binghamton.