As the calendar flipped to March, the Charlotte Checkers felt like they were treading water.
"We were winning, but it seemed like every team above us was also winning," Checkers captain Zac Dalpe recently told FloridaPanthers.com. "We were kind of stuck, and we knew the top six teams made [the playoffs]. When we'd win a few, everyone above us would have a good week."
After following up a four-game winning streak with four straight losses to close out February, the Checkers were sitting in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. They were closer to missing the playoffs than the top of the division, but players felt their record didn't reflect their true potential.
Checkers kick off quest for Calder Cup after claiming Atlantic Division
So as they prepared to walk into a tough building for a game in Hershey, Dalpe said players got together for a team dinner to take stock of the season. What was discussed remains a mystery, but whatever was said over the course of those courses clearly resonated with the entire group.
The following day, the Checkers shut out the Bears 3-0.
"Whatever happens at a team dinner stays at the team dinner, but we had a good time and then we went into Hershey and beat them," Dalpe said. "Then it seemed like we hit the ground running after that. That moment sticks out in my mind."
"That dinner was more so about saying, 'Hey guys, we were in all of those games. We want to win, and the losses don't look good, but let's just get our mind away from losing and hit the ground running in Hershey.' I feel like we did that."
Following that win, the Checkers caught fire. Over the next two months, they won 16 of their final 22 games to climb all the way from fifth up into first place. For head coach Geordie Kinner, he looks back at that stretch in early March as the moment the team bought into his philosophy.
No longer just following directions, the team took control of its own destiny.
"I preach it all the time to the guys," Kinnear said. "At some point they have to take over and it has to become their team. Obviously we have great leadership with guys like Dalpe, and you can go down the list, there's so many of them. The room runs itself, and it's a special thing."
Capping off their wild run to end the regular season, the Checkers, who became Florida's AHL affiliate in 2020-21 but did not play last season due to COVID-19, secured their second division title in club history with a 2-1 win at Providence in the final game of their campaign on April 23.
"More than anything it was fun," Charlotte forward Cole Schwindt said. "You live for those games. Going into that last weekend, everyone knew what was on the line. We had a job to do, and going into those games we knew exactly what we needed to do to win, and we executed."
By virtue of that final win, the Checkers earned a bye into the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Following an extended break, they'll now look to pick up right where they left off in the regular season when they kick off their playoff run against Bridgeport in Round 2 on Tuesday.
"I'm excited for the group, for all the young players and the veteran guys to get this opportunity," Kinnear said. "You want that as a player. You want to play when all of the chips are on the line."
With the pipeline stronger than ever, Kinnear said he sees a lot of similarities between the newfound winning culture of the Panthers, who also won their division, and the Checkers.
"It's all contagious," Kinner said of the organization's will to win. "Guys see it up there, they come back down, and they don't miss a beat. I think it's so important that the NHL team and the AHL team have that synergy. The bottom line when you look at it is that it's about having good people. When they're coachable, trainable and good people, good things are going to happen."
Before the Checkers begin their playoff run, here's a quick refresher on the team for Cats fans.
KRAKEN IN THE MIX
After sharing an affiliation with the Lightning in 2020-21, the Panthers paid it forward by offering up some spots on the Checkers to players from the expansion Kraken throughout this season.
Four players from Seattle's organization finished within the top-10 in scoring on Charlotte, including Alexander True, who paced the team in scoring with 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists), and Cale Fleury, who led the team's defensive corps with 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists).
Rather than being in competition, Panthers and Kraken prospects were pulling for each other.
"I've been on teams before where you're just part of one parent club and intercompetition is good, but it can also be kind of detrimental," said Dalpe, who is in the first year of a two-year, two-way deal with the Panthers. "I think with this split you're more rooting for each other. I've watched lot of hockey this year with Florida, but I've watched a lot of Seattle games, too. I know I'm not under contract by them, but I'm a hockey nerd and I like to watch games. When one of your teammates gets called up to a different team, you want to watch and see how they do."
POWERFUL PROSPECTS
Looking specifically at the Panthers, it was a great year for prospects in the AHL.
Among the players that made the biggest impact on offense, Cole Schwindt, a third-round pick in 2019, finished tied for second on the Checkers with 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists), Aleksi Heponiemi, a second-round pick in 2017, was fifth with 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists), and Logan Hutsko, a third-round pick in 2018, ended up sixth with 38 points (10 goals, 28 assists).
"We're all living in the same building," Schwindt said of the team's young core. "We've been with each other every single day all year and we've gotten pretty close. I think that's a big piece of it. You get your rookie group together, and we're all tight.
"We enjoy spending time together, and that definitely transfers onto the ice. Once we step foot on the ice, we want to challenge each other and make each other better. Then after we get off the ice, we can make fun of each other. It's been great."
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
Shepherding those rookies, the Checkers benefitted from a strong group of veterans.
In addition to Dalpe, who's played in 154 games in the NHL, serving as captain, the roster also consists of players like Scott Wilson (193 NHL games) and Connor Carrick (241 NHL games).
"We have the kind of team where there's big leaders throughout," Schwindt said. "From the top to the bottom, Captain Dalps, Wilson, [Max] McCormick, Carrick on the back end. There's a whole ton of guys that have been through this before and they know what it takes to win."
Dalpe said he took pride in trying to make the locker room as tight as it could be. "I do take pride in having a close room," said Dalpe, the seventh captain in Charlotte's history.
"It's funny because during Florida's camp I saw how close all of Florida's guys were, so I felt it was something that I was responsible to do in Charlotte. If this is something that the older guys and leadership have cemented in Florida, I felt like it was kind of my duty to take that here."
EVERYONE CHIPPING IN
What's the best way to sum up Charlotte's identity?
"The word I use all the time is dependable," Kinnear said. "No matter what situation they're put in, players are dependable. We've had a lot of pieces, a lot of people play different spots within the lineup, guys coming in and out of the lineup. When I say they're dependable, it means they make the most of an opportunity. That's what this group is. They're dependable and committed."
That all-hands-on-deck mentality was certainly visible on offense.
With everyone on the ice getting involved to help the Checkers finish 11th in the AHL on offense with an average of 3.25 goals per contest, 10 different skaters accumulated at least 30 points.
"I think there was a big learning curve, but when you come to work every single day and have the mindset of getting better today, then you learn quickly," Kinnear said. "Some came in and contributed right away, but they went through their struggles and persevered through it."
DOMINANT ON DEFENSE
Finding success from the back end out, the Checkers gave opposing teams fits en route to finishing fourth on defense (2.74 goals allowed per tilt) and second on the penalty kill (85%).
Over their final 22 games, they gave up two or fewer goals 16 times.
"I think we play a lot like Florida does, to be honest with you," Dalpe said. "I don't know if that's by default. We have a lot of skill and size, kind of like Florida does. I think we come at you in waves like Florida does. I think Geordie trusts everyone, no matter who that is, every night. Obviously you can't win without great goaltenders, which is what we've had all season long."
Standing tall between the pipes, Joey Daccord, a Seattle prospect, and Christopher Gibson, a veteran add by the Panthers in the 2020-21 offseason, both had strong seasons. Daccord posted a 19-11-2 record with a .925 save percentage in 34 games, while Gibson, who missed much of the season due to an injury, went 7-5-2 with a .905 save percentage when he saw time in the net.
In five games after returning from injury, Gibson went 3-0-2 while surrendering just seven goals.
RESTING UP FOR BRIDGEPORT
The Checkers are itching to get going.
Last taking the ice during their regular-season finale on April 23, players will have gone almost three weeks without a game by the time their playoff series with Bridgeport begins on Tuesday.
But after a long regular season, that all that downtime could prove to be beneficial.
"For us, I think we can use rest as a weapon," Schwindt said. "Obviously we're going to stay on the ice and keep ourselves in good shape, but kind of let the mind slow down for a little bit. We played a good stretch of games, so I think we're going to come back hungry and ready to go."
In eight meetings this season, the Checkers and Islanders each won four times.
WELCOME TO CHARLOTTE
I think it's safe to say that one of the unsung heroes of this season is the city of Charlotte.
All you have to do is just hop on Instagram to see how much players seem to enjoy the area.
In turn, it appears that comfort off the ice has helped lead to success on it.
"I can't say enough good things about the city," Schwindt said. "It's definitely a treat to play here and an honor to be in this system and get the chance to play in a city like this. It's honestly been such an unbelievable year. We've got some unfinished business coming up here."
As far as an AHL affiliate goes, the Panthers likely couldn't have picked a better club.
\Photo Credit: Charlotte Checkers*
