The Charlotte Checkers are heading to their first ever Calder Cup Finals. But how does that translate to future success for the Carolina Hurricanes roster?
After a spectacular double overtime win over the Toronto Marlies the Charlotte Checkers are heading to the Calder Cup finals against the Chicago Timberwolves for the first time in franchise history. While it is always fun to see Carolina Hockey succeed and hockey championships come to the great state of North Carolina, the biggest impact will be on the Carolina Hurricanes’ future.
Whenever the Charlotte Checkers succeed and do well, that success trickles up to the major league team. It’s not just about the players that the Carolina Hurricanes call up whenever they are short on their roster, but the culture and expectations that go up with them. These players show up in Raleigh expecting to win.
The change in Culture seen this season around the Carolina Hurricanes has been a beast created between the veteran leadership of seasoned players like Justin Williams, the infusion of youth created by rookies like Andrei Svechnikov, and a smorgasbord of opportunities cashed in on that has propelled this team to its first playoff berth since 2009.
But they didn’t stop there, they took the playoff run deep. The Carolina Hurricanes surged their way to the Eastern Conference Finals where they were cut down by the Boston Bruins. The Cinderella story may have come to an end, but there was so much pride and confidence that was instilled in this roster.
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But if they want to return to the playoffs and continue to compete and be a tough out for their eastern conference opponents they need to lean on the thing that helped them get this far the most, the expectation to win set by the players. But that expectation doesn’t come in a single season. It is developed over time.
The most important players that need this will be any additions from the minor leagues as the season goes by. Already this season players like Warren Foegele and Greg McKegg, guys who were not expected to be on the end of season roster back in September of 2018, have come in and taken their Charlotte Checkers success and translated it to high quality play in the NHL.
These were guys who stepped onto the ice and felt that it was their right to win. That the other team had to come and earn their victory if they were to have it. That winning was the expectation and not just the goal. That the playoffs were something that came with the territory of being an NHL player and not just a hopeful that may or may not come. And it made a difference.
It started with “Mr. Game Seven” Justin Williams who has missed the playoffs only seven times in his 20 year career who had made it clear that the playoffs were not the goal, that playoffs were only a side product of pursuing the true goal, lifting Lord Stanley’s 35 Lb. Cup over their heads as they skated in circles around a confetti filled ice rink.
The rest of the team bought into it and the success that we got was a fall short of the true goal, one that will be pursued again next year. For guys who came from Charlotte and their recent playoff runs over the last few seasons, going to the playoffs with the Carolina Hurricanes was expected. The real goal was a Championship.
With the Charlotte Checkers currently competing for the AHL Championship, the Calder Cup, that expectation is being solidly placed in the pipeline of players coming to Raleigh for seasons to come. Coach Mike Vellucci has created a culture in Charlotte that is not much unlike what Rod has in Raleigh. Players moving up or down will find the same environment. One built for winning.
With the Checkers in the Calder Cup Finals, the Carolina Hurricanes will be built for deep Cup runs for seasons and seasons to come. If they win the Cup, it will only be that much more. With multiple Checkers possibly moving to the big club next season, the effect of this reverberate soon and quickly. Its been a long time coming, but the success of Hockey in Carolina is here to stay.