His Progression in Charlotte
It took a while for Lorentz to find his footing in the AHL. He played 84 games in his first two pro years for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, where he was quite successful. He finally secured his AHL spot mid-way through last season, and even contributed 5 points in 12 games during the Checkers’ playoff run.
However, I don’t think anybody could have envisioned the eye-opening breakout season that Lorentz is enjoying this year. After a slow-ish start to the season, Lorentz has exploded lately, and has become a vital part of Charlotte’s success. He has 20 goals and 21 assists in their past 48 games, and leads the team with a +22 rating.
His breakout has been an extremely important development for Charlotte’s success, and definitely could have played a role in Carolina being OK with trading off prospects like Julien Gauthier, Janne Kuokkanen and Eetu Luostarinen – who were all unlikely to fill Carolina’s top-six. Lorentz is perfectly suited for a bottom-6 NHL role, and maybe sold the Canes’ brass on his upside in that department.
"“There is so much you learn along the way about yourself and your team,” Lorentz said. “The biggest thing is how to win. It takes so much.”"
Here’s a little sneak peek at his offensive ability. He used his frame to create space for himself in the slot, and though the pass to Lorentz was behind him, he managed to wire a top-shelf shot past the goalie while getting crossed-checked to the ice. Truly a remarkable goal:
Look at this! pic.twitter.com/78haKeJmW1
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) March 1, 2020
I mean, really. How great was that!?
https://twitter.com/checkershockey/status/1234254576532017153?s=21