Canes hope youth fuels team in fall

RALEIGH -- Paul Maurice said he wants to get back to the "Carolina Hurricanes identity" next season.

Which is?

"Very aggressive, a real high-energy game," the Hurricanes' coach said. "A lot of skating, a lot of motion."

It was the style of play, Maurice said, the Canes used to surge into the Stanley Cup playoffs a year ago. And, for whatever reason, it was a style of play missing early this season as the Canes were slow - painfully slow - coming out of the starting gate. Not enough movement, not enough quickness.

That would change over time as the Canes' lineup changed. In came center Brandon Sutter from the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League, along with the likes of forward Patrick Dwyer and defenseman Brett Carson. Later came Jamie McBain and Zach Boychuk, Drayson Bowman and Jiri Tlusty and others.

All are in their 20s and were eager to get a chance in the NHL. With injuries to the Canes' regulars, some played earlier than others and some played more than others. But while they differed in skills, their energy level, Maurice said, was palpable and useful.

"You bring seven or eight guys who started the year in the American Hockey League into your room, they're pretty excited about being in Carolina ... [and] made a difference in terms of lightening things up," Maurice said. "They didn't feel responsible for some of the things that happened, so when they came in they played loose and fast. Not undisciplined loose, but they played with a lot of energy."

Some of the Hurricanes' veterans picked up their games, and some returned from injuries. From December on, the Canes became a younger team but also a tougher team to beat.

"Sometimes when you bring those younger legs in a little bit, we can get back to how we view our game," Maurice said. "It's a two-man forecheck, it's an aggressive game.

"If we're going to make a mistake, we want to make it going, not sitting back. I felt we were a lot closer to that game the last four and a half months."

But that's not to say the Hurricanes' lineup will be loaded with young guys next season, from the opening game in Helsinki, Finland. Some may come into training camp and win a spot on the roster, but general manager Jim Rutherford said that making the roster may not be an 82-game commitment.

McBain, 22, was impressive on the back end, with 10 points in the last 14 games of the season. Rutherford said a fair question, given McBain's strong play, would be why he wasn't called up much earlier.

"But I'm not sure he would have played it that way," Rutherford said. "We needed to give him all the confidence he needed and to play that time in the minors, that when he came here he had confidence and when he made mistakes he was confident enough to come out of it."

It's possible, Rutherford said, that some players will start with the Canes and then be shuttled between the big club and the Charlotte Checkers, their new AHL affiliate.

"Training camp will be very competitive for those players, and there will be spots open for them," Rutherford said. "But it doesn't mean that Boychuk and Bowman automatically have to make the team. It doesn't mean they have to play the whole season.

"It may mean that they flip-flop a little bit. They get into the grind, and after a month they get worn down, and maybe after a month we have to flip them out. And we have other players who are sitting there."

Forward Zac Dalpe finished up his sophomore season at Ohio State this year, then played with the Rats and was highly productive. Forward Oskar Osala, obtained in the March 3 trade with the Washington Capitals, has good size and showed off an ability to score goals. Jerome Samson was the Rats' leading scorer and Chris Terry had a solid season.

"We can flip them all the time," Rutherford said. "They don't need waivers. We're trying to develop these guys properly.

"And if these young players like Dalpe and Osala and Terry and Bowman and Boychuk, if they end up not playing here all year, nobody should be disappointed about that. We're just trying to give them the confidence to develop them into top-line players in the National Hockey League, not just to be here."