How the Hurricanes’ culture, depth prepared them for COVID-induced NHL player shortage
The Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League are proud affiliates of the Carolina Hurricanes, but you’ll have to forgive the team’s staff — and its fan base — if their heads are spinning at the moment.
Their players have remained relatively healthy amid the COVID-19 crisis that is enveloping the rest of the professional hockey world, which should be a good thing.
But the Canes have not been so lucky, with nine players placed in NHL Covid protocol over the past three weeks, including six currently sidelined. To compensate, Carolina has pillaged the Wolves’ roster to the tune of seven call-ups.
In Saturday’s game against the visiting L.A. Kings, the Canes suited up five forwards — 5 of 12 — who started the season in the AHL (most of whom played in Chicago as recently as last week). They’d have done the same Thursday against Detroit had they been allowed, though the league mandated they play with 16 skaters before being allowed to call up another pair of players Saturday.
Thursday, despite playing seven NHL forwards — 10 in all — the Canes beat the Wings, 5-3. Saturday, the Canes were allowed a full lineup, but they still iced only seven NHL regulars up front. The result was the same against the Kings — a 5-1 win in their final home game before the holiday break.
Showing their stuff
Before Thursday’s contest, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said that while the situation is less than ideal, there is an upside.
“It’s a great opportunity for guys coming up and making their debuts,” Brind’Amour said. “What better opportunity are you going to have than the ice time you’re going to get (Thursday)?
“It’s not ideal. I get it. But there’s no point focusing on that. It’s a great opportunity to show your stuff.”
The AHL call-ups have indeed “shown their stuff.” Jack Drury, in his first NHL game Thursday, scored a goal and didn’t look at all out of place alongside Derek Stepan and fellow call-up Stefan Noesen. Saturday, Drury added his second NHL goal in as many games on a snipe from the low slot on a partial breakaway in the third period.
Max Lajoie and Jalen Chatfield filled in admirably on the blue line when the entire right side of the Canes’ NHL defensive group was down with COVID (Chatfield has since been placed on the IR).
And Saturday, C.J. Smith made his Canes debut. Smith and NHL journeyman Josh Leivo were the team’s emergency call-ups to help fill out its decimated roster. Leivo kept the call-up momentum churning with an assist on Pesce’s goal. Smith saw limited action, but more as the game wore on after another injury — this time to Martin Necas.
“To be 100 percent honest, if coming into these two games you would have said we’d be coming out with two victories this way, I would have been not surprised, but I would have said, ‘hell, that’s big time,’” Brind’Amour said after Saturday’s game. “Whether it’s the process or whatever, I think guys are just working hard. Kudos to all the guys that came in because they all contributed and played hard.”
Organizational depth
So, what does this mean?
It means, at the very least, the Hurricanes are among the deepest organizations in the National Hockey League. That they can bring up so many players from the AHL and not appear to miss a beat at the NHL level is a testament to the players’ abilities, sure. But it’s also a testament to the team’s scouting staff, and its ability to identify, draft and otherwise acquire NHL-ready talent willing to pay their dues in the minors and be a part of a winning organization’s depth chart, ready to be called upon at a moment’s notice.
Drury is the lone Canes draft pick among the latest group of call-ups, though he joins Seth Jarvis as a recent high draft pick to debut with the big club this season.
The rest of the crew has been pieced together by the Canes’ brass, addressing a need that they identified last season during the abbreviated regular season and into the playoffs.
In the AHL this season, Andrew Poturalski, Smith, Noesen, Leivo and Drury — in that order — are the top five scorers on the Wolves roster; Poturalski and Smith are 1-2 in the AHL in points.
“Got to give management a lot of credit this offseason just making sure we had those guys down there, guys that could play and had experience,” Brind’Amour said after Thursday’s win. “I think that’s been huge and I think it’s good draft picks. Good by management again recognizing the kind of players we need around here.”
The players who’ve been around the league a while have noticed, too.
“In the situation we are, guys come up and play on that level, it’s just crazy,” Canes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi said Saturday. “That tells you about this organization and how good it is. We can trust those guys every night. It’s been great.”
Changing the culture
Beyond the players’ abilities and the organization’s scouting prowess, though, is a culture that seeps from the top downward, a culture that for years in Carolina was missing, one that focuses on organizational excellence and winning. Players who have been here for years have been effusing praise, most often of the locker-room embodiment of that culture, Brind’Amour himself.
When team owner Tom Dundon first introduced Brind’Amour as the team’s new coach in May 2018, he made his objective very clear:
“My philosophy is much more about culture and leadership and I felt like we had a sure thing,” Dundon said of Brind’Amour. “For sure, we had someone that does it the right way. If we’re going to change the culture here, we’ve got to have someone leading it. We know what he embodies in life is the culture we want for the team.”
Three seasons later, in May 2021, star forward Sebastian Aho -- one of the Canes currently sidelined -- gave us all an update:
“His impact for this organization, for the team, for the individuals, it’s huge the work he puts in,” Aho said in May. “The leadership, the whole culture is pretty much him. It’s been awesome having him as a coach for the past three years.”
And the new guys? They’re already seeing it, too.
“I think the culture we have in Carolina blends down into Chicago, and I think we bring that same work ethic that they do up here and try to have the same mentality, that way whenever someone’s number is called, they’re ready,” Drury said Thursday.
Five players in Saturday night’s lineup — and seven overall — have heeded that call already this season. With the unpredictability of the current COVID-19 outbreak, not to mention the regular wear and tear on an NHL team injury-wise, it’s likely we’ll see even more regular AHL skaters in Raleigh this season.
No doubt those players will also be well prepared for the rigors of playing for Brind’Amour and the Canes against top NHL competition.
The Chicago Wolves — and their fans — better get used to having their heads on a swivel.
This story was originally published December 19, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
