Laval Rocket: - 2024-25 Laval Rocket Thread | Page 67 | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League

Laval Rocket: 2024-25 Laval Rocket Thread



So Trudeau's injury isn't encouraging. And Wortherspoon is evaluated week-to-week and will obviously not be ready for the beginning of the Charlotte series.

So now they're down to 0 extra defensemen. Should another one get hurt, it will be curious what they do. They can't call someone up from 3R yet as they are also in a playoff run.
 
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So Trudeau's injury isn't encouraging. And Wortherspoon is evaluated week-to-week and will obviously not be ready for the beginning of the Charlotte series.

So now they're down to 0 extra defensemen. Should another one get hurt, it will be curious what they do. They can't call someone up from 3R yet as they are also in a playoff run.

This is a really dumb move. If another D goes down, Imagine losing because you’re short handed on D? I don’t think they can sign anyone at this stage?
 


So Trudeau's injury isn't encouraging. And Wortherspoon is evaluated week-to-week and will obviously not be ready for the beginning of the Charlotte series.

So now they're down to 0 extra defensemen. Should another one get hurt, it will be curious what they do. They can't call someone up from 3R yet as they are also in a playoff run.

Which is why releasing Protz from his ATO is such a head scratcher unless he showed he is not remotely ready.
 
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Trudeau is getting better and better. Big difference from the beginning of the season, particularly his offense.

Losing Wother and Trudeau is going to be a problem. From having a shortage of RHD earlier on now we're LHD short.
 
They're in their own playoff push. In fact if they win tonight, they go to the Kelly Cup Finals.

I think it would be unwise to mess with their playoffs.
Maybe, but playing Protz in the AHL is more messy than playing Proctor or Serentsis in TR.

Or maybe they can sign Protz again if they really need him?
 

Get to Know the Charlotte Checkers


''This will be the first-ever playoff matchup between the two teams. In fact, they’ve only faced each other eight times in regular season play, with the last meeting dating back to 2018. At that time, Martin Nečas, Nicolas Roy, and Alex Nedeljkovic were on the team, and the Checkers were affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes. They are now the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers.

By the Numbers

The Checkers swept the Atlantic Division Final against the Hershey Bears—a team that had won the Calder Cup the past two seasons—to earn their spot in the Eastern Conference Final. Charlotte also eliminated the Providence Bruins in five games.

They finished the regular season second in the Atlantic Division—and fourth in the AHL overall—with a record of 44-22-6, totaling 94 points. The Panthers’ affiliate ranked 8th in goals scored and 4th in goals against.

Charlotte has won the Calder Cup once, in 2019, with a five-game victory over the Chicago Wolves.

11 of the 20 players who suited up in the last game against Hershey have played at least one NHL game, including six with over 50 games of experience.

Among them are the team’s offensive leaders, Rasmus Asplund and John Leonard. Both have six points in eight playoff games, tied for the team lead.

Asplund, with 189 NHL games to his name, had 43 points in 63 regular season AHL games. Leonard—older brother of Capitals prospect Ryan Leonard—led the team in scoring this season with 61 points in 72 games.

The most experienced NHL player is Jesse Puljujärvi, the 4th overall pick in the 2016 draft. The gritty Finn has played 387 NHL games.

The Checkers also have goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen, who played four full NHL seasons between 2020 and 2024 with the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks.

Defenseman Tobias Björnfot, 24 years old, brings experience from 134 NHL games.

Exceptional Penalty Kill

One standout aspect of the Checkers is their special teams play—especially their so-called “penalty kill.”

In eight playoff games, Charlotte has allowed only two goals on 26 penalty kills (92.3%). Even more impressive, they have scored three shorthanded goals, meaning they’ve outscored opponents while down a player.

This dominance was also present during the regular season, where they had an 86.6% success rate on the penalty kill, scoring 16 shorthanded goals—leading the AHL in both categories.

Their power play hasn’t clicked yet in the playoffs (only two goals in 28 opportunities – 7.1%), but they were quite effective in the regular season, ranking 5th with a 21.2% success rate.

Unsurprisingly, the Checkers had the best combined special teams total in the AHL this season, with a total of 107.8 (power play + penalty kill percentages).

A Lockdown Defense

Naturally, their penalty kill success reflects the team’s overall strong defensive play. Charlotte has been able to completely shut down opposing offenses in the playoffs.

They allowed just 63 shots on goal over three games against the Hershey Bears—an average of only 21 shots per game. Their most impressive defensive effort came in the do-or-die game against the Providence Bruins, where they allowed only eight shots.

Actually, it’s not a new strategy for the playoffs. This is how Charlotte has played all season, with a very impressive shot differential. During the regular season, the team allowed an average of 23.3 shots per game, the lowest in the league. It also averaged 31.8 shots on goal, ranking second overall.''
 
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Get to Know the Charlotte Checkers


''This will be the first-ever playoff matchup between the two teams. In fact, they’ve only faced each other eight times in regular season play, with the last meeting dating back to 2018. At that time, Martin Nečas, Nicolas Roy, and Alex Nedeljkovic were on the team, and the Checkers were affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes. They are now the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers.

By the Numbers

The Checkers swept the Atlantic Division Final against the Hershey Bears—a team that had won the Calder Cup the past two seasons—to earn their spot in the Eastern Conference Final. Charlotte also eliminated the Providence Bruins in five games.

They finished the regular season second in the Atlantic Division—and fourth in the AHL overall—with a record of 44-22-6, totaling 94 points. The Panthers’ affiliate ranked 8th in goals scored and 4th in goals against.

Charlotte has won the Calder Cup once, in 2019, with a five-game victory over the Chicago Wolves.

11 of the 20 players who suited up in the last game against Hershey have played at least one NHL game, including six with over 50 games of experience.

Among them are the team’s offensive leaders, Rasmus Asplund and John Leonard. Both have six points in eight playoff games, tied for the team lead.

Asplund, with 189 NHL games to his name, had 43 points in 63 regular season AHL games. Leonard—older brother of Capitals prospect Ryan Leonard—led the team in scoring this season with 61 points in 72 games.

The most experienced NHL player is Jesse Puljujärvi, the 4th overall pick in the 2016 draft. The gritty Finn has played 387 NHL games.

The Checkers also have goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen, who played four full NHL seasons between 2020 and 2024 with the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks.

Defenseman Tobias Björnfot, 24 years old, brings experience from 134 NHL games.

Exceptional Penalty Kill

One standout aspect of the Checkers is their special teams play—especially their so-called “penalty kill.”

In eight playoff games, Charlotte has allowed only two goals on 26 penalty kills (92.3%). Even more impressive, they have scored three shorthanded goals, meaning they’ve outscored opponents while down a player.

This dominance was also present during the regular season, where they had an 86.6% success rate on the penalty kill, scoring 16 shorthanded goals—leading the AHL in both categories.

Their power play hasn’t clicked yet in the playoffs (only two goals in 28 opportunities – 7.1%), but they were quite effective in the regular season, ranking 5th with a 21.2% success rate.

Unsurprisingly, the Checkers had the best combined special teams total in the AHL this season, with a total of 107.8 (power play + penalty kill percentages).

A Lockdown Defense

Naturally, their penalty kill success reflects the team’s overall strong defensive play. Charlotte has been able to completely shut down opposing offenses in the playoffs.

They allowed just 63 shots on goal over three games against the Hershey Bears—an average of only 21 shots per game. Their most impressive defensive effort came in the do-or-die game against the Providence Bruins, where they allowed only eight shots.

Actually, it’s not a new strategy for the playoffs. This is how Charlotte has played all season, with a very impressive shot differential. During the regular season, the team allowed an average of 23.3 shots per game, the lowest in the league. It also averaged 31.8 shots on goal, ranking second overall.''
It doesn't get easier for sure.
 
They can always sign Protz back to another ATO if need be. This is probably cost savings related (plane, hotels, food, etc.) more than anything.

Edit : Nevermind that. Probably more to allow them to have a long enough season to train.
 
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