'Energized' by AHL Squad

The Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte Checkers are in Springfield (MA) Wednesday for Game 2 of a third-round series in the Calder Cup playoffs. For a change, there are no major changes in the Charlotte lineup.
Throughout a division-winning regular season, Checkers coaches Geordie Kinnear and assistant Dan Bylsma have worked with and around the ever-percolating moves by the Kraken and Florida Panthers in a shared AHL arrangement between the two teams this season. Seattle is prepared to launch the pro development league's 32nd franchise, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and open a brand-new 10,000-seat Acrisure Arena next season.

Kraken GM Ron Francis and his hockey operations group are preparing for the upcoming NHL Draft (July 7-8) and NHL Free Agency (opens July 13) while simultaneously looking to stock a full AHL roster for the Firebirds inaugural season. For now, Bylsma and Kinnear are strategizing how to keep advancing in the AHL bracket with set group of Kraken and Panthers developing pros assigned to Charlotte for the postseason.
"It's actually energizing to be working with young players," said Bylsma by phone over the weekend, addressing a query fans might be pondering if they know the Charlotte assistant won a Stanley Cup as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and sports a winning record in the regular season and postseason in six seasons as an NHL head coach. "It's been rewarding to see the players progressing with their individual skills and how we have played as a team in the last 25 games."
Bylsma was referring to the Checkers losing just four times in those contests over a stretch run to first place in the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs. They dropped Game 1 to division rival Springfield in the current best-of-five series and will be angling for split Wednesday to return home for all remaining games at home before the usual raucous Charlotte fans.
Bylsma explained the Checkers coaching staff has been reviewing Springfield video, especially games played between the two teams this season. He noted Games 35 and 36 on film featured a bunch of players no longer on rosters ("whole different group") while late-season film review involved the current roster of players who have won two playoff series to date.
It's a group clearly buying into the coaches' message for "players to get better every day" and "work hard to be a good teammate." Bylsma said Kraken developing pros Alexander True and Max McCormick, who both spent significant time at the NHL level.
"Alexander was gone from our club for about a month [when he was on the Kraken active roster]," said Bylsma about the team's leading scorer. "But when he's been here, he's done that, delivered on being the best teammate.
"Max has been a great leader. He comes to work every day wanting to get better. They both do the little things [forecheck, block shots, draw penalties, skate all-out in practice] that teammates notice."
True and McCormick have been on the same line during 5-on-5 play for a good part of their time in Charlotte, plus the power play. Checkers score sheets include numerous primary assists on the other one's goals.
Bylsma has naturally worked with the defensemen, including Kraken developing pros Cale Fleury, Gustav Olafsson, Connor Carrick and, later season, Dennis Cholowski. Along with two decades of coaching experience at NHL, AHL and ECHL stops, Bylsma played 429 NHL games for Los Angeles and Anaheim over nine seasons.
"I've always said goalie is the hardest position in sports," said Bylsma. "But playing defense is another position in which you can get exposed, make mistakes that are evident. When you make those mistakes, you can kind of go into a hole, losing confidence and get overrun."
In the AHL, the concept is to give young pros more ice time and opportunity to correct mistakes with less fear of dropping out of the lineup. Teams still intend to win but there is a symbiotic commitment to "let players go out there and keep doing it."
Bylsma pointed to Cale Fleury as an example: "Cale is not a mistake-free player, nobody is. He plays a hard, solid game. He's a great defender and has exuded that all season long for us ... I believe he can play in the National Hockey League. I am happy he was rewarded with playing some games for the Kraken. He played confidently [Seattle coach Dave Hakstol called Fleury 'poised' more than once]."
Wednesday and the remainder of the Charlotte-Springfield series (and fans hope beyond) is a chance for all of the Kraken developing pros to get better, grow as good teammates and build a championship mentality. They will do it playing 15 to 20 minutes per game instead of eight to 10 as an NHL fourth-liner or on a third defensive pairing.
"Going back to my past experience as a player, we all think there is ample opportunity for everyone to play [during an NHL game]," said Bylsma. "It's just not always the case. The younger player might not get the opportunity to fully develop. In the AHL, you get the opportunity to play and improve."