LOTS OF MOVEMENT

You had to expect some moves were going to be made after the Pack have been on such a difficult run these past few games. The move they’ve made first is to recall Andrew Carroll from the ECHL Charlotte Checkers. Derek Wilkinson, GM and head coach of the Checkers told Howlings that, “Andy never stops playing. He’s tough and finishes his checks and is by far the hardest worker we’ve had on the team.” adding, “After practice the other day he was out on the ice by himself working on his game for an extra hour. Whenever we’re looking for him he’s almost always in the weight room or doing something that he needs to to improve himself.”

Wilkinson said he’s in exceptional shape. “He came into training camp as one of the top two or three of all the players in camp including the guys in New York.” No doubt that’s part of the hard work and dedication Carroll has in making the most of his chances.

Carroll has improved his offensive ability as well posting eight goals and four assist for twelve points in sixteen games. Wilkinson told Howlings that Carroll was very excited about this opportunity to come to Hartford even on a PTO. “When I told him he had gotten the call up from Hartford, there was this silence on the other end of the phone. His response was, ‘Really? They want me? Do they know I’d play for free?’ He’s that kind of a special kid and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

After the way the Pack played over the weekend, the Pack are likely looking for more grit and to get harder to play against. From the limited amount of games we’ve seen Carroll play, he would fit that bill.

Here’s the official release:

WOLF PACK SIGN FORWARD ANDREW CARROLL TO PTO

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Had Eight Goals and 12 Points in 16 ECHL Games with Charlotte HARTFORD, December 7, 2009:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Andrew Carroll to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement.

Carroll, a rookie out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, comes to the Wolf Pack from the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.  In 16 games with the Checkers, the 6-0, 200-pound native of Shoreview, MN scored eight goals, good for a tie for third on the Charlotte club, and added four assists for 12 points, along with 30 penalty minutes.

Last season Carroll joined the Checkers after his college season ended.  He was scoreless, with two PIM, in one regular season game and chipped in two assists, with 11 PIM, in six ECHL playoff contests.  In 43 WCHA games with Minnesota-Duluth in 2008-09, Carroll registered five goals and seven assists for 12 points, and served 36 minutes in penalties.

In 153 career games in four years at UMD, the 24-year-old Carroll had 29 goals and 28 assists for 57 points, plus 113 penalty minutes

Wilkinson had his own very busy day as well. Not only was he dealing with the Carroll call-up, but the Syracuse Crunch also called center, Daniel Tkaczuk. He did get a little bit of help on the back-end as Tysen Dowzak as assigned to the Checkers by the Rangers from the Central Hockey League. We’ll check in later with Jess Rubenstein of The Prospect Park tells Howlings that “Dowzak is a good kid who has a huge amount of size. The knock on him is that coaches want him to be more physicial. He is a smart player but he needs a mean streak if he wants to go anywhere with a career.”

Here’s the official release:

TKACZUK, CARROLL CALLED UP; DOWZAK ASSIGNED

High-scoring Veteran And Rookie Forward Latest To Get The Call

Charlotte Checkers general manager and head coach Derek Wilkinson announced today that Daniel Tkaczuk has been loaned to the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch and rookie Andrew Carroll has been loaned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, also of the AHL.

Tkaczuk, a former member of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, has 18 points (6g, 12a) in 12 games since joining the Checkers, including a three-goal, two-assist performance on Nov. 26 against Gwinnett. The 30-year-old native of Toronto, Ontario spent the last six seasons in the German Elite League, Finnish Elite League and Italian League, where he led Milan to two consecutive Italian League Championships in 2004 and 2005.

Carroll, 24, has eight goals and four assists in 16 games for the Checkers this season. On Dec. 4, he scored his first career game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over Elmira. The Shoreview, Minn. native had a team-high five-game goal scoring streak from Nov. 13 to Nov. 20.

In a separate transaction, defenseman Tysen Dowzak was assigned to the team by the New York Rangers. Dowzak appeared in two preseason games with the Checkers before being reassigned to Bossier-Shreveport of the Central Hockey League.

The Checkers (12-6-2-0) will continue their five-game road trip on Wednesday in Florida and will return to Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 16 to host South Carolina. Game time is 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com

Notes: Randy Rowe has nine points (5g, 4a) in six games since being activated off injured reserve…Daniel Tkaczuk has 18 points (6g, 12a) in 12 games since joining the team…T.J. Reynolds leads all ECHL defensemen with 94 penalty minutes and 10 fighting majors and leads the Checkers with a +12 rating…Derek Couture remains on loan to Hartford, Matt Ford remains with Lake Erie (AHL) and defenseman Ethan Graham is with Norfolk (AHL)…Trevor Glass and Aaron Slattengren are on the 21-day injured reserve.

Even more news as T.J. Reynolds was named the ECHL Plus performer of the month.

Here’s that release:

REYNOLDS NAMED ECHL PLUS PERFORMER OF THE MONTH

Checkers Blueliner Led League With +13 Rating In November

Eight Checkers players ranked in the top 10 for plus-minus rating in November in the entire ECHL, including rookie defenseman, and runner-up Plus Performer, Mike Berube who was +12

The ECHL announced today that Checkers veteran defenseman and resident enforcer T.J. Reynolds has been named the AMI Graphics ECHL Plus Performer of the Month for November after leading the league with a plus-minus rating of +13.

Reynolds was even or better in 11 of 12 games in November, helping the Checkers to an 8-3-2 record. On Nov. 15 against Elmira, he was +4 and scored a goal in a 4-2 win. Reynolds leads the Checkers and is tied for third among league defenseman with a plus-minus rating of +12 while his seven assists and 10 points rank second among Charlotte defensemen.

The 28-year-old blueliner from Kitchener, Ontario also leads all ECHL defensemen in penalty minutes with 94.

A veteran of seven seasons, Reynolds has played in 152 American Hockey League games, prior to joining the Checkers, and has also seen action in the ECHL and United Hockey League. In 367 career games, he has 12 goals, 40 assists and 1467 penalty minutes.