After playing one game with the Hurricanes on Tuesday, Zac Dalpe is returning to the Checkers.
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The transaction, the ninth between Charlotte’s last game in Abbotsford on Saturday and their next one in Norfolk tonight, results in yet another addition for the Checkers. With Carolina approaching full health after a rash of injuries that caused them to raid its AHL club in recent weeks, Dalpe, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Michal Jordan, Andreas Nodl and Jeremy Welsh have all returned following NHL stints of varying lengths.
Provided he can make the roughly three-hour drive from Raleigh to Norfolk before tonight’s 7:30 p.m. start, Dalpe is eligible to play against the Admirals.
Of players recalled to Carolina since Feb. 14, only Riley Nash remains with the Hurricanes. That gives the Checkers the strongest lineup they’ve had in some time, even with captain Brett Sutter set to miss the Norfolk game due to suspension.
In his second NHL stint of the season, Dalpe logged 13 minutes of ice time and posted a minus-1 rating in the 3-0 loss in Washington. He was a healthy scratch for the team’s 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Thursday.
At the AHL level, Dalpe has 17 points (10g, 7a) in his last 13 games, including a four-point performance on Friday that tied the Checkers’ franchise record. He also scored two shorthanded goals in that game, becoming the first player in team history to do so.
In his third professional season, Dalpe ranks second on the Checkers with 36 points (18g, 18a) in 45 games.
