Carolina Hurricanes Need Charlotte Checkers Revival Project to Work

The return to a renovated Bojangles Coliseum and a change at head coach are expected to begin a new era for the Charlotte Checkers, AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, next season.

Additionally, 'Canes general manager Ron Francis has already shown more interest than his predecessor, Jim Rutherford, in the Checkers' on-ice product, which has soured in recent years without the presence of established AHL veterans.

The collective effort to refresh and revitalize the Checkers is one with surprising importance to the Hurricanes' NHL club.

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Next season, the Checkers will move from Time Warner Cable Arena (in the heart of uptown Charlotte)—their home over the past five years since the 'Canes moved their AHL affiliate from Albany, New York, in 2010—to the suburban Bojangles Coliseum, a 60-year-old arena that housed the ECHL-level Checkers from 1956-1977 and 1993-2005.

The team has drawn relatively strong community support during their time in uptown, ranking 10th in the AHL in attendance in 2014-15. However, the cavernous NBA arena was far from optimized for hockey. The Coliseum, meanwhile, will undergo a $16 million renovation prior to October's season opener.

Season	Record	Playoffs?
2010-11	44-27-9	Conf. Finals
2011-12	38-29-9	No
2012-13	42-26-8	First Round
2013-14	37-36-3	No
2014-15	31-38-7	No

Of greater concern to their parent franchise, though, is the Checkers' play on the ice.

After advancing to the Eastern Conference Final in 2010-11 and finishing third in the Western Conference in the 2012-13 regular season, the Checkers have finished 11th and 13th, respectively, in the 15-team conference over the last two seasons. They finished second to last in the league in scoring this past year.

The team fired head coach and general manger Jeff Daniels after the campaign's conclusion, ending his seven-year tenure at the helm of both positions. A replacement has not yet been named, but the end of the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup Finals within the next eight days will likely open the floodgates on coach free agency.

Gregg Forwerck/Getty Images

But veteran goaltender Drew MacIntyre's decision to re-sign with Charlotte last week offers perhaps the most telling—and optimism-inducing—glimpse into Ron Francis' vision for the future of the Checkers.

In 2014-15, the Checkers roster boasted just four regular players over the age of 24, and the 'Canes have long considered their AHL affiliate more of a prospect training ground than an independent club.

As documented by Nicholas Niedzielski of GoCheckers.com, MacIntyre, 31, made clear at his exit interview that he wouldn't consider re-signing if Charlotte would again be one of the AHL's youngest teams next season.

Seven weeks later, MacIntyre had the following to say to Niedzielski about why he is now coming back:

"

[Ron Francis] said he wants to sign some older guys and there’s going to be a new coach and they want to win here. That’s all I needed to hear.

Ron was true to his word. Near the end of the season he told my agent [that I would hear by] the end of May (whether a new contract would be offered or not) and he was true to his word and I appreciate that.

"

The move to place additional emphasis on the Checkers' actual win-loss record—rather than merely its developmental effectiveness—comes at a time when the value of a strong minor league affiliate is being showcased on the NHL's biggest stage.

Steve Russell/Associated Press

Three of the current Stanley Cup finalist Tampa Bay Lightning's top five playoffs scorers (Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat), as well as head coach Jon Cooper, were previously part of the Lightning's AHL affiliate in Norfolk in 2011-12.

That Norfolk team set a professional sports record with 28 consecutive wins and won 70 of 94 games in the regular and postseason combined en route to the AHL title. That Norfolk team also sported, despite its plethora of talented youngsters, 12 players older than 24 years old.

Three years down the road, the Bolts are thriving on the experience gained by the prospects intermixed among the veterans on that Norfolk team. And indeed, history reveals significant positive correlations in both points and goal differential between an AHL team in any given year and their NHL parent team three years later.

Such statistics reinforce the veritable importance of the Checkers' new revitalization campaign on not only hockey in Charlotte but also hockey in Raleigh.

How the Checkers fare in the 2015-16 AHL season—in a new home, under a new coach, with a new complexion of players—will, in time, substantially matter to the Hurricanes.

Mark Jones has been a Carolina Hurricanes Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report since 2009. Visit his profile to read more or follow him on Twitter.