BACK 2 THE BEARS: CONNOR CARRICK
June 16, 2015
It was incredible to see what a full season in the AHL did for defenseman Connor Carrick’s all-around game. It was well-known how talented he is offensively, after his 44-point season with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers in 2012-13 and his 18 points posted in the OHL postseason. The topic of conversation last year dealt with the amount of time Carrick split between Hershey and Washington but only logging 47 total games (34 with the Capitals, 13 in Chocolatetown). In his “developmental” season, was that the right situation for the then-20-year-old? Most concurred: no. Carrick, now 21 and always a consummate professional and respectful, mature individual, showed what he could do when given the minutes. In 73 games, he recorded 42 points (8-34-42), which was good enough to finish sixth overall among his Bears teammates. The improvement in his defensive game as the season transpired was certainly noticeable, and assistant coach Bryan Helmer had a lot to do with that. He finished second among all AHL defensemen in power play assists (18), and his 22 power play points ranked fourth among all blueliners. He also ended in sole possession of eighth place in overall scoring on the blue line. All of that was enough to earn him an appearance with the Eastern Conference squad at the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic, in which he recorded one assist. What was most impressive about Carrick’s offense was the fact that he became the first Bears defenseman to post 40 or more points in a season since Patrick McNeill accomplished the task in 2011-12. Expect to see Carrick, who did not get to play in an NHL game last season, to get a very good chance in the next.
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