📝 by Patrick Williams
Speak with Syracuse Crunch defenseman Trevor Carrick even once, and it is quite apparent why the Tampa Bay Lightning wanted him last summer.
With 539 AHL games to his name along with a Calder Cup title, Carrick was brought in by the Lightning as a strong recall option who could also take on heavy minutes in Syracuse and provide proven leadership and experience.
Originally taken in the fourth round of the 2012 National Hockey League Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, Carrick played five seasons in that organization with the Charlotte Checkers, wrapping up his run there with a Calder Cup championship in 2019. The native of Stouffville, Ont., played one season in San Jose and two more in San Diego (where he was teammates with his brother, Sam) before returning to the Eastern Conference in 2022-23.
The Crunch once again find themselves in the North Division playoff chase, two points behind second-place Utica. On Saturday night against Rochester, Carrick scored his 10th goal of the season in a 4-2 win, hitting the double-digit mark for the fourth time in his nine AHL seasons.
While standout All-Star Darren Raddysh is still on recall with Tampa Bay, Carrick is securing the Crunch blue line. Here are his thoughts on his first season in Syracuse and more:
ON WHY TAMPA BAY WAS THE RIGHT FIT FOR HIM
“Just the organization, to be honest… Everything I heard. Talking with all the management, (Lightning vice president and general manager) Julien BriseBois, and everybody. The decision was pretty easy. They’re trying to win again, and they’re going to give [Syracuse] the best chance to win, so any time you get to hear that it’s exciting.
“And [Syracuse is] close to home, too. The West Coast is tough with the time change. I loved my time out there, but it’s nice to be home and see the snow again. I hadn’t seen the snow in a few years.”
ON HIS FIRST SEASON IN SYRACUSE
“It’s been good. It’s been very welcoming here. It’s a first-class organization. Like anywhere… it’s an adjustment, right? New city, new teammates, new coaching staff, new system. But everyone’s been great so far.
“Especially the ‘D’ corps, the communication is very good, and playing with a guy like Darren Raddysh, he makes it easy out there.”
ON PLAYING FOR HEAD COACH BEN GROULX
“It does take time to adjust. I [was] playing in San Diego last year with a similar coach, Joël Bouchard, so for me I was kind of lucky. Coming here I realized that pretty instantly.
“I think if you’re a younger guy, you probably get it a little more. But I think it’s good, though. Those younger guys, they need that. He knows when to talk to me and give it to me and kind of knows when to leave me alone. It’s been a good transition.”
ON PLAYING FOR KEVIN DINEEN IN SAN DIEGO
“The year I got him, it was kind of unfortunate just it being that COVID year. But I was playing there with my brother, and he kind of gave me a heads-up. [Dineen is a] really good coach, and you’re going to learn a lot, and I was lucky enough to do that. Just a high-intensity guy, and I’ve had a few of those coaches now so far. But super-good teacher, and the amount of stuff I took away from him was incredible that year.”
ON DARREN RADDYSH
“To be honest, I didn’t know much about him coming into the team, and obviously it really only took a couple games to realize the threat that he was. Playing with him was a treat.
“He’s put up some good numbers, but he doesn’t force it. He plays his position very well and he’s easy to read, so playing with him was a treat, and it made it really easy out there.”
ON FORMER TEAMMATE ZACK STORTINI NOW BEING AN ASSISTANT COACH WITH THE TUCSON ROADRUNNERS
“I’m not surprised. When I found out he got into coaching right away, I could kind of see that transition [from] my last years playing with him. Especially with the younger guys, he knows when to talk with them and just kind of calm things down when things weren’t going well. He was great for that.
“Jack Thompson had him last year in Sudbury, so we had some good conversations about him. Actually, when I lived in Sudbury when I played there, my billet was his next-door neighbor, so I got the chance to meet him as a young kid and then to get the chance to play with him was kind of funny.
“I think he’s going to have a long, successful career coaching, and I’m happy to see him in Tucson. Players are going to respect him.”
TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams has been on the American Hockey League beat for nearly two decades for outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, The Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and SLAM! Sports, and was most recently the co-host of The Hockey News On The ‘A’ podcast. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
