📝 by Patrick Williams
Zac Dalpe took a look around, liked what he saw, and signed up for more of it.
The Charlotte Checkers captain has experienced a National Hockey League revival of sorts, playing 14 games (two goals, two assists) with the Florida Panthers this season. It marks his longest stay in the NHL since he logged 21 games with the Buffalo Sabres back in 2014-15.
Dalpe has also been his usual productive self in Charlotte, ranking second on the team with 21 goals in only 47 games while also pitching in 14 assists.
Whether he is in South Florida or Charlotte, Dalpe and the Panthers are happy together. The sides agreed to a two-year, two-way contract extension on March 27 that will carry through the 2024-25 season.
Dalpe spent the first three years of his pro career with the Checkers, including a run to the conference finals as a rookie in 2010-11. Now he and his family have settled in the area and bought a home.
“Zac is a natural leader and his impact on our franchise is felt on and off the ice,” Florida general manager Bill Zito said when announcing the agreement. “A high-character athlete and relentlessly competitive forward, we are grateful for his continued dedication to our organization.”
With a bit of quiet time to chat on a recent afternoon while his young children napped, Dalpe sat down with TheAHL.com to share his thoughts on being back in the NHL, the Checkers, life in Charlotte, and more:
ON THE DECISION TO RE-SIGN WITH FLORIDA
“I had a pretty good training camp. I have a really close relationship with Bill Zito. (Zito was GM of the Cleveland Monsters when Dalpe played there from 2017 to 2020.) He said, ‘I loved your camp. Let’s get something done here for next year.’
“Both sides were more than willing to strike up a deal. It finally came to fruition. But it was always something that was kind of talked about. It’s nice as a player to not have it over your head anymore and to get something done. It’s somewhere I want to be. I live in Charlotte with my wife and kids, and I didn’t see [us] going anywhere else.”
ON WHETHER HE EXPECTED TO GET AN EXTENDED NHL OPPORTUNITY AT AGE 33
“You always hope you’re going to get a shot, especially being on a two-way contract. But prospects come in and young guys, and you get pushed down the ladder a bit.
“I had a really good camp, and I had Paul Maurice as a rookie (in Carolina), and I think he was familiar with my game. That old saying that you’ve got to be ready when you get the call, I know it’s super-cliche and corny to say, but I was ready. I got called up and scored a goal in the first game, and you kind of build the coach’s trust from there.
“The whole thing was pretty surreal. It had been a long time since I played that many NHL games. To be doing it into your 30’s is probably not something that I had on my bingo card at the start of the season, but it’s nice that it worked out.”
ON ADJUSTING TO DIFFERENT ROLES WITH FLORIDA AND CHARLOTTE
“It’s harder than you think. I wouldn’t say it’s the hardest thing ever to play [fewer] minutes, but it is hard. Every shift, it’s going to be magnified into being very, very important. And then you come down to Charlotte, and you’re like, ‘I’m just going to jump right back into playing 18 to 20 minutes,’ but your timing’s a bit off, and it is harder than you think.
“Geordie Kinnear was like, ‘Do you want to jump back in with both feet here?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ I had played enough games to figure it out, just be a pro and all that. So it’s hard, but you’ve got to get your timing down and then you’re kind of thrown in the fire. You’ve got to figure it out.”
ON THE MINDSET NEEDED TO SHIFT BETWEEN TWO TEAMS
“It’s funny. Being the captain in Charlotte, you’re heavily involved in the team group chat as far as meeting times and bus times and so on and so forth. And then you’re up in Florida, and you’re just trying to [keep a low profile].
“I’ve been in both the fights this year, the battle with Florida and the battle with Charlotte. It’s hard to put one to bed once you’re elsewhere. Just ask my wife. I’m constantly watching Panthers games now that I’m not there. You just want to stay involved somehow and have something to talk about if you get the call and have the lay of the land of what the temperature is when you get up there.
“I’ve always been kind of a hockey nerd, so as far as being involved on both sides, it’s never really been an issue for me.”
ON MAINTAINING A HIGH LEVEL OF PLAY LATER IN HIS CAREER
“I always do a lot of reflecting, and I think it’s probably two things I’ve narrowed it down to. One, I love the game, so I’m constantly trying to get better. I think that the way the game’s going, I’m just trying to evolve and make the right plays, not lose a step.
“And then I think the other big thing — my dad pointed this out to me, and I never really understood it until now — is I’ve always been kind of a late developer as far as growing and coming into myself as a hockey player. My dad was like, ‘Into your 30’s might just mean into your late 20’s.’
“Those are the two main things that have kept me somewhat relevant, somewhat fresh, and good to play.”
ON REUNITING WITH RILEY NASH IN CHARLOTTE, HIS CHECKERS TEAMMATE WHEN THEY WERE PROSPECTS
“It’s been good. Nash is one of my good buddies. He’s a guy that I’ve always rooted for along the way. He’s such a calm presence in the room. His game speaks for itself, and he’s having a heck of a year. He’s been around the league. He’s played over 600 NHL games and played up until Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals last year with Tampa.
“You don’t find those guys often. On top of it, you find a guy that’s still heavily invested into the game. I think it’s crucial to have a guy like him, and I know he’s here for next year, too. I said, ‘Let’s just do this together. We’re trying to do this together moving forward.
“I’ve had to lean on him a lot, especially when I was gone for those seven weeks that he stepped up in a big way. He’s made a lot of decisions for me easy just because of how experienced he is.”
ON KINNEAR, WHO WAS HIS ASSISTANT COACH WHEN HE TURNED PRO
“He loves good people, and he loves hard workers. Not that I didn’t know that about him before, but I think as a head coach, he’s meant to be that. He’s demanding, but he’s fair, and I think guys love playing for him.
“And as long as you do those two things for him, he’s happy. He’s going to leave you alone. It’s not a huge checklist to keep him happy, but I think he’s firm but fair, for sure.”
ON WHAT HE WANTS HIS YOUNG TEAMMATES TO GAIN
“In Charlotte we talk about two main things: Be a hard worker, and be a good teammate. That’s kind of the way that Geordie has run his room, and obviously I’m on board with that.
“That’s what I want the young guys to emulate. I mean, we’re all obviously trying our hardest here to get to the NHL. If you’re a good teammate, you work hard, the rest should take care of itself.
ON GOING ON ANOTHER LONG PLAYOFF RUN IN CHARLOTTE
“All these years later, I’ve been trying to get back to there and then some. I think everyone’s got to buy in. I think everyone’s got to be focused. Even last year, we didn’t go all the way to the conference finals, but it just seemed like everyone bought in.”
ON THE VETERANS LEADING THE WAY FOR A PLAYOFF RUN
“Being at this age, I still really want it. I haven’t won something. Having guys like Nash, [Anthony] Bitetto, Lucas Carlsson, Cory Conacher, who’s won before — I think they’ve shown it. If they can just show how much they want it and how much they care, that bleeds into the room.
“I think I have an idea of what it’s going to take. I want to win something.”
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.
