Most minor league players spent their careers in leagues like the AHL. However, some occasionally play for NHL teams on two-way contracts. Take Matt Tomkins, for example. The AHL’s Syracuse Crunch goalie just signed a two-way, two-year contract with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers for the upcoming season. Yet, there are even rarer occasions where a minor league icon joins a team like the Florida Panthers and wins the Stanley Cup.
Hockey forward Zac Dalpe is one of those rare talents. Playing a franchise record 362 games for the Charlotte Checkers, Dalpe also became the third-highest scorer for the AHL team with 131 goals. “A legend in the Queen City forever,” wrote the Charlotte Checkers as they bid farewell to their captain, who won the ultimate NHL prize in 2024. “When I look back and sort of do a synopsis of my career, I honestly don’t know where to start,” wrote Dalpe.
Announcing his retirement through an open letter on the official Charlotte Checkers website, Zac Dalpe recounted the one thing that will remain with him forever. “Pulling that Checkers sweater over my head and walking through the redline club on the way out to the bright lights will always be stapled in my head,” said the former Panthers star who played 13 games during the Cats’ 2023 playoff run.
Credits: X/Cleveland Monsters
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