Zach Boychuk to Return to Charlotte

Now in his fifth AHL season, Zach Boychuk is accustomed to playing three games in three nights, though not quite like this.

According to his Twitter feed, Boychuk will return from the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes in time to play Saturday’s game against Rockford. That will be the culmination a hectic few days for Charlotte’s scoring leader, who scored two goals in the Checkers’ win over the IceHogs on Thursday and picked up an assist in Carolina’s home game against San Jose on Friday – both come-from-behind victories. Back in Charlotte, Boychuk will be looking to score a goal for the fourth consecutive game, having put together four in his last three. That’s part of a longer run in which he’s scored seven of his nine total goals in his last nine games, giving him sole possession of the team lead with nine.

All but two of Boychuk’s goals have come on the power-play, tying him with Rochester’s Luke Adam for most in the AHL.

With the Checkers, Boychuk will likely rejoin a line with Brett Sutter and Chris Terry that unites three of the team’s most experienced players. That group was responsible for both of Charlotte’s regulation goals on Thursday, with Sutter and Terry each earning two assists.

Boychuk’s return gives the Checkers 12 forwards for Saturday’s game and eliminates the need to add another from the ECHL level. Even after signing A.J. Jenks to a tryout contract earlier this week, the team was short one forward at Friday’s practice.

Boychuk, 24, now has 21 points (8g, 13a) in 86 NHL games with Carolina, Pittsburgh and Nashville.