Longtime Checkers fans will recognize the Florida Panthers’ newest signing.
Zac Dalpe, who played for the Checkers during their first three AHL seasons from 2010-13, is back in the organization after signing a two-year, two-way contract with our new NHL affiliate on Friday.
Since his productive tenure with the Checkers that saw him post 131 points (62g, 69a) in 171 games and earn AHL All-Rookie honors in 2011, Dalpe has gone on to play in the Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets organizations. Most recently, he split last season between Columbus and its affiliate in Cleveland, scoring three points (2g, 1a) in 12 NHL contests and four points (3g, 1a) in five AHL outings.
For his career, the 6-foot-2, 197-pound native of Paris, Ontario, has 28 points (14g, 14a) in 153 NHL games and 286 points (151g, 135a) in 383 AHL contests. He was named an AHL All-Star during a 2018-19 campaign that saw him post 55 points (33g, 22a) in 55 games for Cleveland.
Dalpe, who had current Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear as an assistant coach during their previous time together in Charlotte, ranks seventh on the Checkers’ all-time list in terms of AHL scoring. His 57 points during the 2010-11 campaign are still the most ever recorded by a Checkers rookie in a single season.