Photo is courtesy of the Charlotte Checkers website - www.GoCheckers.com

 

Whether chasing a tennis ball on the street or skating on an outdoor rink a young hockey player often pretends to score the winning goal for the Stanley Cup or Olympic gold.

You don’t hear anybody doing his best Bob Cole impersonation saying, “he shoots, he scores to win the Calder Cup.”

 

Waterloo’s Steven Lorentz has discovered how prestigious the Calder Cup, the AHL championship, always has been in the hockey world. His Charlotte Checkers are ahead 3 games to 1 against the Chicago Wolves in the best-of-seven final with Game 5 slated for the Windy City on Saturday.

 

“The American Hockey League, the Calder Cup is one step away from the NHL,” the 23-year-old Lorentz said. “We play the same amount of games, and we play for an important championship trophy that has been around for a long time.”

 

The Calder Cup has been around since 1936. Why the great Ehrhardt (Ott) Heller, a Kitchener native, won the AHL championship with the Indianapolis Capitals in 1950, a decade after he hoisted the Stanley Cup with the 1939-40 New York Rangers.

 

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Lorentz is having a ball with the Checkers, the farm club for the Carolina Hurricanes. The Wolves are the AHL affiliate for the Vegas Golden Knights.

 

Lorentz has been dealing with a head injury this week. He missed Games 3 and 4 after Chicago veteran Curtis McKenzie went nutty at the conclusion of Game 2 and pummelled a defenceless Lorentz with seven punches.

 

McKenzie was suspended for Game 3 for his tantrum. Lorentz is on the mend and hopes to be back playing soon. In the meantime, he’s been in a reflective mood as his Checkers pursue their title.

 

He can’t help but feel fortunate about his parents, Mark and Karon, his grandparents as well as his sisters Jennifer and Jamie who made sacrifices as he worked on his game at hometown rinks such as Moses Springer Arena, Rim Park, Albert McCormick and the Columbia Icefield.

 

There also was his second cousin, Zach Lorentz. He is three years older and had a couple seasons of experience with the Kitchener Rangers when the Peterborough Petes selected Steven in the 2012 OHL draft. Zach always was there with the right piece of advice for his cousin.

 

The Petes didn’t call Lorentz’s name until the 12th round. That made him a long shot to play major junior. He didn’t make the Petes after his first training camp. He was sent back to Waterloo to play midget for the AAA Wolves.

 

“I still had the belief that I could make it,” the thoughtful and well-spoken Lorentz said. “Maybe I was naive. But all I wanted was a chance to prove myself.

 

“I think it turned out to be a good thing I was sent back. It gave me time to become physically mature.”

 

Lorentz played four years in Peterborough. After his second season with the Petes, the Hurricanes drafted him in the seventh round (186th overall).

 

He was a long shot once again. He wasn’t even a shoo-in to begin his pro career in the AHL.

 

He played last season with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL and started this season in Florida before being called up for good by the Checkers last Nov. 11.

 

This playoff success thing has been a part of Lorentz, a left wing, for the past three springs. In 2017, he and the Petes went to the East final. Last year, he lost in Game 7 of the ECHL Kelly Cup final to the Colorado Eagles. Then there has been this playoff run.

 

“I feel fortunate,” he said. “Anytime you can experience something like this you find out what it takes and how much a team has to come together to win a championship. There is a lot of passion on this team.”