Versatile Carrick Carves His Niche in Ducks Lineup

Sam Carrick knows the I-5 pretty well.
Now in his sixth season in Southern California, Carrick has been what some in the hockey world refer to as a "tweener," an excellent player in the American Hockey League who, for whatever reason, has not yet cemented himself in a full-time NHL role.
That 80-mile stretch up the coast was both the figurative and literal road to the game's highest stage, and a frequent trip in between call-ups.
Approaching the 1/3 mark of the regular season, Carrick is making that drive less of a regular occurrence. The 29-year-old has already set career highs in games played (17) and goals (four), and he's quickly becoming a critical component of a banged-up Anaheim lineup.

"You go into every training camp as a player trying to make the team and play full-time in the NHL," the ever-humble Carrick said. "My mindset hasn't changed. It's always been towards being a full-time player. I don't think anything has changed for me this year. Things have just seemed to click."
The Markham, Ontario native has spent most of the past five years as the San Diego Gulls' leader on and off the ice. He holds the club's all-time games played record, set single season scoring marks in a standout 2018-19 season and has worn the "C" when donning orange, black and blue for the past three seasons.
In the locker room, his impact as a mentor and veteran resource to Ducks prospects helped players like Troy Terry, Sam Steel and Max Jones grow in their first taste of professional hockey.
"When I came down to San Diego, Sam was huge for me," Terry recalled. "He didn't have to take me under his wing and be a guiding source for me, but he was. He's meant a lot to me and my career."
No one knows the value Carrick can bring to a team better than Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins, who was behind the bench for the Toronto Marlies when Carrick broke into the AHL as a bright-eyed 20-year-old in 2012.
"I've had a great privilege of knowing Sammy Carrick since he turned pro," Eakins said. "He's one of those guys in your organization, when you talk about development, younger players getting better, rebuilds and all those things, players like that fly under the radar."

In fact, Eakins gave Carrick's off-ice impact some of the highest praise he could, comparing the affable center to his now teammate and one of the NHL's longest-serving captains, Ryan Getzlaf.
"He's always in on others before himself, and a lot of his values are the same as Getzlaf," Eakins said. "When it comes to leadership and helping others, you can mention them in the same breath. He's been so valuable to our organization."
Eakins acknowledged Carrick has come a long way since that rookie season nearly a decade ago.
"Sammy came in as a limited player," Eakins remembered. "For him to play as long as he has now, you see the numbers that he puts up in the American league...He just put his head down and worked. Always took the approach of 'I'm going to work.'"
As a result of that dedication, Carrick offers Anaheim a unique skillset, a jack-of-all-trades forward capable of jelling with different types of players.
"Every team needs guys like that," Terry said. "He can play against top lines. He can play heavy. He hits guys and he's hard to play against, but he's got skill. He can make plays offensively. He's on the fourth line right now but he's much more than that. He's a guy who's been big in a lot of different areas for us."
Eakins has used Carrick in nearly every situation imaginable, as a center and at both wing positions, on the power play and when killing penalties, and even when games get to their tensest moments.
"Throughout your career, you try to become a more complete player, especially when you're young," Carrick said. "You can't just be a one-dimensional player. It's been my mindset my whole career to just be a complete player and worry about the defensive zone first, not being a liability. That's when you start to get more offensive opportunities."
While Carrick's goal was always to become a full-time NHLer, he believes his time in San Diego helped make him the player he is today.
"It's special to be able to play there," he said. "It's a privilege to be a part of that organization and community. I try to emphasize that to any young kid who comes in."
A competitor each and every day, Carrick isn't stopping to take it all in, instead just focused on continuing to earn his spot.
"I'm just trying to do what I can to roll with it and not take any nights or shifts off," Carrick said. "As soon as you get comfortable with where you're at, that's when things start to fall apart. My focus now is more short term and just trying to help the team out."