Mike Vellucci‘s time with the Charlotte Checkers were times where a coach can see his career moving from the minor leagues to the big leagues. Vellucci led the Checkers with a 97-43-12 record. He led Charlotte to dominating the regular season and flying through the playoffs, ultimately winning the team’s first ever Calder Cup.
Vellucci served as an assistant general manager for the Carolina Hurricanes organization for four years and as the coach for the Checkers for two years. In Carolina, Vellucci didn’t really have too much room to move up, especially after a stellar season in Charlotte.