Ryan McAllister

February 2025 – You just have to feel for Ryan McAllister. After starting the season off blazing, McAllister went down with an injury that will knock him out for the rest of the season according to Geordie Kinnear, the Checker’s head coach. This was set to be McAllister’s ‘make-or-break’ year and ending this way is brutal. However, McAllister has another year on his contract and is expected to be a key player—if not the most important one—for the Charlotte Checkers next season.. Hopefully, he can make a full recovery and get back on track for the sake of his career. James Connelly

October 2024 – McAllister is thriving in an elevated role in Charlotte. Many perceived his 2023-24 campaign as disappointing, but McAllister is proving he can be an elite playmaker at the professional level. McAllister has five assists, leading the Checkers in four games in that category. He is a powerplay threat threading seam passes, leading to his teammates capitalizing. There remain concerns about McAllister’s projectability to the NHL as he is far less productive five-on-five and has a subpar shot. Still, if the playmaking capabilities allow him to make the jump, McAllister could be a bottom-six playmaker on the top powerplay unit. Time will tell with McAllister, but at the moment, he seems to be stuck in prospect purgatory. James Connelly

September 2024 – McAllister had a rough rookie year at the professional level. After scoring five points in his first four AHL games in 2022-23, McAllister took a noticeable step back in 2023-24, producing only 19 points in 37 games. McAllister’s game is built on his passing, but he could not find the passes he used to make in the NCAA. He will likely bounce back in the 2024-25 season and is a strong candidate to play in the Checkers’ top six, where he will look to establish himself among the top call-up options. James Connelly

June 2023 – Florida fans were thrilled this past April to land the high-scoring McAllister, an undrafted free agent who took an unconventional route to an NHL contract: he spent three years in the little-known AJHL, where he dominated in 2021-22 (139 points in 60 games), before taking the NCAA by storm and scoring 49 points in 39 games as a freshman. Given his overage status, his numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, but his stunning college transition establishes him as a legitimate prospect. McAllister makes up for his average skating and shot with a dynamic playmaking and passing game. Despite scoring five points in his first four AHL games, expect growing pains as he learns to navigate professional hockey as an undersized, slower-skating forward. Ben Gehrels