Michael Doherty and Sam Kurker’s familiarity with each other goes back long before Manchester Monarchs coach Rich Seeley put them on a line together early on this ECHL season.
Kurker remembers when Doherty was the No. 1 overall pick in the Reading, Mass., Babe Ruth league one year. Kurker was probably a late-round flyer that season, Doherty joked.
The two friends grew up in Reading playing youth hockey, lacrosse and baseball together and faced off against each other in college last year when Doherty was at Yale and Kurker at Northeastern. Both forwards scored in the contest — a 5-4 Bulldogs’ home win.
Doherty finished his Yale career with 67 career points (30 goals, 37 assists). Kurker, who was selected 56th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, logged 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) over his time with both Boston University and Northeastern.
For the first time since they were kids, Kurker and Doherty are teammates again, playing for a Monarchs team that reached the Eastern Conference finals last season.
Doherty, 24, signed with the Monarchs last August. Kurker, 23, signed with Manchester after spending time with both the Los Angeles Kings and their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, in training camp.
"I think, for me, it was nice to come to Manchester after a long camp in L.A. — rookie camp and Kings camp — to come back down to Manchester and have a little bit of a familiar face and a little bit of extra comfort that I wasn’t here alone," Kurker said. "It’s nice for us, too, that we’re 40 minutes away from home, so if you want some good meatballs or something, you head home for a little home cooking."
Kurker said his family and the Dohertys have been friends since he and his linemate were little. When they were younger, Kurker was not the big power forward he is now, Doherty said.
"He used to actually be a small guy," Doherty said. "But he’s always been able to skate and had that skill."
Now 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Kurker registered 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) over his first 34 games with Manchester this season. He also has received call-ups to the AHL, spending time with the Cleveland Monsters and Springfield Thunderbirds. Doherty logged 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) over his first 45 games as a Monarch.
The two have skated with several centermen, including Cory Ward, Matt Marcinew and Zac Lynch, and have served on Manchester’s power-play and penalty-kill units this season.
"A staple to their success and our success is they come to work every night," Seeley said. "There’s not many nights off for either of those guys and they play the right way. They play hard and they play a lot of important minutes for us. That’s not easy to do as a first-year guy."
Seeley has seen both Kurker and Doherty’s confidence grow throughout the season. Their biggest strengths, Seeley said, are their habits.
"Their battle and compete level every night is there and they’re generally moving their feet," Seeley said. "They’re strong guys that have good shots and good releases. I think that’s become very valuable for us."
Doherty said he and Kurker play similarly and are comfortable with each other when skating together.
"We’ve known each other forever and I think our games complement each other pretty well," Doherty said. "We both like to skate and play fast. … I think we are both pretty blue-collar guys, like to work hard in the corners and stuff, too. It seems like when we play together we have the puck a lot and play a pretty good possession game, so hopefully we can keep it up."
Kurker said he and Doherty know they can speak their mind to each other. They also know the other is going to give his all each night, Kurker said.
"We were both brought up pretty similar — a little bit of a city attitude — and I think that translates into our game," Kurker said. "We both give 100 percent every shift or have an impact every game, and we’re honest with each other."
Both Doherty and Kurker have college degrees in their back pocket — Doherty’s in political science and Kurker’s in marketing and communications — but neither could pass up the opportunity to play the game they love professionally. And while the former Reading youth hockey program members have both produced in their rookie campaigns, Seeley said neither Doherty nor Kurker have reached their full potential yet.
"At the pro level, they’re solid contributors," Seeley said. "I think both of them need to find the right opportunity, and that’s the stage we’re at with them. I think (Kurker) has proved that he can play at the American (Hockey League) level. They’ve both proved they can play here.
"I’m hoping they’re just starting."
