CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Billy Christopoulos was home in Raleigh when the Checkers called. He gladly accepted the offer of a tryout contract.
"Quick two-and-a-half-hour drive and now I'm here," he said.
Charlotte became his seventh team in three professional seasons.
"That's the life of pro hockey as a goalie sometimes," Christopoulos said, "you kind of get bounced around."
Christopoulos had been playing well enough for Toledo in the ECHL that the jump to the American Hockey League was coming.
He just didn't know he would be coming to a place he played as a youth for the Junior Hurricanes.
"We were always playing the Junior Checkers and making it down this way," Christopoulos said. "And I think we caught a couple of games when we were down for tournaments."
His tryout has gone great so far.
He's won two of his three starts in net, including a 4-1 victory Saturday in which he had 28 saves.
He has saved 83 shots so far with a 2.36 goals against average.
"The guys here have been awesome, super welcoming," Christopoulos said. "They make you feel at home. It was a really good place to come and the guys are unbelievable."
But Christopoulos can say something that not many goaltenders can.
When he's not defending the net, he's defending our country.
He's active-duty Air Force as an Acquisitions Officer stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina.
"Acquisitions, like missile defense contracts, and stuff like that," he said. "Over the summer I get my Air Force stuff in and once I'm done playing hockey I'll jump full-back into the Air Force."
Christopoulos played at the Air Force Academy and says the service branch is supportive of his hockey habit.
"They're really good about it. They understand," he said. "There's a program for all the Air Force athletes that are trying to make their careers as professional athletes too. They do whatever they can to make it work. They've been awesome for me."
The Checkers are clearly impressed with Christopoulos so far, and are keeping him around.
He's with Charlotte as it starts a five-game road trip on Friday at the Utica Comets.