HERSHEY, PA – Former Hershey Bear Connor Carrick will make his return to Giant Center Friday night for Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals. (Kyle Mace / Chocolate Hockey)

It wasn’t difficult for Connor Carrick to walk past his old locker room on Thursday before the Toronto Marlies practiced at Giant Center. “I just kept going. Got the memo awhile ago.”

After spending parts of three seasons in a Chocolate and White sweater, the 22-year-old defenseman was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs right before the trade deadline in February. “A lot of confusion,” Carrick said about when he first learned of the trade. “A lot of trying to figure out the logistics of where am I going, when [I am going], where am I playing, who am I playing, and that kind of thing.

“You kind of going into a survival mode. You try and figure out ‘Alright, what time is my flight, what time should I eat, what can I eat at the airport?’ And try not to forget anything important in the move. You try and roll with the punches and just try and figure out one thing at a time.”