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For other uses please see Charlotte Checkers (disambiguation).

Charlotte Checkers
Charlotte Checkers (AHL) logo
City: Charlotte, North Carolina
League: American Hockey League
Conference: Eastern
Division: Atlantic
Founded: 1990
Home Arena: Bojangles Coliseum
Colors: Red, black, silver, white
                   
[[File:ECA-Uniform-CLT|275px]]
Owner(s): Michael Kahn
General Manager: Gregory Campbell
Head Coach: Geordie Kinnear
Captain: Zac Dalpe
Media:
AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliates: Florida Panthers (NHL)
Florida Everblades (ECHL)
Franchise history
1990–1993: Capital District Islanders
1993–2010: Albany River Rats
2010–present: Charlotte Checkers
Championships
Regular Season Titles: 1 (2018–19)
Division Championships: 2 (2018–19, 2021–22)
Conference Championships: 1 (2018–19)
Calder Cups: 1 (2018–19)

The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affiliate of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Checkers play their home games at Bojangles' Coliseum. The current organization is the third team by this name; it succeeded a Checkers franchise that played in the ECHL from 1993 until the end of the 2009–10 ECHL season. The original Checkers team played in the city from 1956 to 1977, originally in the Eastern Hockey League and then in the Southern Hockey League. The franchise is one of six teams to replace and share a name with a predecessor franchise from a lower-tier league; the others are the Bakersfield Condors, Colorado Eagles, Ontario Reign, Rockford IceHogs, and San Diego Gulls.

History[]

CharlotteCheckers

original Checkers logo

The franchise was originally based in Troy, New York, as the Capital District Islanders from 1990 to 1993. They then became the Albany River Rats from 1993 to 2010, until the River Rats were sold to MAK Hockey, LLC, led by Charlotte beer distributor Michael Kahn, owner of the ECHL Checkers.[1] The new ownership relocated the team to Charlotte for the 2010–11 season, renaming the franchise the "Charlotte Checkers", and relinquished the ECHL franchise to the league.[2][3]

The Checkers are the second North Carolina-based team to play at the highest level of minor-league hockey, following the Carolina Monarchs, who played in Greensboro from 1995 to 1997. The Checkers inherited the River Rats' affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes, in keeping with a recent trend to have NHL teams' top affiliates geographically close to their parent teams in order to ease movement between the AHL and the NHL.

The AHL Checkers' first home game was October 15, 2010 at the Time Warner Cable Arena in front of 12,512 spectators, which set an attendance record for a hockey game in Charlotte.[4] On February 26, 2011, the attendance record was broken as 12,933 fans watched the Checkers defeat the Connecticut Whale 1–0.[5] Almost a year later, on February 25, 2012, the attendance record was broken yet again as 13,102 fans watched the Checkers fall to the Oklahoma City Barons, 3–2.[6] On April 11, 2015, the attendance record was broken a third time as 13,219 fans watched the last Checkers game at Time Warner Cable Arena, a 2–0 loss to the Rockford IceHogs.[7]

In late 2014, the Checkers announced they would return in the following season to the Bojangles' Coliseum, the home of the previous Checkers teams until 2005.[8] As Kahn detailed, the move would reconnect with said team legacy. Additionally, having a dedicated arena allowed for "greater control over every aspect of our business, including scheduling, amenities, game presentation and sponsorship inventory." To make sure the Coliseum was up to AHL standards, the Charlotte City Council arranged to provide $16 million to fund renovations.[9][10] While Time Warner Cable Arena had been one of the largest arenas in the AHL, it left much to be desired as a hockey venue. It seated 14,100 people, but over 4,000 seats had obstructed views.[11]

In Charlotte on May 9 and 10, 2018, in game four of the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs, the Checkers and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms played the longest game in the history of the American Hockey League. A 1–1 tie was broken by a Phantoms' goal at 6:48 of the fifth overtime period, more than six hours after the game began. The Checkers made 95 shots against Lehigh Valley goalie Alex Lyon.[12]

The 2018–19 season was the Checkers' best season as an AHL team to date and one of the best in Charlotte's hockey history. They won their first division title with 110 points and the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the league's best regular season record. It was the first time a Charlotte hockey team had broken the 100-point barrier since the SHL Checkers earned 101 points in 1974–75. They defeated the defending champion Toronto Marlies in the Eastern Conference finals to advance to their first Calder Cup final. They defeated the Chicago Wolves in five games to win their first AHL title, and the seventh hockey championship by a Charlotte-based team.[13]

The following 2019–20 season was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Calder Cup was not awarded. Following the cancelled postseason, the Hurricanes ended their affiliation with the Checkers after ten seasons,[14] resulting in the Checkers affiliating with the Florida Panthers beginning with the 2020–21 season. However, due to the ongoing restrictions during the pandemic, the Checkers were one of three teams that opted out of the 2020–21 AHL season.[15] When the Checkers returned for the 2021–22 season, they remained the primary affiliate of the Panthers, but agreed to also serve as the affiliate for the 2021–22 expansion team Seattle Kraken. The Kraken's general manager Ron Francis formerly worked for the Hurricanes when the team was still affiliated with the Checkers.[16]

Season-by-season results[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for
Goals
against
Standing Year Prelims 1st
round
2nd
round
3rd
round
Finals
2010–11 80 44 27 2 7 97 .606 265 243 3rd, East 2011 W, 4–2, HER W, 4–2, WBS L, 0–4, BNG
2011–12 76 38 29 3 6 85 .559 209 214 3rd, Midwest 2012 Did not qualify
2012–13 76 42 26 4 4 92 .605 226 202 2nd, South 2013 L, 2–3, OKC
2013–14 76 37 36 1 2 77 .507 228 241 4th, West 2014 Did not qualify
2014–15 76 31 38 6 1 69 .454 172 231 4th, West 2015 Did not qualify
2015–16 76 36 32 3 5 80 .526 214 229 5th, Central 2016 Did not qualify
2016–17 76 39 29 7 1 86 .566 212 208 4th, Central 2017 L, 2–3, CHI
2017–18 76 46 26 1 3 96 .632 261 212 3rd, Atlantic 2018 W, 3–0, WBS L, 1–4, LV
2018–19 76 51 17 7 1 110 .724 255 189 1st, Atlantic 2019 W, 3–1, PRO W, 4–0, HER W, 4–2, TOR W, 4–1, CHI
2019–20 61 34 22 5 0 73 .598 202 172 3rd, Atlantic 2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Did not participate due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Did not participate
2021–22 72 42 24 5 1 90 .625 234 197 1st, Atlantic 2022 BYE W, 3–1, BRI L, 0–3, SPR
2022–23 72 39 25 5 3 86 .597 235 220 3rd, Atlantic 2023 W, 2–1, LV L, 1–3, HER
2023–24 72 39 26 7 0 85 .590 217 203 4th, Atlantic 2024 L, 1–2, HFD

Players[]

Current roster[]

Updated May 6, 2024.[17][18]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
13 Flag of the United States Bezeau, RileyRiley Bezeau

RW R 22 2022 Mansfield, Massachusetts Checkers
31 Flag of the United States Black, CooperCooper Black

G L 23 2024 Alpena, Michigan Panthers
17 Flag of the United States Brind'Amour, SkylerSkyler Brind'Amour

C L 25 2023 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Checkers
32 Flag of Sweden Carlsson, LucasLucas Carlsson

 (A)

D L 27 2021 Gävle, Sweden Panthers
22 Flag of the United States Cesana, DennisDennis Cesana

D R 26 2022 Providence, Rhode Island Checkers
21 Flag of Canada Dalpe, ZacZac Dalpe

 (C)

C R 35 2021 Paris, Ontario Panthers
4 Flag of the United States Fitzgerald, CaseyCasey Fitzgerald

D R 27 2023 Boca Raton, Florida Panthers
1 Flag of the United States Guzda, MackMack Guzda

G L 23 2022 Knoxville, Tennessee Panthers
Flag of Canada Hughes, RileyRiley Hughes

RW R 24 2024 Westwood, Massachusetts Checkers
15 Flag of the United States Khodorenko, PatrickPatrick Khodorenko

C L 26 2023 Walnut Creek, California Checkers
27 Flag of Finland Kinnunen, SanttuSanttu Kinnunen

D R 25 2022 Lahti, Finland Panthers
19 Flag of the United States Mayhew, GeraldGerald Mayhew

C R 31 2022 Wyandotte, Michigan Panthers
23 Flag of Canada McAllister, RyanRyan McAllister

C L 22 2023 London, Ontario Panthers
29 Flag of Canada Morrison, CamCam Morrison

LW L 26 2022 Aurora, Ontario Checkers
26 Flag of Canada Nause, EvanEvan Nause

D L 21 2023 White Rock, British Columbia Panthers
39 Flag of Canada Perlini, BrendanBrendan Perlini

LW L 28 2023 Guildford, England, Great Britain Checkers
20 Flag of the United States Pehrson, KeatonKeaton Pehrson

D R 26 2024 Lakeville, Minnesota Checkers
12 Flag of Canada Schwindt, KaiKai Schwindt

LW L 20 2023 Breslau, Ontario Panthers
25 Flag of Sweden Skoog, WilmerWilmer Skoog

C L 25 2023 Stockholm, Sweden Panthers
40 Flag of the United States Staios, NathanNathan Staios

D L 23 2022 Atlanta, Georgia Panthers
6 Flag of the United States Steeves, BenBen Steeves

LW L 22 2024 Bedford, New Hampshire Panthers
8 Flag of Canada Vande Sompel, MitchellMitchell Vande Sompel

D L 27 2024 London, Ontario Checkers
38 Flag of the United States Welinski, AndyAndy Welinski

D R 31 2024 Duluth, Minnesota Checkers

Team captains[]

References[]

  1. Capital District Sports announce River Rats sale (February 10, 2010).
  2. AHL Hockey coming to Charlotte in 2010-11 (February 15, 2010).
  3. Charlotte added to AHL for 2010-11 (February 10, 2010).
  4. CHECKERS DOUBLED UP, 4-2, IN HISTORIC OPENER (October 15, 2010).
  5. CHECKERS BLANK WHALE IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD! (February 26, 2011).
  6. Lasko, Seth (April 10, 2015). Charlotte Checkers looking to leave Time Warner Cable Arena with team attendance record. The Charlotte Observer.
  7. Niedzielski, Nicholas (April 11, 2015). Checkers fall to Rockford in front of record crowd.
  8. Brough, Jason (November 25, 2014). The Charlotte Checkers would like to move back to Bojangles' Coliseum (en-US).
  9. Branecky, Paul (December 9, 2014). Checkers Make Return to Bojangles' Coliseum Official (en-US).
  10. Spanberg, Erik (February 10, 2015). Council backs Charlotte Checkers, arena.
  11. Charlotte City Council Approves Funding to Renovate Bojangles' Coliseum (December 8, 2014).
  12. MARATHON MEN: PHANTOMS WIN LONGEST AHL GAME EVER. American Hockey League (May 10, 2018).
  13. Niedzielski, Nicholas (June 9, 2019). CHECKERS WIN CALDER CUP CHAMPIONSHIP (en-US).
  14. Wolves forge partnership with Carolina Hurricanes (September 10, 2020).
  15. 28 teams to participate in 2020-21 AHL season (January 4, 2021).
  16. "No longer affiliated with the Canes, the AHL's Checkers now have two NHL parent clubs", The Herald-Sun, July 2, 2021. 
  17. Charlotte Checkers Team Roster (May 6, 2024).
  18. Charlotte Checkers current roster (May 6, 2024).

External links[]

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