“Leafs have managed only 16 shots on the Charlotte Checkers tonight.”
That post from The Athletic’s James Mirtle was one of many that littered social media over the final few weeks of the NHL season as the injury-plagued Panthers trotted out lineups that fans from the Queen City would recognize.
It culminated in an 8-1 win over Detroit in the regular-season finale using a lineup that featured eight skaters who had spent a chunk of the season in Charlotte.
“They’re going back with a whole lot of confidence and a lot of good stories,” said Panthers head coach Paul Maurice of the Checkers contingent following that game.
Across the entirety of the 2025-26 NHL season, seven different Checkers made their NHL debuts - Jack Devine, Wilmer Skoog, Sandis Vilmanis, Mike Benning, Ludvig Jansson, Mikulas Hovorka and Marek Alscher - fulfilling lifelong dreams in the process.
“You dream of it as a kid,” said Benning. “You work hard your whole life to get to that moment. You only get one [debut], so you have to enjoy it. That’s what I did and I think that’s what a lot of these other guys did as well.”
That’s an abundance of call ups for the well-oiled machine that has been the Florida Panthers over the last few seasons. But as the mileage of three straight Stanley Cup Finals runs piled up and injuries mounted, opportunities arose for the prospects to get a shot.
“These guys have been working hard all year,” said Benning of his fellow call ups. “It’s good to get recognized, it’s good to get that opportunity.”
It also provided an influx of familiar faces for the incoming AHL skaters.
“It was awesome,” said Skoog. “Having the other guys from Charlotte there as well was a lot of fun and it was great for me to hang out with guys I know as well.”
The players themselves weren’t the only ones to enjoy those life-changing moments this season.
“I’m very fortunate, I’m usually the first guy that gets to tell somebody that they’re going to the National Hockey League, which is pretty special,” said Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear. “All the hard work I see them put in here, to be the coach that gets to tell somebody, ‘Hey listen, you’re going to play in Toronto’ or wherever it is, it’s a special position for me and I never take it for granted.”
Those NHL stints came to an end with the Panthers missing out on the postseason following three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Finals. The journey isn’t over for the Cats’ prospects, though, as the contingent returned to the Queen City ready to make a playoff run.
“The way Paul [Maurice] coaches, he coaches every game the same, like it’s a playoff game,” said Kinnear. “So I know all those guys are ready to go.”
After piecing together a lineup for much of the final chunk of the regular season, the Checkers are primed to field their most complete group for the postseason and hoping to feel the jolt that comes along with their new additions.
“Those guys are going to have a ton of confidence,” said Ben Steeves of his teammates returning from the Panthers. “You saw it with Vilmanis playing up with Florida and going to the Olympics, when he came back he was a different player. We’re looking forward to seeing that out of these guys.”
Spending time amongst the back-to-back Cup champions provided plenty of opportunities for the young skaters to absorb and carry some lessons back with them.
“It’s a boost of confidence to play some games up there,” said Tobias Bjornfot, an alternate captain for the Checkers who also appeared in 19 games for Florida this season. “I thought everyone played well and they’ll bring that game here. The compete level everyone showed up there, they’ll bring it to Charlotte.”
“Just be confident in everything that we do,” said Skoog of what his biggest takeaway was.
The Checkers have been proudly represented in the Florida roster throughout the season, and each time a prospect was able to don a Panthers sweater and hit the NHL ice for a rookie lap was an undeniably memorable moment for all involved.
But now, they’re back and ready to chase a title for the Queen City.
“Everyone missed this place,” said Benning. “This is the team you started with, these are the guys you know. Everyone plays for the playoffs. That’s what we enjoy, that’s the most competitive hockey, that’s why we play the game. We’re excited for the journey ahead.”
