The wait is finally over - the 2026-27 season kicks off this weekend as the Checkers head into Hershey for a matchup with their divisional foes.
THE MATCHUP
- Record/Standings
- CLT - 0-0-0-0
- HER - 0-0-0-0
- Power Play / Penalty Kill
- CLT - --% / --%
- HER - --% / --%
- Offense / Defense
- CLT - -- GF/Game / -- GA/Game
- HER - -- GF/Game / -- GA/Game
- Head-To-Head
- 0-0-0-0
THE STORYLINES
OFF TO THE RACES
As has been the case more often than not over the franchise’s history, the Checkers will begin the season away from home. As they take on the Hershey Bears Saturday they’ll look to continue their recent trend of starting on the right foot. The Checkers have won each of their last two season openers and three of their last four.NEW FACES
This weekend will be the introduction of a new-look group to the Charlotte fanbase. At this moment the Checkers’ roster is jam packed with 21 forwards and 11 defenseman, so how the lineup will be deployed remains to be seen, but there will certainly be some new faces on the ice in Hershey. In fact, 10 of those 21 forwards, and five of those 10 blue liners have never donned a Checkers sweater in their career.COOPER'S CREASE
Cooper Black was a workhorse for the Checkers last season, finishing the year with 42 appearances across the year. That was especially true early on, as the young netminder started each of Charlotte’s first eight games and 23 of the first 36 games.Last season Black went 2-1-2 with a 2.38 goals-against average in five tilts against the Bears.
THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Charlotte
- Angus Crookshank - Four straight 20-goal seasons in the AHL
- Alex Petrovic - Over 800 pro games under his belt
- Jack Devine - Led the Checkers in assists last season, ended regular season with seven points in eight minutes
- Hershey
- Andrew Cristall - Led HER in assists last season with 40
- Bogdan Trineyev - Ranked third in goals and points last season for Hershey
- Louis Belpedio - Led Hershey defensemen in scoring last season
THE INFO
Both of this weekend's games are available to stream via AHLTV on FloHockey! Click here to watch.Fans can also listen to the radio broadcast on the Checkers App or online.
