The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Checkers play their home games at Time Warner Cable Arena in Uptown Charlotte, also home to the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. The current organization is the third team by this name; it succeeded a Checkers franchise which 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 four teams which share a name with a predecessor from a lower-tier league; the other three are the Norfolk Admirals, Rockford IceHogs, and Peoria Rivermen.
[edit] History
The franchise was originally the Capital District Islanders from 1990–1993. They then became the Albany River Rats from 1993–2010, until the River Rats were sold to MAK Hockey, LLC, led by Michael Kahn.[2] 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. The Checkers' first home game was played on October 15, 2010, in front of 12,512 spectators which set an attendance record for a hockey game in Charlotte. On February 26, 2011, the attendance record was broken as 12,933 fans watched the Charlotte Checkers defeat the Connecticut Whale 1-0.[3][4]. 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.
[edit] Season-by-season results
| Season |
GP |
W |
L |
OTL |
SOL |
PTS |
Goals
for |
Goals
against |
Standing |
| 2010–11 |
80 |
44 |
27 |
2 |
7 |
97 |
265 |
243 |
3rd, East |
[edit] Playoffs
| Season |
1st round |
2nd round |
3rd round |
Finals |
| 2010–11 |
W, 4-2, HER |
W, 4-2, WBS |
L, 0-4, BIN |
— |
[edit] Current roster
Updated March 2, 2012.[5]
| # |
Nat |
Player |
Pos |
S/G |
Age |
Acquired |
Birthplace |
Contract |
| 34 |
Canada ! |
Bellemore, BrettBrett Bellemore |
2.0 !D |
R |
23 |
2010 |
Windsor, Ontario |
Hurricanes |
| 26 |
Canada ! |
Blanchard, NicolasNicolas Blanchard (A) |
6.0 !LW |
L |
24 |
2010 |
Granby, Quebec |
Hurricanes |
| 36 |
Russia ! |
Dadonov, EvgeniiEvgenii Dadonov |
7.0 !RW |
L |
22 |
2012 |
Chelyabinsk, Russian SFSR |
Hurricanes |
| 19 |
Canada ! |
Dalpe, ZacZac Dalpe |
4.0 !C |
R |
22 |
2010 |
Paris, Ontario |
Hurricanes |
| 12 |
United States ! |
Dolan, SeanSean Dolan |
4.0 !C |
R |
24 |
2012 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
Checkers |
| 14 |
Canada ! |
Durno, ChrisChris Durno (A) |
6.0 !LW |
R |
31 |
2011 |
Scarborough, ON |
Hurricanes |
| 4 |
United States ! |
Gentile, BrandonBrandon Gentile |
2.0 !D |
L |
24 |
2012 |
Clarkston, Michigan |
PTO |
| 32 |
United States ! |
Jenks, A. J.A. J. Jenks |
6.0 !LW |
L |
21 |
2012 |
Wolverine Lake, Michigan |
Hurricanes |
| 29 |
Czechoslovakia ! |
Jordan, MichalMichal Jordan |
2.0 !D |
L |
21 |
2010 |
Zlín, Czechoslovakia |
Hurricanes |
| 3 |
Germany ! |
Krueger, JustinJustin Krueger |
2.0 !D |
R |
25 |
2011 |
Düsseldorf, West Germany |
Hurricanes |
| 31 |
Canada ! |
Murphy, MikeMike Murphy |
1.0 !G |
L |
23 |
2010 |
Inverary, Ontario |
Hurricanes |
| 21 |
United States ! |
Murray, ChrisChris Murray |
2.0 !D |
R |
27 |
2011 |
Dover, Massachusetts |
Checkers |
| 20 |
Canada ! |
Nash, RileyRiley Nash |
4.0 !C |
R |
22 |
2010 |
Kamloops, British Columbia |
Hurricanes |
| 35 |
Canada ! |
Peters, JustinJustin Peters |
1.0 !G |
L |
25 |
2011 |
Blyth, Ontario |
Hurricanes |
| 15 |
Canada ! |
Pistilli, MatthewMatthew Pistilli |
7.0 !RW |
R |
23 |
2010 |
Montreal, Quebec |
Hurricanes |
| 2 |
Finland ! |
Rissanen, RasmusRasmus Rissanen |
2.0 !D |
L |
20 |
2011 |
Kuopio, Finland |
Hurricanes |
| 33 |
Canada ! |
Roy, MathieuMathieu Roy |
2.0 !D |
R |
28 |
2011 |
St. Georges, Quebec |
Hurricanes |
| 6 |
United States ! |
Sanguinetti, BobbyBobby Sanguinetti |
2.0 !D |
R |
24 |
2010 |
Trenton, New Jersey |
Hurricanes |
| 24 |
Canada ! |
Shugg, JustinJustin Shugg |
6.0 !LW |
R |
20 |
2011 |
Niagara Falls, Ontario |
Hurricanes |
| 18 |
Canada ! |
Soryal, JustinJustin Soryal |
6.0 !LW |
L |
24 |
2011 |
Newmarket, Ontario |
Hurricanes |
| 5 |
United States ! |
Sova, JoeJoe Sova |
2.0 !D |
R |
23 |
2012 |
Berwyn, Illinois |
Hurricanes |
| 22 |
Canada ! |
Staal, JaredJared Staal |
7.0 !RW |
R |
21 |
2010 |
Thunder Bay, Ontario |
Hurricanes |
| 7 |
Canada ! |
Sutter, BrettBrett Sutter (C) |
4.0 !C |
L |
24 |
2010 |
Viking, Alberta |
Hurricanes |
| 25 |
Canada ! |
Terry, ChrisChris Terry |
6.0 !LW |
L |
22 |
2010 |
Brampton, Ontario |
Hurricanes |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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