Game Preview: Checkers vs Hershey (October 22, 2021)

Hockey is back in Bojangles Coliseum for the first time in nearly 600 days, as the Checkers host the Hershey Bears for their home opener.

FIVE STORYLINES

TRIUMPHANT RETURN

Tonight marks the first home game for the Checkers since March 11, 2020, as the AHL season was cancelled following that game and Charlotte opted out of the shortened 2020-21 campaign. During that gap the Checkers became the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, and for this season they will also serve as the AHL affiliate for the Seattle Kraken – whose AHL team will begin play next season.

IMPRESSIVE RESUMES

Charlotte’s roster is stocked with plenty of high-end talent. Girgori Denisenko stands as the lone first-round selection, but the Checkers are currently boasting seven second-round picks throughout their lineup – Kole Lind, Aleksi Heponiemi, Zac Dalpe, Gustav Olofsson, Serron Noel, Christopher Gibson and Evan Fitzpatrick. Additionally, Scott Wilson brings a Stanley-Cup ring to the locker room, having helped Pittsburgh win a championship in 2017.

TRUE TURNS IT UP

Alex True has started the season on a high note, recording goals in each of Charlotte’s first two games. The forward lit the lamp midway through the season opener in Hershey and then added an assist and the game-winning power-play goal the following day in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Dating back to last season, in which he posted 20 points in 27 games for the San Jose Barracuda, True has recorded nine points in his last 10 AHL contests.

FAMILIAR FOE

It may be early in the season, but the Checkers and Bears are already squaring off for the second and third times this weekend. Charlotte opened its season last Saturday in Hershey - playing for the first time as a group since the team did not play any preseason contests - and fell 5-2, registering just four total shots over the final 40 minutes of play. The Checkers righted the ship the following night in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and will look for revenge against a Bears squad that has started the season 2-0-0.

POWERING UP

The power play has been a strong suit early on for the Checkers, as they have notched a goal on the man advantage in each of their first two games. They have only had five power-play opportunities thus far, tied for the fourth lowest number in the league, but have converted twice for a 40 percent success rate – tied for the second-highest mark in the AHL.

QUOTES

Head coach Geordie Kinnear on his team's progress from last weekend
"I thought Saturday in Hershey was indicative of a team that hasn’t played together. Sunday we were a lot more organized as a group. We’ll continue to build, as I’ve said before we’re focused on the process. We still have a lot of work to do. We still have to come together and get some chemistry and get all the guys in sync."

On the makeup of his team
"There’s some depth, all four lines will be able to score and we have six D who can really contribute and play a fast paced guy. We’re still working through the identity part, but when we get to the level we want to be we’ll be a lot of fun to watch."

On building his forward lines
"True, McCormick, Hutsko, I think they had a really good weekend together. You put them together in practice but you dont know how it will work in a game. They were the one constant that we ended up keeping. Saturday we were a disorganized group, but we put Dalps with Hepo and Mams, they were a line in Florida during training camp and they clicked, there’s a lot more there but they clicked a little bit. We’re still looking for that chemistry, and consistency is the big part. You may get one game but we’re looking for a group who’s consistent on a game-in and game-out basis. "

On penalty troubles the last time they played Hershey
"You definitely don’t want to be on the penalty kill that much in row. Now you’re playing guys too much and you’re expending a lot of energy, so you lose that energy offensively. We want to clean that up and pride ourselves on being a disciplined team and a team that’s hard to play against. You have to balance that."

On Alex True's success
"He asserted himself and he showed his hockey sense. He made plays, he was big on faceoffs. I was impressed with his hockey sense and how he carried himself."

Connor Carrick on how he expects the energy to be tonight
"Like a shook up soda can - ready to rock. They were able to win their home opener against us, I think this is a good opportunity to flip the script and do the same for our fans."

PREVIOUS MATCHUPS

Oct. 16 – Charlotte 2 at Hershey 5

CLT Standouts: Logan Hutsko (2 assists), Aleksi Heponiemi (1 power-play goal)

HER Standouts: Mike Sgarbossa (1g, 2a), Garrett Pilon (1g, 2a), Joe Snively (2 assists)

COMING IN

CLT: 1-1-0-0 in first two games this season

HER: 2-0-0-0 in first two games this season

WHO TO WATCH

CLT

Logan Hutsko - 3 points in last 2 games

Alex True - 3 points in last 2 games

Carlsson – 2 points in last 1 game

HER

Garrett Pilon – 3 points in last 2 games

Mike Sgarbossa – 3 points in last 2 games

Cody Franson – 2 points in last 2 games

PROMOS

TUNE IN

Tonight's game starts at 7 p.m. If you can't be at the Coliseum, you can tune in to every broadcast this season with a subscription to the league’s streaming platform AHLTV.

As always, the radio broadcast will be available via the Checkers app on iPhone or Android.