Game Preview: Checkers at Iowa (Oct. 10, 2015)

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The 2015-16 season begins Saturday for the Checkers as they face off with the Wild for the first game of a back-to-back series in Iowa. Here are eight things to watch for heading into the contest.

1. STARTING OFF

The Checkers begin their season on the road for the sixth time in as many years. Including last season’s 6-3 loss in Milwaukee on Oct. 10, the Checkers are 2-3-0 in regular-season openers.

Saturday's game also kicks off a 10-game road swing for the Checkers. It is the longest road trip to start at season for Charlotte since the 2012-13 campaign, when their first nine games were all away.

2. TRANSACTIONS

Game Information

Season Series

  • Oct. 10
    at Iowa
  • Oct. 11
    Iowa
  • Nov. 28
    at Charlotte
  • Nov. 29
    at Charlotte
  • Dec. 15
    at Charlotte
  • Dec. 17
    at Charlotte
  • Jan. 29
    at Iowa
  • Jan. 30
    at Iowa
After Carolina defenseman James Wisniewski suffered a torn ACL in the first period of Thursday night’s season opener that will sideline him for six months, the Hurricanes recalled Checkers’ blueliner Danny Biega. The third-year pro appeared in 10 games for Carolina last season.

3. FRESH FACES

Of the 23 players on the team’s active roster, seven (forwards T.J. Hensick, Erik Karlsson, Derek Ryan and David Wohlberg and defensemen Jake Chelios, Tyler Ganly and Jaccob Slavin) would be making their Checkers debuts Saturday. Of those players, Ganly and Slavin would also be making their professional debuts.

4. FAMILIAR FACES

Wild forwards Brett Sutter (142 points) and Zac Dalpe (131 points), now alternate captains in Iowa, rank third and fourth on the Checkers’ all-time scoring list, respectively. Sutter is the cousin of Checkers forward Brody Sutter, while Iowa forward Marc Hagel is the brother of Checkers forward Kyle Hagel.

5. AIMING FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

Mark Morris, who will be making his debut as the second head coach in Checkers history, ranks 10th in AHL coaching victories with 338 wins. After spending eight seasons in Manchester, Morris is just 24 wins away from moving into sixth place.

Drew MacIntyre is also gunning for the top of the AHL record books. After last season, the veteran is ranked ninth in league history with 212 career victories and needs just 20 to move into the top five.

Zach Boychuk has some team records in his sights. Already the franchise goals leader, he needs just five points to become the Checkers’ all-time leading scorer. He is also 19 shy of becoming the team’s all-time leader in games played, is 15 shy in assists, is two shy in power-play points and is one game-winner away from becoming the franchise leader in those categories.

6. ORIGINAL CHECKERS

When they take the ice Saturday, Boychuk and Rasmus Rissanen will be the only two original Checkers to suit up for a game in each of the team’s six seasons as an AHL franchise. Boychuk is the only player to start all six seasons with the club.

7. AGAINST IOWA

The Checkers have an all-time record of 8-4-0 against the Iowa Wild dating back to the Wild’s inaugural AHL season in 2013-14, including an all-time mark of 6-3-1 in Iowa. Last season, the two teams squared off eight times with the Checkers winning six.

8. MILESTONES

  • Keegan Lowe is eight shy of 200 AHL penalty minutes
  • Justin Shugg is one shy of 50 AHL goals and one shy of 150 pro points
  • Erik Karlsson is one shy of 100 pro games (99 of which were in Sweden)

TUNE IN

Saturday’s game, as well as the rest of the season slate, can be heard here here or on the Checkers App.