CHARLOTTE, NC –Charlotte Checkers general manager and head coach Jeff Daniels announced today the team’s 22-man roster to open its inaugural American Hockey League season. Additionally, Bryan Rodney has been named team captain while Zack Fitzgerald and Nick Dodge have been named alternates.

The roster consists of 18 players under NHL contracts with the Carolina Hurricanes and four who are signed by the Checkers.

Forwards (13)
Nicolas Blanchard, Zach Boychuk, Stefan Chaput, Nick Dodge, Brad Herauf, Matt Kennedy, Jon Matsumoto, Jacob Micflikier, Riley Nash, Oskar Osala, Jerome Samson, Jared Staal, Chris Terry

Defensemen (7)
Brett Bellemore, Casey Borer, Zack Fitzgerald, Ethan Graham, Michal Jordan, Kyle Lawson, Bryan Rodney

Goaltenders (2)
Bobby Goepfert, Mike Murphy

Click here for an in-depth analysis of the opening day roster from CheckersChatter.com.

The Checkers will travel to Hartford for their first ever AHL game Saturday against the Wolf Pack. They will then play Springfield Sunday and Portland Monday before returning home to host the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins next Friday, Oct. 15 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

In addition to announcing the roster, the Checkers have also assigned forward Cedric McNicoll to the ECHL’s Florida Everblades.

Fans can catch all the action of this weekend’s games by heading to www.gocheckers.com and clicking the “Listen Live” button. The Checkers’ home opener is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 15 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Season tickets for the inaugural 2010-11 AHL season are now on sale and season ticket packages start as low as $10 per game. Ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com.