AHL champion Charlotte Checkers will raise Calder Cup banner on Oct. 11
The regular-season schedule isn’t out yet, but Charlotte Checkers fans can make their plans to see the team hoist a championship banner to the rafters inside Bojangles’ Coliseum.
The Calder Cup champions said Tuesday they will open their American Hockey League home schedule on Friday, Oct. 11, against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, a night when they also will celebrate this year’s title.
Checkers fans should expect to see new faces next season, including a new coach. The team parted ways with Mike Vellucci last month, and hours later, he signed with Atlantic Division rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Several players from the championship team also have moved on via trade or free agency, including team captain Patrick Brown, Calvin de Haan, Aleksi Saarela and Tomas Jurco.
The Carolina Hurricanes, the Checkers’ NHL affiliate, re-signed restricted free-agent Alex Nedeljkovic, the AHL’s goaltender of the year.
Some other highlights from the schedule:
Thanksgiving weekend: The Checkers will have three home games that weekend, facing Cleveland on Nov. 27 and Providence on Nov. 30-Dec. 1.
Long road trip 1: Charlotte will be on the road for seven straight games from late December to mid-January.
Toronto visits: The last two AHL champions play Jan. 18-19 in Charlotte. Toronto won the Calder Cup in 2018 and lost to the Checkers in the Eastern Conference finals in May.
Brutal trip: The Checkers play six road games in eight days in late March.
Vellucci’s homecoming: Mike Vellucci’s return to Charlotte with his new team, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, will be Jan. 24-25. It’ll be the Checkers’ only home games against the Penguins.
Balanced schedule: Despite the two long trips, the Checkers have a nearly balanced home-away schedule. They have four road and four home games in October; five home and seven road in November; seven home and five road in January; six home and six road in February; seven home and seven road in March; and three home and three away in April.
2019-20 Checkers Schedule
Date, Time, Opponent
Oct. 5, 7 p.m., at Hartford
Oct. 6, 3:05 p.m., at Springfield
Oct. 11, 7 p.m., Bridgeport
Oct. 12, 6 p.m., Bridgeport
Oct. 18, 7 p.m., at Utica
Oct. 19, 7 p.m., at Syracuse
Oct. 25, 7 p.m., Lehigh Valley
Oct. 26, 6 p.m., Lehigh Valley
Nov. 1, 7 p.m., at Cleveland
Nov. 3, 1 p.m., at Cleveland
Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Springfield
Nov. 9, 6 p.m., Springfield
Nov. 15, 7 p.m., at Hershey
Nov. 16, 7 p.m., at Hershey
Nov. 20, 7:05 p.m., at Lehigh Valley
Nov. 22, 7:05 p.m., at Lehigh Valley
Nov. 23, 7:05 p.m., at W-B/Scranton
Nov. 26, 7 p.m., Cleveland
Nov. 27, 7 p.m., Cleveland
Nov. 30, 6 p.m., Providence
Dec. 1, 1 p.m., Providence
Dec. 4, 7 p.m., at Syracuse
Dec. 6, 7:05 p.m., at Rochester
Dec. 7, 7:05 p.m., at Rochester
Dec. 13, 7 p.m., Syracuse
Dec. 14, 6 p.m., Syracuse
Dec. 17, 7 p.m., Hartford
Dec. 18, 7 p.m., Hartford
Dec. 21, 6 p.m., Lehigh Valley
Dec. 22, 1 p.m., Lehigh Valley
Dec. 28, 8 p.m., at Cleveland
Dec. 30, 1 p.m., at Cleveland
Jan. 4, 7:05 p.m., at Providence
Jan. 5, 3:05 p.m., at Providence
Jan. 8, 7:05 p.m., at W-B/Scranton
Jan. 10, 7:15 p.m., at Hartford
Jan. 11, 7 p.m., at Bridgeport
Jan. 14, 7 p.m., Hershey
Jan. 15, 7 p.m., Hershey
Jan. 18, 6 p.m., Toronto
Jan. 19, 1 p.m., Toronto
Jan. 24, 7 p.m., W-B/Scranton
Jan. 25, 6 p.m., W-B/Scranton
Jan. 31, 7 p.m., at Toronto
Feb. 1, 4 p.m., at Toronto
Feb. 7, 7 p.m., Hartford
Feb. 8, 6 p.m., Hartford
Feb. 11, 7 p.m., Rochester
Feb. 12, 7 p.m., Rochester
Feb. 15, 6 p.m., Springfield
Feb. 16, 1 p.m., Springfield
Feb. 21, 7:05 p.m., at Binghamton
Feb. 22, 7:05 p.m., at Binghamton
Feb. 25, 7 p.m., at Hershey
Feb. 28, 7:05 p.m., at Lehigh Valley
Feb. 29, 7:05 p.m., at Lehigh Valley
March 1, 5 p.m., at Hershey
March 6, 7 p.m., Utica
March 7, 6 p.m., Utica
March 10, 7 p.m., Cleveland
March 11, 7 p.m., Cleveland
March 14, 6 p.m., Providence
March 15, 1 p.m., Providence
March 20, 7:15 p.m., at Hartford
March 21, 7 p.m., at Bridgeport
March 22, 3:05 p.m., at Providence
March 25, 7 p.m., at Hartford
March 27, 7 p.m., at Utica
March 28, 7:05 p.m., at Springfield
March 31, 7 p.m., Binghamton
April 1, 7 p.m., Binghamton
April 4, 6 p.m., Hershey
April 5, 1 p.m., Hershey
April 8, 7:05 p.m., at Springfield
April 10, 7:05 p.m., at Providence
April 11, 7:05 p.m., at Springfield
This story was originally published July 9, 2019 at 3:33 PM.