Remember the Charlotte Checkers? Road-weary hockey team back home at last

The Charlotte Checkers have been like a rumor this season.

You might read or hear about their exploits, but they’re rarely seen in Charlotte. That will change this week.

After playing 13 of their opening 17 American Hockey League games on the road, the Checkers return home for four games on Thanksgiving week. They’ll face a pair of Canadian opponents – Belleville on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and Laval on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

And they’ll come home with the best record in the AHL – 13-4, with one of the losses coming in overtime. Checkers coach Mike Vellucci says the early road schedule could help during the season.

“The schedule is what it is,” he says. “We have to go out there on the road and play the way we’re supposed to play. Having those road games early could make us better later in the season.”

So here’s what fans will see this week in the 2018-19 Checkers:

Tons of talent

The Carolina Hurricanes have been stocking up on young talent for several seasons, and many of those standout players have reached the AAA level, which is the AHL. With the roster jammed at the NHL level, it even means some of the young players who have graduated from Charlotte to Raleigh, like last year’s goal-leader Valentin Zykov, occasionally return.

Zykov was sent down to Charlotte last week. He managed to get a match penalty for cross-checking Friday night and served a one-game suspension Saturday.

Balanced scoring

The Checkers have been getting goals from all over their lineup, including defense. The team scoring leaders are Andrew Poturalski and Janne Kuokkanen, each with 17 points.

Strong goaltending

Alex Nedeljkovic leads the AHL in victories (10), and backup Callum Booth has been strong. Nedeljkovic had an off night Saturday and was replaced by Booth early in the game. Booth went on to get the victory in overtime.

Here’s how the past week went, with what is coming this week:

Friday: The Checkers fell behind 1-0 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Penguins. Kuokkanen and Poturalski scored power-play goals, and Nedeljkovic made 27 saves. He stopped the Penguins on all five of their power plays.

Saturday: The Checkers won 6-5 in overtime at Wilkes-Barre. Charlotte fell behind 4-1, rallied for a 5-4 lead, gave up the tying goal in the closing minutes of regulation, then won in overtime on an Aleksi Saarela goal.

Of note: Defenseman Dan Renouf got the so-called Gordie Howe Hat Trick – a goal, an assist, and a five-minute fighting penalty.

What’s ahead: The Checkers host Ontario’s Belleville Senators, the top farm club of the Ottawa Senators, at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Bojangles’ Coliseum. Then Quebec-based Laval, the Montreal Canadiens’ top farm club, visits for games at 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.