AHL franchise based in Charlotte. Affiliate of the Florida Panthers (NHL). Plays at Bojangles Coliseum.
The Charlotte Mercury covers the Checkers with a focus on prospect development, the Florida Panthers pipeline, and the remarkable playoff culture that makes this franchise one of the most consistently successful in the AHL.
League
AHL
Arena
Bojangles Coliseum
NHL Affiliate
Florida Panthers
Streak
Eliminated · Round 1
What We Cover
The Panthers' prospect pipeline and who's developing in Charlotte before getting the NHL call-up. Playoff runs — the Checkers have reached the Calder Cup Playoffs eight years running, the kind of sustained excellence that deserves attention. The Bojangles Coliseum experience and the business of AHL hockey in a non-traditional hockey market. How the Checkers' success reflects the Florida Panthers' organizational depth.
Why It Matters
A Calder Cup championship in 2019, a return to the Finals in 2025, and an eighth consecutive playoff berth in 2026. Sandis Vilmanis scored four goals in a single game on April 12 against Hershey — a franchise record. Round 1 ended at Bojangles Coliseum on April 25 — Springfield won the best-of-three 2-1, taking the deciding game in overtime. Charlotte's hockey franchise is quietly one of the most successful professional teams in the city, and the pipeline to back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers makes every roster move relevant. The Checkers are proof that Charlotte is a hockey town.
Three wins in a row. Thirty-seven and thirty-four. LaMelo Ball dropped 29 on the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at Spectrum Center, and your Charlotte Hornets are about to make some playoff noise. John Speedway on the team nobody expected — and why this one feels different.
LaMelo Ball dropped 29 on Memphis. The Checkers scored three in the first period. Charlotte FC put up six goals. Three home games, three blowouts, one Saturday in March. Charlotte went 3-0.
The Charlotte Checkers have clinched the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season — and this city is barely paying attention. John Speedway on why the most consistently successful franchise in Charlotte deserves a full house.
The Checkers swept Lehigh Valley twice at Bojangles Coliseum. Charlotte FC set a franchise record with six goals against the Red Bulls. The Hornets blew out Memphis. Here is where Charlotte's teams stand on Monday morning.
The Charlotte Knights open their 2026 season Friday at Truist Field against the Durham Bulls. First pitch is 7:04 p.m. Here is what to know before you go.
Charlotte City Council approved $25 million for Bojangles Coliseum HVAC repairs. Two days later, the Checkers clinched their eighth consecutive Calder Cup Playoffs berth. The 70-year-old building and the team are the same story.
Sandis Vilmanis set a franchise record with four goals as the Checkers routed Hershey 6-1. Charlotte is 12-3-1 since March 1 and locked into the Calder Cup Playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.
Charlotte is home to an AHL hockey team and most people don't know it. The Charlotte Checkers — affiliate of the Florida Panthers — play at Bojangles Coliseum, won the Calder Cup in 2019, and are one of Charlotte's best-kept sports secrets. Here's everything you need to know.
The Charlotte Checkers won their third straight game Wednesday night, defeating the Rochester Americans 5-3 at Blue Cross Arena behind Jack Studnicka's 28-second opener, Ben Steeves' milestone 20th goal, and a three-point performance from Sandis Vilmanis. Charlotte returns home for its final six regular-season games with a record of 40-21-5.
Charlotte closed the AHL regular season with a 4-for-8 power-play clinic and opened the Calder Cup First Round 8-1 over Springfield. One more win on Friday and the Checkers advance.
Panthers take a 42–13 bruise in Foxborough as Chuba Hubbard sits and Rico Dowdle steps up, Charlotte FC banks a 1–0 road win after two D.C. reds, the Hornets preach leadership, and the ROVAL goes green at 3.
Trevor Carrick scored the winner in the third period and Gracyn Sawchyn returned from an 88-day absence with two assists as Charlotte extended its road winning streak to four games.
The Checkers are 39-21-5, locked into third in the Atlantic with home ice secured, and closing the regular season with seven consecutive home games at Bojangles Coliseum. The defending Eastern Conference champions have been getting ready for eight years.
Charlotte's five-game winning streak ends as Hershey's Bogdan Trineyev and Louie Belpedio score in the first two periods. Mikulas Hovorka's third-period goal wasn't enough in a 2-1 loss at Bojangles Coliseum.
Charlotte FC are 2-1-2 through five matches with eight points and third in the Eastern Conference. Pep Biel has four goals from midfield, the 6-1 Red Bulls rout set a club record, and Wilfried Zaha's loan clock is ticking toward June 30.