2014-15 Schedule Released

The American Hockey League has released the Checkers' schedule for the 2014-15 season. In addition to the usual array of schedule downloads, including printable and importable calendars, below are a few highlights and notes from the 76-game slate.

Season tickets, new five-game mini plan options, flex packs and groups are on sale now. Individual tickets will go on sale in late September.

Starting Off

Schedule Downloads

Downloads: PDF | ICS | CSV
Tickets: Season | Mini | Flex | Groups
Note: right click and choose "save as" to download ICS and CSV calendar imports for iCal, Outlook and Google

The 2014-15 campaign will begin in Milwaukee, marking the fifth time in the franchise's five years that Charlotte will open the season on the road. The Checkers will look to continue the trend of starting on a positive note, having won their last two season-openers. Following that matchup with the Admirals, the Checkers immediately head to Chicago for a pair of games that conclude the team's first three-in-three (three games in three nights) of the season and the only one played entirely on the road. The Checkers will then return to Time Warner Cable Arena to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins in the home opener.

Charlotte caught a bit of a break this season in terms of three-in-threes, facing a franchise-low three instances, down from as many as eight in previous years. The absence of so many three-in-threes should help the team hold up physically during the grueling AHL season.

Home Sweet Home

The Checkers' longest homestand is their last of the regular season, a six-game stretch over two and a half weeks at the end of March/beginning of April that closes out their home schedule. That goes along with two other five-game homestands, one of which is earlier in March, which should help the team establish momentum and avoid the fatigue associated with traveling. The longest road trip Charlotte will face this season is a six-game stretch in late March that takes them through Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Iowa and Norfolk.

Unlike last year, there will not be any double-headers with the Charlotte Hornets, nor will there be any games in Raleigh. All Checkers home game will be held at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Matinee Games

There are two instances on the schedule where the Checkers will be playing games with start times that are earlier than normal. The first is a Halloween matinee game starting at noon that will see Charlotte hosting the Hamilton Bulldogs for the first time in franchise history. The other will be on Feb. 25, when the Checkers will square off against the Marlies in Toronto for an 11 a.m. faceoff.

Opponent Breakdown

Amid the many familiar faces on the Checkers' schedule in their second season in the West Division, there are a few changes. Charlotte will see more of new divisional foe Iowa, squaring off with them eight times, the same as their other division rivals Texas and San Antonio, while the most played team will once again be Oklahoma City at a whopping 12 contests. Outside of the West Division, the Checkers will face Grand Rapids and Norfolk eight times each. Norfolk is the only Eastern conference team that Charlotte will play this season, down from two last season after Hershey was left off the schedule. The Checkers will take on the remaining teams (Chicago, Hamilton, Milwaukee, Rockford, Toronto, Lake Erie) four times each. For the first time in the franchise's five years, the Checkers will take on the Hamilton Bulldogs in the regular season, leaving the Rochester Americans as the only Western Conference team that Charlotte has never played.

Of the 12 teams that appear on the Checkers' schedule, seven made the playoffs last season, including the top four seeds in the conference. Despite the success of those teams last season, Charlotte holds a 98-76-18 all-time record against their 2014-15 opponents, including winning records against six of the 12.