The NHL’s Seattle Kraken and Florida Panthers today announced that they have entered into a joint agreement to place their prospects in Charlotte for the 2021-22 season.
As part of the agreement, the Checkers will simultaneously host players from the Kraken and Panthers organizations. As the Checkers’ primary affiliate, the Panthers will provide the head coach, Geordie Kinnear, while the Kraken will have the opportunity to provide an assistant coach.
The Seattle agreement will last one season to allow for construction of a new arena in Palm Springs, California, that will eventually host the Kraken’s AHL expansion franchise. The Checkers’ existing multi-year affiliation agreement with the Panthers, completed in September 2020, will continue beyond the 2021-22 campaign.
“We are excited to work with Kraken General Manager Ron Francis again as we help develop the inaugural group of Seattle Kraken prospects,” said Checkers Owner and CEO Michael Kahn. “We feel the partnership between ourselves, the Kraken and our primary affiliate, the Florida Panthers, will give the Checkers a strong pool of players for the upcomingseason."
“The AHL plays such a key role in the development of NHL players that this was a very important decision for the long-term success of our organization,” said Seattle Kraken General Manager, Ron Francis. “We are obviously familiar with Michael Kahn and the Charlotte Checkers as well as the area and this agreement helps ensure we can loan all of our prospects to one place rather than multiple locations. We would like to thank both Charlotte and the Florida Panthers for their cooperation to make this happen.”
“We are looking forward to welcoming Seattle to the NHL and utilizing this partnership to create an ideal environment for our prospects to train and compete in Charlotte,” said Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito. “We can’t wait for the puck to drop in Charlotte for the upcoming season.”
The Checkers’ first two home games of the 2021-22 season will take place on Friday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 23. The AHL will announce the remainder of the schedule at a later date. For more information about season tickets, please contact the Checkers at (704) 342-4423 or [email protected]. If you would like be notified with more information about individual tickets, mini plans or group tickets, please fill out the form below.