The Forwards
#9 Rasmus Asplund
11th pro season | Last season: 44 points (9g, 35a) in 67 games for Charlotte (AHL)Asplund emerged as a premier offensive weapon for the Checkers last season, utilizing his high-end speed and playmaking prowess to help propel the offense and lead the team in helpers.
#10 Will Lockwood
5th pro season | Last season: 24 points (12g, 12a) in 32 games for Charlotte (AHL) / 1 point (0g, 1a) in 26 games for Florida (NHL)Lockwood was a powerful performer during his stints with the Checkers last season, which came in-between a career-high number of appearances at the NHL level.
#13 Riley Bezeau
3rd pro season | Last season: 7 points (3g, 4a) in 32 games for Charlotte (AHL)Bezeau continued to bring a physical intensity to the Charlotte lineup last season while finding the scoresheet at a higher clip before ultimately being sidelined by an injury.
#15 Kyle Criscuolo
9th pro season | Last season: 42 points (16g, 26a) in 63 games for Utica (AHL)Criscuolo brings a wealth of experience to the room for Charlotte - along with a Calder Cup pedigree - and hit new highs offensively last season while starring for Utica.
#17 Josh Davies
1st pro season | Last season: 61 points (36g, 25a) in 55 games for Portland (WHL)A sixth-round pick by Florida in 2022, Davies is heading to the pro ranks after breaking out during his final junior season, in which he was able to balance a strong scoring touch with a striking physical edge.
#18 MacKenzie Entwistle
6th pro season | Last season: 11 points (5g, 6a) in 67 games for Chicago (NHL)A third-round pick by Arizona in 2017, the 6-foot-3 Entwistle has spent the majority of the last three seasons - including all of the last two - carving out a role in the NHL.
#19 John Leonard
5th pro season | Last season: 1 point (1g, 0a) in 6 games for Arizona (NHL) / 32 points (12g, 20a) in 63 games for Tucson (AHL)Leonard has made an impact with 30+ points in each of his last three seasons in the AHL, while also making NHL appearances in each of his four pro seasons up to this point.
#20 Matt Luff
8th pro season | Last season: 18 points (10g, 8a) in 26 games for Grand Rapids (AHL)Even with his last season shortened due to injury, Luff has been a productive scorer in the AHL - especially as of late, with 78 points in 88 games over the last four seasons - and has appeared in over 100 NHL contests thus far.
#21 Zac Dalpe
15th pro season | Last season: 30 points (17g, 13a) in 67 games for Charlotte (AHL)The Checkers captain is back and looking to continue to be a consistent presence on the ice for Charlotte, having notched three consecutive 30+ point seasons since rejoining the club in 2021-22.
#23 Ryan McAllister
2nd pro season | Last season: 19 points (8g, 11a) in 37 games for Charlotte (AHL)McAllister showed off the high-end offensive capabilities last season that made him a standout in college, and he’ll be looking to build off a strong finish to the year - nine points in his last 14 appearances - as he pushes for a permanent place in the Charlotte lineup.
#25 Wilmer Skoog
2nd pro season | Last season: 31 points (22g, 9a) in 49 games for Charlotte (AHL) / 8 points (2g, 6a) in 20 games for Florida (ECHL)Skoog stole the show down the stretch of last season when he turned around a slow start into becoming one of the hottest goal scorers in the league - a run of 22 goals over 40 games starting in January that earned him an NHL contract for this season.
#28 Aidan McDonough
2nd pro season | Last season: 19 points (11g, 8a) in 58 games for Abbotsford (AHL)A seventh-round pick by Vancouver in 2019, McDonough was a standout, two-time All-American at Northeastern before earning an NHL look at the end of the 2022-23 season and ranking second among Abbotsford rookies in goals last season.
#29 Sandis Vilmanis
1st pro season | Last season: 28 points (10g, 18a) in 30 games for Sarnia (OHL) / 39 points (28g, 11a) in 30 games for North Bay (OHL)The 20-year-old forward - who was taken in the fifth round by Florida in 2022 - broke out in the OHL last season and took things to another level during North Bay’s playoff run, where he racked up a team-best 27 points (10g, 17a) in 16 contests.
#36 Patrick Giles
3rd pro season | Last season: 23 points (13g, 10a) in 66 games for Charlotte (AHL)Giles tapped into his scoring touch last season - raising his goal total from three the year before to 13 - while continuing to be an impactful presence in the lineup for Charlotte, and he has parlayed that exponential growth into rave reviews from his time at Florida’s training camp.
#37 Riley Hughes
1st pro season | Last season: 5 points (1g, 4a) in 23 games for Ohio State (NCAA) / 4 points (3g, 1a) in 12 games for Iowa (ECHL)After completing a successful college career, Hughes got a taste of the pro game at the tail-end of last season and was able to find the scoresheet during his stint in the ECHL.
#38 Oliver Okuliar
5th pro season | Last season: 45 points (24g, 21a) in 52 games for Hradec Kralove (Czech)The Slovakian forward is taking on the North American pro game for the first time after spending time in multiple European leagues - most recently a campaign that saw him lead his club in both goals and points.
#44 Jamie Armstrong
1st pro season | Last season: 12 points (5g, 7a) in 32 games for Boston College (NCAA)The 26-year-old winger makes the jump to the pros after helping his school capture a Hockey East title in each of the last two seasons - one for Boston University and one for Boston College.
The Defensemen
#2 Mike Benning
2nd pro season | Last season: 26 points (9g, 17a) in 72 games for Charlotte (AHL)A fourth-round pick by Florida in 2020, Benning was a bright spot on the Charlotte blue line during his rookie campaign, ranking second among team blue liners in scoring and posting the second-most goals by a first-year defenseman in franchise history.
#3 Matt Kiersted
4th pro season | Last season: 15 points (4g, 11a) in 57 games for Charlotte (AHL)Kiersted continues to be a solid piece on the Charlotte blue line, logging big minutes in a variety of situations and ranking second on the team with a +14 rating last season.
#4 Jaycob Megna
11th pro season | Last season: 1 point (1g, 0a) in 2 games for Coachella Valley (AHL) / 2 points (0g, 2a) in 44 games for Chicago (NHL)The towering blue liner brings over 550 pro games of experience with him to Charlotte, including nearly 200 contests at the NHL level - where he has spent the majority of his time over the last three seasons.
#5 Trevor Carrick
11th pro season | Last season: 44 points (9g, 35a) in 72 games for San Diego (AHL)It’s been a bit since Checkers fans have seen Trevor Carrick in a Charlotte sweater - the blue liner played in the Queen City from 2014-2019 and helped lead the team to a Calder Cup - and the blue liner hasn’t slowed down in the meantime, coming off back-to-back 40+ point seasons and setting a career high with 15 goals in 2022-23.
#8 Mitch Vande Sompel
7th pro season | Last season: 7 points (2g, 5a) in 31 games for Chicago (AHL) / 6 points (3g, 3a) in 16 games for Charlotte (AHL)Vande Sompel was a big add for the Checkers at the AHL trade deadline last season - bringing a spark to a Charlotte blue line that clamped down on opponents down the stretch - and he’ll look to replicate that success after signing with the team in the offseason and staying in the Queen City.
#14 Mikulas Hovorka
3rd pro season | Last season: 16 points (5g, 11a) in 51 games for Ceske Budejovice HC (Czech)Another physically looming presence on the blue line, Hovorka is set to make the jump to North America after beginning his pro career in the top league of his home country.
#27 Marek Alscher
1st pro season | Last season: 26 points (7g, 19a) in 57 games for Portland (WHL)A third-round pick by Florida in 2022, the 20-year-old Czech defenseman is stepping into the professional ranks after three seasons patrolling the blue line in the WHL and several international appearances - including a run to a bronze medal with Czechia at the 2024 World Junior Championship.
#40 Tobias Bjornfot
6th pro season | Last season: 0 points (0g, 0a) in 1 game for Los Angeles (NHL) / 0 points (0g, 0a) in 9 games for Ontario (AHL) / 0 points (0g, 0a) in 2 games for Vegas (NHL) / 0 points (0g, 0a) in 5 games for Henderson / 0 points (0g, 0a) in 1 game for Florida (NHL)Bjornfot - the 22nd overall pick in 2019 - was well-traveled last season, as a pair of waiver claims led to him suiting up for five different teams across the campaign.
The Goalies
#31 Cooper Black
1st pro season | Last season: 13-8-8, 2.58 GAA, .910 SV% in 30 games for Dartmouth (NCAA) / 0-1-0, 5.81 GAA, .789 SV% in 1 game for Charlotte (AHL)The young netminder - who measures in at a staggering 6-foot-8 - wrapped up a two-year career at Dartmouth last year that saw him earn spots on the ECAC All-Rookie Team (2022-23) and the ECAC Second All-Star Team (2023-24) and got a glimpse of the next level with one start for Charlotte toward the end of the season.
#32 Chris Driedger
11th pro season | Last season: 24-7-7, 2.26 GAA, .917 SV% in 39 games for Coachella Valley (AHL) / 1-1-0, 2.51 GAA, .917 SV% in 2 games for Seattle (NHL)Another experienced presence in the crease for Charlotte, Driedger - who was an AHL All-Star in 2019-20 and posted the league’s best save percentage in 2018-19 - ranked fourth in the AHL in goals-against average and ninth in save percentage last season while helping to guide the Firebirds to a Western Conference title.
#35 Ken Appleby
10th pro season | Last season: 0-0-0, 6.00 GAA, .750 SV% in 1 game for the New York Islanders (NHL) / 10-10-1, 2.85 GAA, .901 SV% in 22 games for Bridgeport (AHL) / 1-1-0, 3.01 GAA / .914 SV% in 2 games for Worcester (ECHL)The veteran netminder has seen plenty of action over his career - including suiting up for all three levels last season.
