Weekly Report: Jan. 19

The Checkers navigated a jam-packed week at home and came out the other side with an impressive seven of eight possible points in the standings.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Checkers 8, Thunderbirds 2

The Checkers kicked off the week with an absolute dismantling of Springfield. The home team blew things open in the first period by scoring each of the game’s first five goals, and when Springfield got one back near the end of the frame the Checkers responded with two more tallies in the second and a power-play strike in the third for good measure. Mike Benning and Ben Steeves led the way with three points each and 10 of Charlotte’s 12 skaters recorded a point in the lopsided win.

Checkers 8, Thunderbirds 2

The following night’s rematch initially looked like it might be a tighter affair, as each team struck once in the first five minutes, but the Checkers quickly tilted the ice from there. Led by a hat trick from Robert Mastrosimone, Charlotte would rattle off another seven goals by the time the final buzzer sounded to seal an identical blowout victory.

Bears 4, Checkers 3 (OT)

The weekend’s matchups against Hershey were a much different story for Charlotte. A three-goal second period had the Checkers in control by a 3-1 score after 40 minutes of play, but the Bears would come alive for a pair in the third to force overtime. After successfully killing one penalty in the extra frame, the Checkers were assessed a delay of game for putting the puck over the glass and the Bears took advantage to complete their comeback.

Checkers 4, Bears 3 (SO)

The rematch was a back-and-forth battle in which the Bears claimed a 3-2 lead early in the third and held onto it deep into regulation. But with an extra attacker on the ice for Charlotte and just 56 ticks left on the clock, Mike Benning wired a shot into the back of the net that pushed the contest into overtime. A shootout was necessary after a scoreless extra frame, and the first four rounds saw the goaltenders come out on top. Brian Pinho broke that deadlock in the top of round five, and with the game on the line Kirill Gerasimyuk finished off his perfect run by stonewalling Nicky Leivermann and collecting two standings points for his team.

QUICK HITS

SPREADING THE WEALTH

Charlotte’s offense has been on a roll as of late - pushing into the top 10 of the AHL’s rankings - and last week’s showing was a shining example of that. Seven different skaters recorded at least a point-per-game over the four-game week - Robert Mastrosimone (4g, 2a) and Jack Devine (1g, 5a) led the way, followed by Wilmer Skoog (3g, 2a), Ben Steeves (3g, 2a), Nolan Foote (3g, 1a), Trevor Carrick (2g, 2a) and Mike Benning (2g, 2a).

Additionally, three Checkers are on active point streaks - Devine (5 games), Mastrosimone (4 games) and Carrick (3 games) - and three skaters are averaging at least a point per game over the eight games during the month of January - Foote (5g, 4a), Steeves (5g, 4a) and Devine (3g, 5a).

POWERING UP

When the Checkers finished Sunday’s win with two power-play goals on seven opportunities, it stood out in two different areas. The first is that it marked the fifth time that they have scored multiple power-play goals in a single game and the first time since Dec. 14. The other is that it was the most power-play chances the Checkers have had this season. In fact, before Sunday Charlotte had been awarded two or fewer power plays in five of the last eight games - including each of the last three. The Checkers’ power-play unit continues to rank in the bottom half of the AHL, but they are operating at a 25-percent clip over the last nine contests.

HOME COOKING

Bojangles Coliseum has provided quite the home-ice advantage for the Checkers this season. Charlotte’s 12 home wins are tied for the second-most in the Eastern Conference, the team is 6-3-1-0 over the last 10 games at the Coliseum and is currently riding a five-game point streak in the friendly confines of The Biscuit.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Robert Mastrosimone picked up his first career hat trick in Tuesday's 8-2 stomping of Springfield!

MASTROOOOOOOO 🧢🧢🧢 pic.twitter.com/W2EYehOLao

— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) January 15, 2026

Transactions

Incoming

• Jan. 19 - Noah Gregor - Assigned by Florida (NHL)
• Jan. 14 - Colton Huard - Recalled from Savannah (ECHL)

Outgoing

• None

Injury Notes

• MacKenzie Entwistle returned to action on Jan. 17 after missing the previous 18 games due to injury
• Gracyn Sawchyn (Out since Jan. 5) will be out long term, per head coach Geordie Kinnear

RANKINGS

• Mikulas Hovorka is tied for the league lead among defensemen in shorthanded goals (1)
• Cooper Black is tied for second in the AHL in wins (15)
• Jack Devine is tied for second among AHL rookies in shorthanded goals (1)
• Jack Devine is tied for third among AHL rookies in game-winning goals (3)
• Brett Chorske is tied for third among AHL rookies in game-winning goals (3)
• Colton Huard is tied for fourth among AHL rookie defensemen in game-winning goals (1)
• Nolan Foote is tied for fifth in the AHL in game-winning goals (4)
• Kirill Gerasimyuk is tied for fifth in the AHL in shutouts (2)
• Jack Devine is tied for sixth among AHL rookies in points (26)
• Jack Devine is tied for seventh among AHL rookies in goals (11)
• Jack Devine is tied for seventh among AHL rookies in assists (15)
• Mitch Vande Sompel is tied for seventh among AHL defensemen in shorthanded assists (1)
• Trevor Carrick ranks eighth among AHL defensemen in shots on goal (79)
• Jack Devine is tied for ninth among AHL rookies in plus-minus (+12)
• Nolan Foote is tied for 10th in the AHL in shots on goal (98)
• Colton Huard is tied for 10th among AHL rookie defensemen in goals (3)

By the Numbers

CATEGORY	RECORD	AHL RANK
Power play	17.4%	t-19th
Penalty kill	85.8%	2nd
Goals per game	3.27	10th
Shots per game	30.65	5th
Goals allowed per game	2.78	t-7th
Shots allowed per game	24.84	2nd
Penalty minutes per game	12.73	20th

LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER(S)
Points	Jack Devine (26), Ben Steeves (25), Wilmer Skoog (24)
Goals	Ben Steeves, Wilmer Skoog (14), Jack Devine (11)
Assists	Jack Devine (15), Gracyn Sawchyn, Nolan Foote, Mike Benning (13)
Power play goals	Ben Steeves (6), Four tied (2)
Shorthanded goals	Mikulas Hovorka, Jack Devine, Brett Chorske, Sandis Vilmanis (1)
Game-winning goals	Nolan Foote (4), Jack Devine, Brett Chorske (3)
Shots on goal	Nolan Foote (98), Ben Steeves (95), Wilmer Skoog (86)
Penalty minutes	Ben Steeves (54), Jack Devine (33), Riese Gaber, Nolan Foote (30)
Plus/minus	Mikulas Hovorka (+13), Jack Devine (+12), Gracyn Sawchyn (+11)
Wins	Cooper Black (15)
Goals-against average	Cooper Black (2.57y)
Save percentage	Cooper Black (.900)