Weekly Report: March 23

A busy week at the Coliseum started out on a rough note for Charlotte, but it turned things around to end the home stand with a bang.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Wolf Pack 5, Checkers 2

The week started off on the wrong foot, as the Checkers fell into a 3-0 hole through 40 minutes against Hartford. The home side punched back in the third, with Jack Studnicka scoring twice to pull his squad within one halfway through the frame, but Charlotte couldn’t muster anything else, and a quick pair of strikes from Hartford cemented the lopsided final.

Wolf Pack 5, Checkers 2

The rematch didn’t fare any better for Charlotte. Hartford raced out to a staggering 5-0 lead midway through regulation, and while the Checkers would finally break through late in the second and again late in the third, it wasn’t enough to avoid a midweek sweep at the hands of the Wolf Pack.

Checkers 5, Phantoms 1

The Checkers quickly put those two defeats behind them as they welcomed the Phantoms to town - building up a 3-0 lead through just eight minutes of play. Lehigh Valley was able to put one behind Cooper Black in the third period, but his 23-save performance was more than enough to carry his squad, and two late tallies from Brian Pinho put the Checkers back in the win column.

Checkers 6, Phantoms 2

The Checkers kept their foot on the gas for the week’s finale, riding a strong start on special teams to another 3-0 lead through 40 minutes of play. The Phantoms would see some special teams success of their own in the third but could only pull within two before the Checkers squashed those comeback hopes and sealed the 6-2 blowout victory.

QUICK HITS

PLAYOFF PICTURE

The Checkers are on the cusp of punching their ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is currently at one, so a win or overtime/shootout loss on Wednesday against Bridgeport would seal the deal - as would a regulation loss by Springfield, who is playing Providence at the same time.

A regulation win over the Islanders on Wednesday would also secure a top four seed in the division for the Checkers, meaning if they played in the opening best-of-five round they would be guaranteed home-ice advantage with all three possible games in Charlotte. The Checkers remain in contention for one of the top two seeds as well, which come with a first-round bye. With 10 contests left on their slate, they trail the second-place Penguins by seven points and have played one fewer game than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

SHORTHANDED SUCCESS

The Checkers have pushed their way into a tie for fifth in the AHL with nine shorthanded goals this season, courtesy of a red-hot run for the unit as of late. They have scored a shorthanded goal in three of their last five games and have six in the 29 games since Jan. 13. Jack Studnicka leads the way with three of his own - two of which came in back-to-back games this week.

On the other side of special teams, Sunday saw the Checkers snap what had been a run of 38 consecutive power plays without a goal when that unit lit the lamp for the first time since Feb. 16.

PINHO'S BIG WEEKEND

Brian Pinho played a big role in helping pull the Checkers out of their skid this week. The veteran forward notched a pair of goals and added a helper in the first victory over Lehigh Valley, then tacked on another two goals in the following night’s rematch. That outburst clinched the fourth 30-point campaign of Pinho’s career.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

What a play to strike shorthanded in Sunday's win!

Him too! 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bAACpotUoe

— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) March 22, 2026

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RANKINGS

• Cooper Black leads all AHL rookies in wins (23)
• Kirill Gerasimyuk leads all AHL rookies in shutouts (4)
• Brett Chorske is tied for the league lead among rookies in shorthanded goals (2)
• Mikulas Hovorka is tied for second among AHL defensemen in shorthanded goals (1)
• Cooper Black ranks third among AHL rookies in goals-against average (2.56)
• Cooper Black is tied for third in the AHL in wins (23)
• Kirill Gerasimyuk is tied for third in the AHL in shutouts (4)
• Cooper Black ranks fourth among AHL rookies in save percentage (.902)
• Jack Devine is tied for fourth among AHL rookies in shorthanded goals (1)
• Cooper Black ranks fifth in the AHL in minutes played (2202:47)
• Brett Chorske is tied for sixth among AHL rookies in game-winning goals (4)
• Jack Studnicka is tied for sixth in the AHL in shorthanded goals (3)
• Jack Devine is tied for seventh among AHL rookies in shots on goal (121)
• Jack Devine is tied for seventh among AHL rookies in goals (16)
• Mikulas Hovorka is tied for ninth among AHL defensemen in plus-minus (+22)
• Jack Devine is tied for 10th among AHL rookies in points (36)
• Jack Devine is tied for 10th among AHL rookies in plus-minus (+15)

By the Numbers

CATEGORY	RECORD	AHL RANK
Power play	14.2%	28th
Penalty kill	84.4%	4th
Goals per game	3.35	t-5th
Shots per game	30.02	6th
Goals allowed per game	2.74	8th
Shots allowed per game	25.48	2nd
Penalty minutes per game	11.79	24th

LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER(S)
Points	Ben Steeves (40), Jack Devine (36), Wilmer Skoog (34)
Goals	Ben Steeves (19), Wilmer Skoog (18), Jack Devine (16)
Assists	Mike Benning (23), Ben Steeves (21), Jack Devine (20)
Power play goals	Ben Steeves (7), Robert Mastrosimone, Jack Devine (3)
Shorthanded goals	Jack Studnicka (3), Brett Chorkse (2), Four tied (1)
Game-winning goals	Nolan Foote, Ben Steeves, Brett Chorske (4)
Shots on goal	Ben Steeves (146), Nolan Foote (142), Brian Pinho (124)
Penalty minutes	Ben Steeves (88), Trevor Carrick (49), Jack Devine (45)
Plus/minus	Mikulas Hovorka (+22), Marek Alscher (+19), Jack Devine (+15)
Wins	Cooper Black (23)
Goals-against average	Cooper Black (2.56)
Save percentage	Cooper Black(.902)