Weekly Report: Split Week

The first leg of Charlotte’s whirlwind March is in the books, with the Checkers earning a split across the four-game week at home.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Thunderbirds 3, Checkers 0

The Checkers couldn’t get their offense off the ground on Tuesday, firing 32 shots on goal but seeing each one turned aside by the Springfield netminder. Springfield broke through with a shorthanded goal in the first and added two more across the rest of regulation to coast on to a victory.

Checkers 5, Thunderbirds 2

The Checkers wasted no time getting their attack going in the rematch, though. Justin Sourdif lit the lamp just 37 seconds in, then Trevor Carrick hammered in a pair of quick goals to push the home team out to a 3-0 lead. Springfield would push back with two goals before the first intermission, but the Checkers would keep them at bay from there. Sourdif notched another goal in the third to cap off a four-point night, Rasmus Asplund hit the empty net and the Checkers skated away with a lopsided win.

Checkers 4, Phantoms 1

John Leonard struck twice as the Checkers locked down the Phantoms Saturday night - holding the visitors to just six shots through the first two periods. The visitors broke through midway through the third but it was too little, too late, as the Checkers tacked on two more tallies in the waning moments of regulation to earn a convincing win over the team chasing them in the standings.

Phantoms 3, Checkers 2

The Checkers and Phantoms traded blows in the following day’s rematch, but the home side couldn’t quite pull off the weekend sweep. After Jesse Puljujarvi tied the game early in the third, the contest appeared headed for overtime until the Phantoms converted on a power play with 31 seconds remaining to snatch the victory away from Charlotte.

QUICK HITS

TIGHT RACE

With just over a month left in the regular season, the battle for the Atlantic Division is heating up. The Checkers currently slot in at the number four spot with 68 points (.630 points percentage), trailing third place Providence (.625) and second place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (.636) by two points while holding two and one games in hand over them, respectively. Just ahead of all of them at the top of the division is the defending champion Hershey Bears at 75 points (.682).

On the other side of the standings, the Thunderbirds (66 points, .589) and Phantoms (65 points, .560) occupy the final two playoff spots and are chasing the Checkers - who have played two and four fewer games than Springfield and Lehigh Valley, respectively.

The top six teams in the Atlantic Division will qualify for the postseason, with the top two seeds earning a bye past the first round.

OFFENSE PRODUCES WINS

The Checkers are 6-3-0-1 over their last 10 contests, and a trend across those victories has been an uptick in offense. Over that stretch Charlotte scored at least four goals five different times and earned a win in each of those instances - the lone other win over that run saw the Checkers score three goals. In the four losses, they scored a total of four goals.

This season the Checkers are 22-1-0-1 when scoring at least four goals and 9-16-3-2 when falling below that threshold. Taking that another step, 29 of Charlotte’s 31 wins this season have come in games in which the team has scored at least three goals.

CARRICK KEEPS SCORING

By notching a goal and an assist on Sunday Trevor Carrick clinched the sixth 40-point season of his career and his third in a row. He ranks fifth among all AHL defensemen in points, is tied for fourth in assists and seventh in goals and is tied for the third most power-play points in the league.

This is the ninth time in team history that a defenseman has scored 40 points in a season, with Carrick accounting for four of those. Only two blue liners have ever hit 50 points - Bobby Sanguinetti (50 in 2011-12) and Lucas Carlsson (a franchise-record 54 in 2022-23).

Carrick is the franchise’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points by a defenseman, as well as games played and assists overall, and he trails Zac Dalpe by 17 points for the third spot on the all-time points list. He is also one shy of tying the single-season record for power-play goals by a blue liner and seven power-play points away from tying that mark.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Rasmus Asplund and John Leonard connect on a sweet give-and-go in Saturday's win over Lehigh Valley!

😍 pic.twitter.com/IB8L8Oowyx

— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) March 8, 2025

Transactions

Incoming

• March 6 - Kaapo Kahkonen acquired from Winnipeg (NHL)

Outgoing

• March 6 - Chris Driedger traded to Winnipeg (NHL)
• March 5 - Patrick Giles traded to San Jose (NHL)

RANKINGS

• Ken Appleby is tied for the league lead in goals-against average (2.05)
• Ken Appleby is tied for the league lead in shutouts (5)
• Rasmus Asplund is tied for the league lead in shorthanded points (6)
• Rasmus Asplund is tied for second in the AHL in shorthanded goals (4)
• John Leonard is tied for the league lead in shorthanded points (6)
• John Leonard ranks second in the AHL in shots on goal (176)
• John Leonard is tied for second in the AHL in shorthanded goals (4)
• John Leonard ranks seventh in the AHL in goals (25)
• Trevor Carrick ranks second among AHL defensemen in power-play assists (16)
• Trevor Carrick ranks second among AHL defensemen in power-play points (23)
• Trevor Carrick is tied for third in the AHL in power-play assists (16)
• Trevor Carrick is tied for third in the AHL in power-play points (23)
• Trevor Carrick ranks fourth among AHL defensemen in power-play goals (7)
• Trevor Carrick is tied for fourth among AHL defensemen in assists (31)
• Trevor Carrick ranks fifth among AHL defensemen in points (41)
• Trevor Carrick is tied for seventh among AHL defensemen in goals (10)
• Matt Kiersted ranks fourth in the AHL in plus-minus (+24)
• Jaycob Megna ranks fifth in the AHL in plus-minus (+21)
• Cooper Black is tied for the lead among rookie goalies in shutouts (3)

By the Numbers

CATEGORY	RECORD	AHL RANK
Power play	21.8%	5th
Penalty kill	86.7%	1st
Goals per game	3.19	14th
Shots per game	32.30	1st
Goals allowed per game	2.59	3rd
Shots allowed per game	22.89	1st
Penalty minutes per game	12.44	18th

LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER(S)
Points	John Leonard (43), Trevor Carrick (41), Rasmus Asplund (36)
Goals	John Leonard (25), Kyle Criscuolo, Rasmus Asplund (17)
Assists	Trevor Carrick (31), Rasmus Asplund, Matt Kiersted (19)
Power play goals	Kyle Criscuolo, Trevor Carrick (7), John Leonard (6)
Shorthanded goals	John Leonard, Rasmus Asplund (4), Patrick Giles (3)
Game-winning goals	John Leonard (5), Kyle Criscuolo, Justin Sourdif (4)
Shots on goal	John Leonard (176), Wilmer Skoog (130), Rasmus Asplund (118)
Penalty minutes	Oliver Okuliar (91), Justin Sourdif (52), Wilmer Skoog (49)
Plus/minus	Matt Kiersted (+24), Jaycob Megna (+21), John Leonard (+17)
Wins	Ken Appleby (12)
Goals-against average	Ken Appleby (2.05)
Save percentage	Ken Appleby (.905)