Mike Benning
72gp, 9g-17a-26ptsThe blue liner made an impact in his first pro season, ranking second among team defensemen with 26 points and nine goals - the latter a mark that stands as the second-most in franchise history for a rookie defenseman - and standing as the only Checker to appear in all 72 regular season games.
Contract status for next season: Year three of three-year entry-level deal
Matt Kiersted
57gp, 4g-11a-15ptsAfter missing a month of action due to injury early in the season, Kiersted was a steady force on the back end for Charlotte and posted the second-best plus-minus figure on the team.
Contract status for next season: Unrestricted free agent (UFA)
Casey Fitzgerald
69gp, 4g-17a-21ptsIn his first season with the Checkers Fitzgerald played more games than he has in any single campaign across his career, provided a strong physical presence on the blue line and matched a career high with four goals - all of which came in his final 10 games of the regular season.
Contract status for next season: UFA
Ben Steeves
8gp, 1g-1a-2ptsJoined the team after the conclusion of his college season and recorded his first pro goal and assist.
Contract status for next season: Year one of two-year entry-level deal
Zach Uens
2gp, 0g-0a-0ptsAppeared in two games early in the season for Charlotte and spent the majority of the year with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, where he ranked third among team defensemen in scoring.
Contract status for next season: Year three of three-year entry-level deal
Mitch Vande Sompel
16gp, 3g-31-6ptsJoined the Checkers via an AHL swap that sent Jake Wise to Chicago at the deadline, then proved to be a significant piece on the back end for Charlotte - the team went 11-4-1-0 after adding him while outscoring their opponents 50-32.
Contract status for next season: UFA
Rasmus Asplund
67gp, 9g-35a-44ptsIn his first AHL action since the 2020-21 season, Asplund was an impressive playmaker for the Checkers - leading the team in assists and ranking second in points (both career highs) while serving as an alternate captain following Lucas Carlsson’s season-ending injury.
Contract status for next season: Restricted free agent (RFA)
Will Lockwood
32gp, 12g-12a-24ptsLockwood spent a sizeable chunk of the season with Florida logging a career-best 26 NHL games, but he made a substantial impact during his stints with Charlotte at the beginning and end of the season, as his 0.78 goals-per-game average ranked second on the team.
Contract status for next season: Year two of two-year, two-way NHL contract
Mackie Samoskevich
62gp, 22g-32a-54ptsThe 21-year-old turned in one of the strongest rookie campaigns by a Checker ever, with his 54 points ranking third in the AHL among first-year pros and trailing only Zac Dalpe for the highest total by a rookie in franchise history.
Contract status for next season: Contract status for next season: Year three of three-year entry-level deal
Riley Bezeau
32gp, 3g-4a-7ptsStarted the year on a strong pace before a shoulder injury forced him to ultimately undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season - he has a couple more months of recovery left but says that he’ll be “good to go” for training camp.
Contract status for next season: Year two of two-year AHL contract
Patrick Khodorenko
65gp, 7g-20a-27ptsComing off a season lost to injury, Khodorenko bounced back by setting a career high in helpers (a mark that ranked fifth on the team) and matching his highest point output as well.
Contract status for next season: UFA
Uvis Balinskis
37gp, 3g-18a-21ptsThe Latvian blue liner split his first North American season between the NHL and AHL levels, tying for third among team defensemen in scoring and ranking second in assists despite only appearing in half of the campaign.
Contract status for next season: Year one of two-year, one-way NHL deal
Skyler Brind'Amour
54gp, 3g-5a-8ptsBrind’Amour battled through a couple different injuries in his first pro campaign and carved out a role for himself as the fourth-line center and dependable penalty killer.
Contract status for next season: Year two of two-year AHL deal
Mark Senden
11gp, 0g-0a-0ptsThe rookie forward appeared sporadically for the Checkers during the first half of the season but spent the majority of the year with the Everblades, where he ranked seventh on the team in scoring.
Contract status for next season: UFA
Gerry Mayhew
68gp, 19g-18a-37ptsThe veteran forward was once again a key offensive driver for the Checkers and put up points in bunches, registering 10 multi-point outings along the way.
Contract status for next season: UFA
Alexander True
55gp, 4g-15a-19ptsFresh off a run to the Calder Cup Finals with Coachella Valley that saw him log 98 games in 2022-23, True returned to Charlotte and established himself as the team’s first-line center and a dependable piece at the faceoff dot.
Contract status for next season: UFA
Zac Dalpe
67gp, 17g-13a-30ptsThe Checkers captain hit several milestones during the 2023-24 season, becoming the franchise leader in goals and games played and appearing in his 700th pro game - all while logging his third consecutive 30-point campaign with the team.
Contract status for next season: Year two of two-year, two-way NHL deal
Dennis Cesana
21gp, 0g-1a-1ptsCesana’s second full pro season often saw him as the seventh defenseman, rotating into the lineup when called upon throughout the year while also lighting up his first career ECHL stint with seven points in 10 games with the Everblades.
Contract status for next season: Year one of one-year AHL deal (signed in February)
Ryan McAllister
37gp, 8g-11a-19ptsThe plan for McAllister coming into his rookie season was to work on rounding out his game for the pro level, and that’s what happened for the 22-year-old who was in and out of the lineup throughout the year but chipped in offensively when called upon - especially on the power play, where he posted seven helpers.
Contract status for next season: Year two of three-year entry-level deal
Justin Sourdif
58gp, 12g-26a-38ptsSourdif took a big step in year two, emerging as a high-end offensive force for the Checkers while bringing a strong physical edge and prowess in the faceoff circle.
Contract status for next season: Year three of three-year entry-level deal
Wilmer Skoog
49gp, 22g-9a-31ptsSkoog didn’t score his first goal of the season until Jan.7, but from that point on only two others scored more goals in the AHL, and that red-hot run not only snagged him a share of the team goals lead, it earned him an NHL deal with Florida.
Contract status for next season: Year one of a one-year, two-way NHL deal
Evan Nause
9gp, 0g-1a-1ptsThe 2021 second-round pick spent the first few months of his rookie season with Charlotte and returned for the regular season finale - in the meantime he posted five assists in 28 games for the Everblades.
Contract status for next season: Year two of three-year entry-level deal
Santtu Kinnunen
68gp, 4g-17a-21ptsKinnunen came out of the gates hot in his sophomore campaign, and while the offensive production slowed down, he emerged as a dependable piece on a Charlotte blue line that stifled opponents throughout the season.
Contract status for next season: RFA
Cam Morrison
45gp, 5g-6a-11ptsAside from a strong stint with the Everblades (5g, 1a in 8 games), Morrison carved out a spot with the Checkers and logged a career-best amount of games at the AHL level.
Contract status for next season: UFA
Lucas Carlsson
52gp, 15g-24a-39ptsAfter turning in a historically dominant performance last season, Carlsson was on a similar pace this year until suffering a torn ACL in late February - the blue liner is currently recovering from surgery but is hopeful that he’ll be ready for next season.
Contract status for next season: UFA
Patrick Giles
66gp, 13g-10a-23ptsGiles made a big jump in year two, scoring as many goals as he had points last season (13) and adding 10 helpers while continuing to be a commanding presence up front for Charlotte.
Contract status for next season: RFA
Andy Welinski
8gp, 0g-0a-0ptsAdded on a PTO for the home stretch of the season, Welinski stepped into a role on a Charlotte back end that lost Lucas Carlsson to injury and Uvis Balinskis to NHL recall
Contract status for next season: UFA
Brendan Perlini
37gp, 9g-11a-20ptsThe veteran forward spent the entirety of the season on a PTO with Charlotte and provided some offensive pop when inserted into the lineup - most notably a key two-point effort in the Queen City Outdoor Classic.
Contract status for next season: UFA
Mack Guzda
2gp, 1-1-0, 2.02 GAA, .930 SV%Guzda started two of the first four games for Charlotte this season and looked solid between the pipes in year two, but after backing up the next couple of games the netminder was sidelined due to injury and missed the rest of the season - head coach Geordie Kinnear called it “unfortunate” but “hopefully he gets healthy and he can build moving forward.”
Contract status for next season: RFA
Spencer Knight
45gp, 25-14-5, 2.41 GAA, .905 SV%The 13th overall pick in 2019, Knight spent the full season in Charlotte and was stellar as the workhorse for the Checkers - especially during a red-hot stretch late in the year that saw him post three shutouts over a four-game run.
Contract status for next season: Year two of three-year, one-way deal
Magnus Hellberg
8gp, 5-2-0, 2.34 GAA, .898 SV%The veteran netminder was brought in at the NHL trade deadline in a swap for Ludovic Waeber and brought some strong play to the goalie tandem down the final stretch of the season.
Contract status for next season: UFA
