The Charlotte Checkers continued its community commitment by donating $323,000 in the 2011-12 season.

This past season, the Charlotte Checkers continued its commitment to the Charlotte community by donating $323,000 to the Charlotte community through special events, fundraisers, monetary contributions through the Charlotte Checkers Charitable Foundation, and with the help of one of the top 10 fanbases in all of the American Hockey League.  Since owner and CEO Michael Kahn bought the team back in 2006, the Checkers have raised over $2.3 million dollars through those initiatives.

The agencies that were the beneficiaries of those donations were the following: Presbyterian Hemby Children’s Hospital, the Presbyterian Hospital-Buddy Kemp Cancer Support Center, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, Teach for America, the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, Discovery Place, USO of North Carolina, Children’s Organ Transplant Association, Carolina Breast Friends, Special Olympics of North Carolina, Camp Care, United Way of Central Carolinas, and Charlotte area schools.

In addition, the Checkers newest events, including the Meat and Greet dinner at Chima Brazillian Steakhouse in Center City, the Checkers with the Checkers event back in January at Buffalo Wild Wings-NASCAR Hall of Fame, the annual golf tournament, charity adult hockey games, and school fundraisers helped played a vital role in the Checkers giving back to the Charlotte community in the 2011-12 season.

The Checkers had some good in-game fundraisers that were huge in the 2011-12 season, which included the 7th annual “Pink in the Rink” game on February 25th, the “Salute to Heroes” game on March 11th, and “Race Night” on January 27th.  In all, the three games raised a combined total of $81,775.

On April 6th of this past year during the Checkers/Abbotsford Heat game at Time Warner Cable Arena, the Checkers teamed up with Hendrick Automotive were able to raise enough funds to provide a van for Forest Walton through the “Wheels for Forest” program, and the team increased its presence throughout the community with 56 player/coach appearances, as well as appearances from the staff, Checkmates, Chief Fan Rouser Jon Wilson, and the team’s mascot, Chubby, and the team also implemented several school programs including the Science of Hockey Program and PowerPLAY, which were both spearheaded by Checkers staffer and Community Ambassador Elle Bunn.

The complete recap of the 2011-12 Checkers community initiatives can be found HERE or by simply going to www.gocheckers.com.

Justin Faulk and Cam Ward are two of 5 Hurricanes represented in the 2012 IIHF World Championships.

If you haven’t been watching any of the IIHF World Championships like I’ve been, then you haven’t gotten a chance to see several Carolina Hurricanes participate in this event being held in Finland and Sweden.  The player that has impressed most of us that follow the Hurricanes in that tournament is defenseman Justin Faulk, who appeared in several games with the Hurricanes American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers back in 2010-11.  In 7 games played in the tournament, he has amassed 7 points(4g, 3a), and has helped Team USA to a mark of 6-1.  There are several other Carolina Hurricanes players participating in the tournament, including the following:

Patrick Dwyer(Team USA): Faulk’s teammate from Carolina is also on Team USA in the IIHF World Championships, and he only has 3 points in the tournament so far(1g, 2a) in 72:48 of ice time so far in the IIHF World Championships.

Jussi Jokinen(Team Finland): “The Juice” as many “Caniacs” would like to call him, is representing Team Finland and he currently has 7 points for one of the two host countries for the tournament, Finland in the tournament(4g, 3a).

Cam Ward and Jeff Skinner(Team Canada): Team Canada has 2 Hurricanes on its roster, goaltender Cam Ward and forward Jeff Skinner.  In 7 starts in goal, Ward has a goals against average(GAA) of 2.58, with a 91.50 save percentage to go with his 4 wins and one lone loss.  Skinner meanwhile has 4 points(2g, 2a) in the tournament.

This year’s IIHF World Championships should be entertaining to watch and keep up with some of our current Hurricanes players representing their countries in the event as we look ahead to hopefully a turnaround season for Carolina in the 2012-13 campaign.

The Checkers have teamed up with Microsoft to give 2 Charlotte area schools a chance to win $5,000 each in technology upgrades.

The Charlotte Checkers, in partnership with Microsoft announced today that they have teamed up together to provide two Charlotte area schools with $5,000 in technology upgrades for each school in the greater Charlotte area.

The two prizes will consist of the following:

• $2,500 of Microsoft products, including an XBOX Kinect, Windows Kinect and Software
• $2,500 in cash for upgrading the school’s technological state.

All Charlotte-area schools must submit a brief e-mail to socialnet@gocheckers.com outlining their needs for an upgrade and how will they use the $2,500 to purchase.  20 schools will be chosen at random and the two schools that gain the most votes via the Checkers Facebook page, will win the grand prizes and be recognized at a Checkers game during the 2012-13 season.

The deadline for submissions is in 2 weeks(May 21st) and voting will begin on May 22nd.  Those interested in learning more information about the contest, including rules, can visit www.gocheckers.com/technology.

If you had to describe the Carolina Panthers 2012 draft in one word, it would be “solid”.

Carolina drafted players who weren’t necessarily workout wonders, but players who performed during games.

Coming into the draft, one of the common perceptions was that the Panthers would look to increase the talent along their defensive line first and foremost. That turned out to be not true, as the Panthers took linebacker Luke Kuechly and guard Amini Silatolu in the first two rounds — drawing the ire of fans and talk radio hosts in the Charlotte area.

That Panthers wanted to get the best player available — impact players who were the best value on the board.

That’s what the Panthers got in Kuechly, who draft analyst Mike Mayock said was the best pass dropping linebacker he’d ever seen.

“We knew that if he was there, he would be the option there,” Hurney said of the Kuechly pick. “We had run through a lot of scenarios, and this is one of the scenarios where we were going to stick and take the player. We felt very happy that he was there.

“He’s a solid, smart, instinctive, explosive football player. He’s a sideline-to-sideline tackler, just very reliable and dependable. He has great football intelligence. He gets to full speed very quickly and is a great communicator at linebacker. He’s just a very good football player.”

With Thomas Davis coming off of his third ACL surgery and Jon Beason recovering from an Achilles tear, the Panthers were woefully thin at linebacker last season. The Panthers can’t afford to bank on either of their recoveries, however it’s more likely that Beason will recover in time than Davis returning to form.

Despite the obvious, fans and radio hosts alike wondered how the Panthers would proceed with potentially four highly rated (and mostly overpaid) linebackers on the roster.

“We’re going to look at it and just see how it all meshes,” Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera said. “We’re not going to jump to any conclusions. We’re going to put the best football players on the field, and we’re going to play them. That’s just how it’s going to be.”

Silatolu in the Second

In the second round, the Panthers went off the grid a bit and selected G Amini Silatolu from Division II Midwestern State (which is in Texas, for those of you not in the know). Silatolu is a mauler with an attitude with great athletic prowess and power.

The knock on him, according to the scouts, is allegedly his lack of intelligence. That’s easy to do from afar — seeing as how Silatolu attended a preparatory school, then a junior college, then had a chance to play for Nevada but couldn’t qualify academically. That led to Silatolu sitting out the fall of 2009 until he attended Midwestern State.

“2009 was a bad year all around. I was out of football, and I lost my grandma and my uncle,” Silatolu said. “It was a crazy year, but it motivated me.”

Silatolu performed on the field, however, dominating his competition.

“I just wanted to start playing,” he said. “I had a great spring over there (at Midwestern State), and I just balled out my next two years. I started thinking about the pros after my junior year, after different scouts talked to me. I realized I might be able to play at the next level, and here I am today.”

“He’ll drive a guy into a pile and just keep driving, and all of a sudden that pile will start to go forward. That’s a nasty finisher,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said of Silatolu. “He dominated the guy he lined up against. That makes you think it’s going to be a fairly easy transition to our level – not easy, but fairly easy.”

Rivera said Silatolu would have a chance to start at left guard, a position recently held by longtime Panther Travelle Wharton, who was let go due to salary cap reasons.

A Frank Conversation

The Panthers decided that they liked Frank Alexander enough to move their third round pick in 2013 and their sixth round pick this year to acquire the 103rd pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to take the Sooners defensive end.

“Frank Alexander was the one guy where if we could get in the fourth, we were going to make a trade,” Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. “When you watch him on tape, he just makes plays. He’s a hard worker that fits into the same mold as the guys we’ve already taken.”

“He’s a guy who can come in and be a part of the rotation,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said. “He will play both sides of the defense for you. He can play in critical pass-rushing situations, and he can also play on first and second down. He’s got the kind of ability that lends to making plays.”

Despite some medical concerns that may have scared other teams away, the Panthers took the time to have Alexander checked and found out that there was nothing to be concerned about.

Alexander was the co-Big 12 Defensive player of the year last season, amassing 8.5 sacks last season alone. That’ll help bolster a Panthers defensive line that had a hard time putting pressure on the quarterback last season.

“I’m just a hard-working, competitive player,” Alexander said. “I’m physical, and I play the game smart. I try not to get into any dumb situations that jeopardize my team in any way. I try to go out there and play to the best of my ability and carry out the game plan.

“I have a good motor, and I play hard. I feel like I can bring a lot to the Panthers.”

A Healthy Return

With the very next pick, the Panthers selcted WR Joe Adams from Arkansas. Adams, who was highly ranked by many draft “experts”, fell to the fourth round despite having a second round grade by many.

Adams, an explosive punt returner and wide receiver, arrived at Arkansas as a running back and made his mark as a punt returner, returning five kicks for touchdowns during his last 20 games.

After experimenting with Armanti Edwards as the Punt Returner the last couple of seasons, the Panthers felt that it was time to get the real deal.

“When you put the tape on, you see his explosiveness, his vision, the way he runs with the ball and the way he creates,” Coach Rivera said of Adams. “There are a lot of positives he brings to the table with his return ability, and then as a slot receiver he’s a guy who understands the routes that need to be run and where he needs to sit down in holes, things like that.

“We really do look forward to having a young man like that on the team.”

Adams has a good shot at getting playing time as a receiver, too, as the Panthers seem to be standing pat with Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell, Kealoha Pilares and David Gettis.

Around the Corner

In the fifth round, the Panthers selected CB Josh Norman, a big, physical corner from Coastal Carolina who drew up in South Carolina.

Norman has a chance to come in and compete at a position in flux, where there is no established starter alongside veteran Chris Gamble.

The Panthers hope that last year’s fourth round pick Brandon Hogan can be that player, pushing Captain Munnerlyn to the slot. Norman has a chance to get a few plays a game and playing in some passing situations this fall. That Panthers like his size, playmaking ability and speed and think he could challenge for the starting spot if Hogan has a poor camp.

A Punt is Not a Bad Play

The Panthers entered the draft without a punter on the roster. They selected Brad Nortman out of Wisconsin with their sixth round pick. Nortman has a strong leg but a bit of a slow delivery. That surely will be worked on throughout the summer and into camp. With the Panthers’ new offense, the need for a boomer isn’t as big as the need for a guy who can “coffin” kick inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Looking out for Safety

With their last pick, the Panthers took Safety D.J. Campbell out of Cal. Campbell was a special teams ace during his career at Cal, and should be able to fit in well as a specialist with the Panthers. He’s got tools to compete at free safety as well, but he has to understand that his greatest contribution will be on special teams.

Overall Theme: Improve team speed, special teams

The Panthers got considerably faster, tougher and skilled in all three phases of the game. This year’s picks figure to be contributors right away in one of three phases, with specific attention placed on Special Teams with Adams, Nortman and Campbell.

The Panthers chose to take impact players rather than waste picks at perceived need positions by outsiders, something that surely will pay off immediately and in the long run as well.

Forward Jiri Tlusty and the Carolina Hurricanes agreed to a 2-year deal today.

Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, parent club of the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League, announced today that the team has signed forward Jiri Tlusty to a two-year contract that will pay him $1.5 million next season and $1.7 million in 2013-14.

Jiri Tlusty posted several career highs this past season with Carolina.

“Jiri had a very good season and showed that he can contribute as a top-end NHL forward.” Rutherford said about Tlusty, “He should continue to be an important part of the Hurricanes coming off of his career year.” quoted Rutherford.

This past season with the Hurricanes, the 24-year old Tlusty posted career highs in games played with 79, goals(17), assists(19), and points(36). His 36 points this season was good enough for him to be ranked 4th on the team in points scored this season with Carolina.

In addition, he was tied for fourth in assists and fifth in goals.  The Slany, Czech Republic native was tied for second among Hurricanes skaters in even-strength goals(15), and Carolina earned points in 15 of those 17 games that he earned an assist.

Tlusty was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round(13th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and the Hurricanes acquired him via trade back on December 3rd, 2009, and has appeared in 229 games combined with Toronto and Carolina, scoring 34 goals and 40 assits(74 points), while in his one lone season with the Charlotte Checkers(2010-11), he only appeared in 5 games scoring 1 goal and 1 assist(2 points), with a -2 plus/minus rating.

Beau Schmitz and the Hurricanes agreed to a 3-year entry level contract.

Jason Karmanos, the Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, parent club of the American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers, announced that the team has signed free-agent defenseman Beau Schmitz to an Entry-Level Contract for three years.  In the deal, Schmitz would make $525,000 at the NHL Level, or $50,000 at the minor-league level, and he will receive a $50,000 signing bonus.

“Beau had an exceptional overage season with Plymouth(Ontario Hockey League).” said Karmanos on Schmitz, “His game matured both offensively and defensively, and we are excited to add a character individual like him to our organization.”

The 21-year old Schmitz completed his fourth year of junior hockey this past season, as he led all Plymouth Whalers defensemen in goals(14), assists(40), and points with 54.  He was ranked third among all Ontario Hockey League(OHL) skaters in plus/minus with a +37 plus/minus rating in 62 of 68 games played with Plymouth.  The Howell, MI native was the Whalers captain in the 2010-11 season, and was named the OHL’s Player of the Week for Dec. 26-Jan. 1, as he posted 4 goals, 1 assist(5 points) and a +8 plus/minus rating, and he had an hat trick back on December 31st against Windsor.

The Carolina Panthers will open up the 2012 season on the road in Tampa on September 9th.

Tonight marked the official release of the 2012 National Football League schedule, and the Carolina Panthers will open up the 2012 campaign on September 9th against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium, and then on the following week, the Sean Payton-less New Orleans Saints will come to Charlotte on September 16th for Carolina’s home opener at Bank of America Stadium.

The Panthers will have four of their first 6 games of the season at home, which includes visits by the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants on September 20th, which will be the first of 2 national television appearances that the Panthers will make this season, and Pete Carroll will lead the Seattle Seahawks to town on October 7th.  After the bye week, Carolina will wrap up the stretch with a visit from the Dallas Cowboys on October 21st.  Panthers head coach Ron Rivera will return to his old stomping grounds on October 28th, when the Panthers take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

Former Panthers head coach John Fox will make his much-anticipated return to Charlotte on November 11th, when he and Peyton Manning lead the Denver Broncos to town and Carolina will make another National TV appearance on November 26th, when they travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.

Coach Rivera, like many of us, is excited about the schedule being released as Cam Newton and company hope to bounce back after a tough season.  “We had a strong finish last year and hope to maintain that momentum for the 2012 season.” Rivera said, while general manager Marty Hurney offered his thoughts on this year’s schedule. “We’ve known who we’re going to play since the end of the season, and I think that’s why Jerry Richardson brought the organization to the Carolinas.” said Hurney, “He wanted to generate the excitement that those games generate.”

The complete schedule is as follows:

CAROLINA PANTHERS 2012 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE(Home games in BOLD)

September 9th: @ Tampa Bay

September 16th: vs. New Orleans

September 20th: vs. New York Giants(NFL Network)

September 30th: @ Atlanta

October 7th: vs. Seattle

October 14th: Bye week

October 21st: vs. Dallas

October 28th: @ Chicago

November 4th @ Washington

November 11th: vs. Denver

November 18th: vs. Tampa Bay

November 26th: @ Philadelphia(ESPN’s “Monday Night Football”)

December 2nd: @ Kansas City

December 9th: vs. Atlanta

December 16th: @ San Diego

December 23rd. vs. Oakland

December 30th: @ New Orleans

Now that the schedule has been released, what games are you most looking forward to this season?

]]> http://sportsclt.com/2012/04/17/panthers-release-2012-schedule/feed/ 0 http://sportsclt.com/2012/04/15/checkers-see-season-playoff-hopes-come-to-an-end/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=checkers-see-season-playoff-hopes-come-to-an-end http://sportsclt.com/2012/04/15/checkers-see-season-playoff-hopes-come-to-an-end/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:31:35 +0000 LaMichael Mitchell http://sportsclt.com/?p=4621

The Charlotte Checkers saw their playoff hopes, as well as their season, come to an end with a loss to Milwaukee today.

In what many thought would be the game that would possibly seal the deal for the Charlotte Checkers to make it to the AHL playoffs, they would run into trouble big time as the Milwaukee Admirals would not only end Charlotte’s season with a 6-1 win earlier today at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, but the Houston Aeros would finish the damage by winning their game over the Texas Stars to knock Charlotte out of the playoffs.

The Checkers see their season come to an end with a final record of 38-29-3-6(85 points) as they finished third in the Midwest Division and 9th overall, as their collapse in their last couple of games could spell trouble for Head Coach and General Manager Jeff Daniels, as they decide if he should return next season or decide if Daniels should be fired because of the late-season collapse.

Milwaukee would get on the board first on Ryan Thang’s goal at 14:37 on the power play to make it 1-0 Admirals, which stood at the end of 20:00 of play.  In the second period of action, the Admirals would make it a 2-0 game on a goal by Brodie Dupont coming at 6:35.  Charlotte would score its lone goal, which turned out to be the season’s final goal, at 10:14 of the period by Jerome Samson to cut the lead to a 2-1 game at the end of the second.

The third period saw the Admirals pour it on with a 4-goal assault on Justin Peters, who got the start in net for Charlotte.  Thang would start if off with his second goal of the day at 7:32 to make it 3-1 Milwaukee, then Ryan Flynn would join in on the action to make it 4-1.  Jani Lajunen got his 5th goal of the year to make a 4-goal edge at 5-1, and Milwaukee would finish off the game’s scoring with a goal by Taylor Beck to make it a 6-1 final score, as the Checkers was hoping that the Texas Stars would help them get that 8th spot in the Western Conference, but it didn’t go as planned as the Houston Aeros would knock Charlotte out of the playoff race with a 2-1 win, as the Checkers suffered one the biggest collapses in their 19-year history(17 in the ECHL, 2 in the AHL) in Charlotte.

Now, the off-season is here for the Checkers, and there could be a lot of changes coming for the 2012-13 season, as the rebuilding phase begins for a young Checkers team that hopes to be better next season.

The Carolina Hurricanes agreed to terms with Brian Dumolin on an Entry-Level contract.

Ron Francis, Director of Hockey Operations for the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, parent club of the American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers, announced that the team has signed defenseman Brian Dumolin(pronounced DOO-moh-lin) to a three-year entry level contract.

Dumolin, 20, will make $700,000 in the 2012-13 NHL season, $725,000 in 2013-14, and $800,000 in 2014-15.  At the American Hockey League level, Dumolin will make $67,500 in all 3 years. He received a $270,000 signing bonus and he is with the Checkers for their final 4 games of the regular season.

Dumolin is with the Checkers for their final 4 games of the regular season.

“Brian is a big, puck-moving defenseman who achieved at a high level through his time at Boston College.” said Francis about Dumolin, who finished his three year career as an Eagle with 11 goals, 72 assists(83 points) to go with 48 penalty minutes in 123 games played at Boston College, where he helped the Eagles capture the National Championship during last week’s Frozen Four held in Tampa. “His success there speaks for itself, and its important for his continued development that he now begins his professional career.” Francis quoted.

This past season, Dumolin led all Boston College defensemen in scoring with 28 points(7g, 21a) in 44 games and he captured the Hockey East Best Defenseman Award for the second straight season.

In addition, he was named an All-College HockeyNews.com First-Team selection, a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award(top collegiate player), an all Hockey East First-Team selection and was the winner of the Bob Monahan Award for the Best Defenseman in New England.

Prior to turning pro, Dumolin played with the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs of the Easter Junior Hockey League(EJHL), where he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the 2008-09 season, when he helped the Junior Monarchs capture the regular season title.  Dumolin was selected by the Hurricanes with the 51st pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Charlotte Checkers released a statement about their Playoff scenarios earlier today.

Earlier today, Tera Black, Chief Operating Officer of the Charlotte Checkers, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, released a statement about the team possible playoff scenarios should the Checkers make the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs.

“Should the Checkers earn home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, Games 3, 4, and 5(if necessary) of the best-of-five series will be played at Time Warner Cable Arena. Should the Checkers not earn home-ice advantage, due to scheduling conflicts, Games 1-2 will be played at PNC Arena in Raleigh.

The Checkers will provide transportation to playoff ticket plan holders, who will receive seating priority. Additionally, discounted transportation and hotel packages will be offered.”

Fans interested in finding out more information should contact the Checkers at 704-342-4423, visiting the Checkers website at GoCheckers.com, or checking out their Facebook and Twitter pages.