AHL Charlotte Checkers

Checkers Open Training Camp Monday

September 29, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


Charlotte, NC (September 28, 2002) - Charlotte Checkers' Head Coach Don MacAdam will welcome 18 players from seven different countries Monday September 30 at 10:00 am at Cricket Arena as the 2002-03 season training camp begins. Players hailing from the United States, Canada, Japan, Sweden, Slovakia, Russia and the Czech republic will descend on Charlotte as the Checkers prepare for their 10th season in the East Coast Hockey League. All training sessions are open to the public. (ROSTER LISTED BELOW)

DEFENSEMEN: Leading the way into training camp will be long-time Checkers' defenseman, Kurt Seher, who begins his 10th consecutive season in Charlotte. Seher holds the East Coast Hockey League record for most consecutive seasons with the same team, and currently holds the record as the longest current tenured professional athlete in the Queen City. Seher will be joined defensively by second-year Checker Nick Bilotto, and rookie Ryan Murray from Wayne State University in Detroit.

FORWARDS: Centers Allan Egeland and Eduard Pershin will get their first taste of the Cricket Arena ice as members of the Checkers. With Charlotte's top four scorers from last season's 41-20-11 club not returning, both Egeland and Pershin will be counted on to provide a good portion of the offense this season. Import Takahito Suzuki who will attempt to become the first Japanese player in the 15-year history of the ECHL to earn a roster spot, will likely draw extra curious media and fan interest. Fan-favorite center Konrad McKay also returns following a solid inaugural season in Charlotte, where he racked up 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points to go along with 231 penalty minutes. Wingers Kevin Caulfield and Vince Malts are both expected to put up even bigger numbers this season, following good campaigns in 2001-02 for the Checkers. Newcomer Walker McDonald, a 6-2, 195 pound right wing is expected to give the Checker additional size, scoring and toughness.

GOALTENDING: Third-year pro Bryce Wandler returns to join rookies Brandon Snee and Niklaus Sundberg in net during training camp. Wandler enjoyed a banner sophomore season with the Checkers in 2001-02, sporting a sharp 2.70 GAA, 0.907 save percentage and a 16-5-5 record. Snee, a rookie from Union College has impressed New York Rangers coaches following four straight seasons of improvement at the NCAA Division I level. Sundberg also enjoyed winning campaigns at NCAA Division III SUNY Plattsburgh.

CHECKERS EXHIBITION GAME SCHEDULE:

The Checkers will play two, full-game, exhibitions and three mini-game exhibitions in preparation for their tenth season in the East Coast Hockey League. The exhibition season kicks off at home when Charlotte will host the defending ECHL champion Greenville Grrowl on Friday, October 4th at Cricket Arena at 7:30 pm. Ticket prices for the Checkers lone home exhibition game are $5.00 for adults, and $3.00 for youth 16 years of age and under.

On Saturday, October 5 the Checkers will participate in the "Dog Day Challenge" at the BI-LO Center in Greenville, South Carolina. Charlotte will join the Greenville Grrowl, Roanoke Express and Greensboro Generals in an all-day, 4 V 4 mini-game scrimmage. The Checkers will play three games in all, beginning with a 12 Noon clash with Roanoke. At 2:00 pm Charlotte will take on Greensboro, and the "Dog Day Challenge" will close with an 8:00 pm battle between the Checkers and Grrowl.

After an off day on Sunday, October 6 the Checkers will close out their exhibition slate with a 7:30 pm game against the Greensboro Generals in Greensboro on Monday, October 7. The game will be played at the Generals' practice arena, The Ice House, located at 6119 Landmark Blvd. in Greensboro. The Monday, October 6 exhibition game in Greensboro is open to the public with an admission charge of $5.00.

TICKET INFO: Individual game tickets for all 36 Checkers' regular season home games are on sale now and may be purchased through Ticketmaster via phone at (704) 522-6500, via website, www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Cricket Arena Box Office located at 2700 E. Independence Boulevard in Charlotte (704) 335-3100. Group Tickets, Mini-Plans and Season Tickets also remain on sale. Specific ticket information can be obtained by calling the Checkers' office (704) 342-4423.

HOME OPENER: Greenville Grrowl at Charlotte – Friday, October 11 @ Cricket Arena at 7:30 pm.

The Charlotte Checkers enter their tenth season as members of the East Coast Hockey League, who celebrate their 15th anniversary this season. The team is owned by Carl Scheer and Felix Sabates. The Checkers play all home games at Cricket Arena. For more information on Charlotte's professional hockey team, please visit www.gocheckers.com, or call (704) 342-4423.

Check out the Charlotte Checkers Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from September 29, 2002


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central