First Round Preview: Checkers vs Thunderbirds
Published on April 21, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
After finishing third in the Atlantic Division, the Checkers are set to host the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Before the puck drops on Wednesday, let's break down the matchup!
REGULAR SEASON STATS
Record/Standings
CLT - 44-23-5-0 (3rdd Atlantic)
SPR - 32-32-6-2 (6th Atlantic)
Power Play / Penalty Kill
CLT - 15.2% (27th) / 85.5% (3rd)
SPR - 19.5% (3rd) / 83.6% (7th)
Offense / Defense
CLT - 3.31 GF/Game (7th) / 2.60 GA/Game (t-4th)
SPR - 2.88 GF/Game (24th) / 3.33 GA/Game (27th)
HEAD TO HEAD
OCT. 11 - CLT 4 @ SPR 3
NOV .1 - CLT 5 @ SPR 3
Dec. 20 - SPR 3 @ CLT 1
Dec. 21 - SPR 3 @ CLT 4 (OT)
JAN. 13 - SPR 2 @ CLT 8
JAN. 14 - SPR 2 @ CLT 8
FEB. 27 - CLT 3 @ SPR 2 (OT)
FEB. 28 - CLT 1 @ SPR 5
CLT TOP PERFORMERS
Jack Devine - 8gp, 9 points (3g, 6a)
Wilmer Skoog - 8gp, 7 points (3g, 4a)
Cooper Black - 5-0-0, 2.55 GAA, .901 SV%
SPR TOP PEFORMERS
Dylan Peterson - 8gp, 5 points (1g, 4a)
Dillon Dube - 6gp, 4 points (1g, 3a)
Vadim Zherenko - 1-2-1, 4.31 GAA, .879 SV%
NOTABLES
OPENING UP
Since the implementation of the best-of-three first-round series in 2022, the Checkers have played in the opening round twice in four seasons. The first instance was the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, in which the Checkers dropped their first contest against the Phantoms before winning Game 2 in double overtime and eliminating Lehigh Valley with a 6-0 win in Game 3. The following postseason the Checkers won their opening contest against the Wolf Pack but dropped Games 2 and 3 to end Charlotte's run.
WELL-ROUNDED
At the conclusion of the regular season the Checkers found themselves as one of four teams to finish in the top seven of the AHL in both offense and defense. That prowess was on full display down the stretch of the season - across the final 19 games of the season, the Checkers scored at least four goals nine times and allowed two or fewer goals on 13 different occasions. In fact, Charlotte has allowed just 20 goals over its final 12 games of the regular season and has not surrendered more than three goals in any of those contests.
On the other side, Springfield ranks in the bottom half of the league in both categories but has seen success in waves as of late. After going through a stretch of four total goals over three games, the Thunderbirds racked up 16 goals across their final three games.
POWERING UP
The man advantage has been a sore spot for Charlotte this season, with the unit finishing sixth from the bottom of the AHL rankings. A 15-game drought in February and March where they went 0-for-36 had a big hand in that, but since shaking out of that the Checkers trended up to finish the season.
Of the last 11 games of the regular season the Checkers tallied a power-play goal in six of them and went 9-for-48 on the man advantage. That includes a season-best 4-for-8 showing in the regular-season finale against Lehigh Valley.
They will match up with a Springfield penalty kill that is one of the brightest spots for that team, ranking seventh in the AHL to end the regular season.
HOME COOKING
By virtue of being the higher seed, the Checkers will host the entirety of this first-round series on home ice. They were 20-14-2-0 at Bojangles Coliseum during the regular season, while the Thunderbirds were 14-19-2-1 on the road.
CHARLOTTE PLAYERS TO WATCH
BEN STEEVES
Ben Steeves enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign, leading the Checkers in goals and points and ranking second in assists. He was also the lone Charlotte player to appear in all 72 contests and the only player in franchise history to lead the team in scoring while also logging 100 penalty minutes.
SANDIS VILMANIS
The 22-year-old has been lights out since earning a stint in the NHL and representing Latvia at the Olympics. Vilmanis has racked up 19 points in the 17 games since returning to Charlotte - including a record-breaking four-goal effort against Hershey late in the regular season.
COOPER BLACK
Cooper Black has been Charlotte's workhorse between the pipes all season, and has turned in a string of strong outings to close out the regular season. Over his last six starts the netminder has posted a 1.67 goals-against average with a .918 save percentage to go along with it. Black - who ranked fourth in the league with 25 wins this season - went 5-0-0 against Springfield during the regular season.
SPRINGFIELD PLAYERS TO WATCH
CHRIS WAGNER
Springfield's captain and leading scorer, Chris Wagner finished the regular-season campaign strong - racking up 19 points in his last 14 contests. A veteran of nearly 900 pro games - including 401 in the NHL - Wagner has 13 points in 32 career Calder Cup Playoff games as well.
ALEKSANTERI KASKIMAKI
The 22-year-old Aleksanteri Kaskimaki ended up second on Springfield in scoring and closed things out on a similarly strong tear to Wagner. The Finnish forward has notched 17 points over his final 15 games during the regular season - including five points in the last three contests alone.
VADIM ZHERENKO
The Russian netminder took on the brunt of the workload for Springfield during the regular season, making 42 appearances and earning 17 of the team's 32 wins. Over his last six starts Zherenko was 4-2-0 with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.
THE INFO
Tickets for the entire first round are on sale now!
Fans also have the opportunity to sit as close to the action as possible with a limited amount of glass seats being made available!
If you can't make it to the Coliseum this week, you can still watch the entire Calder Cup Playoffs with AHLTV on FloHockey!
Wednesday's Game 1 will also be available on FloHockey 24/7, which can be streamed on Amazon Prime, Fubo and the FloHockey Youtube page. Additionally, local fans can tune in on WCCB 18.1.
You can also listen live on the Charlotte Checkers App for iOS and Android!
American Hockey League Stories from April 21, 2026
- Islanders Fall to Bears 2-0 in Series Opener - Bridgeport Islanders
- Bears Blank Islanders 2-0 to Open Series - Hershey Bears
- Rochester's Zac Jones Voted Winner of Eddie Shore Award for 2025-26 - AHL
- Silver Knights Sign Forward Mitch McLain to Contract Extension - Henderson Silver Knights
- Spiros Anastas Named Head Coach of Chicago Wolves - Chicago Wolves
- San Diego Gulls Recall Jeremie Biakabutuka from Tulsa - San Diego Gulls
- Jones Named Eddie Shore Award Winner as AHL's Outstanding Defenseman - Rochester Americans
- Bonk and Jiricek to Flyers - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Syracuse Crunch Weekly - Vol. 32, No. 28 - Syracuse Crunch
- Anaheim Ducks Sign Ethan Procyszyn to Three-Year Entry-Level Contract - San Diego Gulls
- First Round Preview: Checkers vs Thunderbirds - Charlotte Checkers
- Jets Reassign Poulter to Moose - Manitoba Moose
- Senators Announce Extension of ECHL Affiliation Agreement with Allen Americans - Belleville Senators
- Atlantic Division First Round Game 1 Preview: Bears at Islanders, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Griffins Announce Home Playoff Dates for Division Semifinals - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Moose Begin Calder Cup Playoffs on Wednesday - Manitoba Moose
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