Panthers Send Seven More to Charlotte
October 10, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
As Florida draws closer to the start of its season, the Panthers have assigned seven players to Charlotte - forwards Aleksi Heponiemi, Logan Hutsko, Gerry Mayhew and Chris Tierney, defensemen Michael Del Zotto and Lucas Carlsson and goalie Alex Lyon.
Heponiemi, 23, led the Checkers in assists last season with 30 helpers and 39 points in 56 games. A second-round pick by Florida in 2017, Heponiemi has posted 59 points (12g, 47a) in 111 career AHL games and three points (1g, 2a) in 15 NHL appearances with Florida - six of which came last season. He also posted 46 points (16g, 30a) in 50 Liiga games in his home country of Finland before starting his North American pro career.
Hutsko, 23, notched 38 points (10g, 28a) in 71 games as a rookie for Charlotte last season. A third-round selection by Florida in 2018, Hutsko posted 101 points (41g, 60a) in 114 games over a four-year career at Boston College prior to turning pro.
Mayhew, 29, is heading into his sixth pro season having compiled 194 points (106g, 88a) in 252 career AHL games with Iowa and Lehigh Valley and 15 points (13g, 2a) in 57 NHL games with Minnesota, Philadelphia and Anaheim. An undrafted product of Ferris State, Mayhew led the AHL in goals in 2019-20 and was named league MVP.
Tierney, 28, is slated to begin his ninth pro season with 226 points (73g, 153a) in 561 career NHL games under his belt. A second-round pick by San Jose in 2012, The Ontario native also has 32 points (9g, 23a) in 31 AHL games - the most recent of which came in 2015-16.
Del Zotto, 32, has 736 NHL to his name - recording 262 total points (63g, 199a) while suiting up for the New York Rangers, Nashville, Philadelphia, Vancouver, Anaheim, St. Louis, Columbus and Ottawa. The blue liner spent part of last season with Belleville and racked up 27 points (10g, 26a) in 26 games - giving him a career total of 34 points (10g, 24a) in 37 AHL contests.
Carlsson, 25, appeared in Charlotte last season - notching six points (1g, 5a) in eight games - but spent the majority of the year with the Panthers, posting nine points (3g, 6a) in 40 games. That puts his career total at 11 points (3g, 8a) in 58 NHL contests with Chicago and Florida to go along with 77 points (18g, 59a) in 143 AHL games with Rockford, Syracuse and Charlotte. The Swedish defenseman also spent four seasons with Brynas IF Gavle of the SHL before heading to North America - logging 38 points (14g, 24a) in 136 games.
Lyon, 29, is heading into his seventh season and coming off a 2021-22 campaign that saw him capture the AHL's Hap Holmes Award and win a Calder Cup with Chicago. The netminder has amassed a 93-61-26 record in 179 AHL games with a goals-against average of 2.65 and a .913 save percentage - as well as 24 NHL appearances for the Flyers and Hurricanes.
Additionally, the Checkers have released Oliver Chau and Kobe Roth from their camp tryouts.
Charlotte's current camp roster can be found here. The Checkers kick off the 2022-23 season this Friday when they host the Hartford Wolf Pack.
American Hockey League Stories from October 10, 2022
- Dauphin, Dineen, Imama and Gillies Assigned to Roadrunners - Tucson Roadrunners
- Cates, MacEwen, Marody to Phantoms - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Henderson Silver Knights Announce Plans for Opening Knight on Friday, October 14 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Panthers Send Seven More to Charlotte - Charlotte Checkers
- Defenseman Will Butcher Loaned to Texas Stars - Texas Stars
- Predators Assign Six to Admirals - Milwaukee Admirals
- San Jose Barracuda Announce Multiple Transactions - San Jose Barracuda
- New York Rangers Assign Julien Gauthier to Wolf Pack - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Monsters Announce Roster Moves - Cleveland Monsters
- Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Defenseman Dmitry Semykin to Orlando Solar Bears - Syracuse Crunch
- Moose Reduce Roster by Six Players - Manitoba Moose
- Red Wings Announce Roster Moves - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Reign Announce Multiple Transactions - Ontario Reign
- Monsters Drop Puck for Opening Weekend with Homestand Versus Crunch - Cleveland Monsters
- Penguins Reduce Training Camp Roster to 32 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- IceHogs Open 2022-23 Season this Weekend in Manitoba - Rockford IceHogs
- Syracuse Crunch Announce Details for Home Opener Presented by Upstate University Hospital October 22 - Syracuse Crunch
- Wolf Pack Reduce Training Camp Roster by 12 - Hartford Wolf Pack
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.
