CHECKERS GETTING STRONGER 

As if the American Conference number one seed weren’t strong enough, the team is getting stronger and stronger.

The only real surprises on the announced roster is that Ethan Graham and Devin DiDiomete are not included on it. The other surprise is that Daniel Tkaczuk was put on the reserve list. It’s been quite a disappointing career for the one-time 6th overall pick in the first round by the Calgary Flames. Tkaczuk played a grand total of 19 games in the NHL and put up 11 points (4g, 7a) in 2000-2001. His would have to be on the list of all time bust first round picks. To not even make the active roster for the ECHL playoffs, is not a good sign.

There will be a couple of Hartford Wolf Pack players headed down south if the Pack do not make the playoffs for a 13th straight season. There were really are only three eligible to play. Defensemen Jared Nightingale and Julien Brouillette and forward Derek DiDiomete. General Manager and Head Coach Derek Wilkinson felt the team was deep enough up front apparently that there was no need to bring in DiDiomete who by his own admission has had a disappointing season. He will come back stronger and ready to play next season. He’s a talented person who just had an off year.

Ex-Pack Goaltender Miika Wiikman is on the reserve list for Las Vegas where he will join another ex-Pack Alex Bourret.

Other ex-Pack in this tournament include Ryan Constant in Stockton, Chris Holt for Elmira, and Brock McBride in Alaska.

In terms of the match-ups and how things should play out, this is going to be an interesting tournament.

The Checkers should knock off Toledo in no more than four games.

We like Kalamazoo defeating Reading in the same scenario.

Elmira over Florida in five.

South Carolina over Cincinnati in three.

Las Vegas over Utah in five.

Alaska over Stockton in four.

Victoria over Bakersfield in five.

I don’t care who Idaho ends up playing, they’re going to be good and knock off whoever they play in three straight.

We’ll go with our choices next round when it is all laid out, but we just don’t thin that anyone is going to beat this Checkers team right now. They’re just playing extraordinarily well in goal, on defense and up front and they can score almost at any given moment. This will be the team’s best chance  in team history to win the Kelly Cup.

But this should be a STRONG team and we expect that they will at very least, get to the conference final where they should end up against either Idaho or Las Vegas. We’ll play favorites and go with Idaho and Charlotte in the finals.

Here’s the release on Randy Rowe and Mike Bartlett coming to Charlotte.

BARTLETT, ROWE JOIN CHECKERS FOR PLAYOFF RUN

Former Chiefs Teammates Returned From AHL’s Monsters

Charlotte Checkers head coach and general manager Derek Wilkinson announced that forwards Randy Rowe and Mike Bartlett have been returned to the team from the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League.

Rowe, 29, has 11 goals and seven assists in 17 games with the Checkers this season. He had five goals and two assists in four games before being loaned to Lake Erie in early January.

With Lake Erie, the Burford, Ontario native had five goals and 11 assists in 25 games. Rowe has 99 games of AHL experience with the Monsters, Springfield Falcons and St. John’s Maple Leafs.

Rowe’s best year statistically came in 2007-08 when he led the ECHL’s Johnstown Chiefs in scoring with 24 goals and 44 assists in 58 games. He also held the team’s best plus-minus rating (+21), was team captain and took home Player of the Month and Plus Performer of the Month honors in March, 2008.

In 2004, Rowe was selected to the ECHL All-Star Game and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Bartlett, 25, began the season with Johnstown (ECHL) where he notched 10 goals and 15 assists in 30 games before being loaned to Lake Erie in late December. At the time of his call-up, Bartlett was ranked second in Chiefs scoring. He was traded to the Checkers at the deadline along with defenseman and teammate Trevor Hendrikx.

In 41 games with the Monsters, the 6-foot, 195-pound winger tallied six goals and four assists. Bartlett also played 17 AHL games with Lake Erie last season where he potted two goals and an assist.

Both players are expected to join the team in Toledo today.

Here is the total roster:

Goaltenders (2)

Ryan Munce

Garrett Zemlak

Defensemen (8)

Mike Berube

* Julien Brouillette

Trevor Hendrikx

* Jared Nightingale

T.J. Reynolds

Kevin Schaeffer

David Urquhart

Steve Ward

Forwards (13)

Mike Bartlett

Brock Bradford

Andrew Carroll

Tyler Doig

Michel Leveille

David Marshall

Kenny Roche

Randy Rowe

Matt Schepke

Aaron Slattengren

Matt Stefanishion

Mike Taylor

* Daniel Tkaczuk

* on reserve list

The first round schedule for the Checkers sees them in Toledo tonight and Wednesday and then home Friday for game three and Sunday and Monday if necessary for games four and five. Sunday’s game would be at 2pm the rest are at 7pm.

Here’s the entire schedule for the first round:

FIRST ROUND

American Conference Quarterfinals
CHARLOTTE vs. TOLEDO
Not Yet Started
Game 1 – Tue Apr 6 7:00 PM Charlotte at Toledo
Game 2 – Wed Apr 7 7:00 PM Charlotte at Toledo
Game 3 – Fri Apr 9 7:00 PM Toledo at Charlotte
Game 4 – Sun Apr 11 2:00 PM * Toledo at Charlotte
Game 5 – Mon Apr 12 7:00 PM * Toledo at Charlotte

American Conference Quarterfinals
READING vs. KALAMAZOO
Not Yet Started
Game 1 – Tue Apr 6 7:00 PM Reading at Kalamazoo
Game 2 – Wed Apr 7 7:00 PM Reading at Kalamazoo
Game 3 – Fri Apr 9 7:05 PM Kalamazoo at Reading
Game 4 – Sun Apr 11 7:05 PM * Kalamazoo at Reading
Game 5 – Mon Apr 12 7:05 PM * Kalamazoo at Reading

American Conference Quarterfinals
ELMIRA vs. FLORIDA
Not Yet Started
Game 1 – Tue Apr 6 7:30 PM Elmira at Florida
Game 2 – Wed Apr 7 7:30 PM Elmira at Florida
Game 3 – Fri Apr 9 7:35 PM Florida at Elmira
Game 4 – Sat Apr 10 7:35 PM * Florida at Elmira
Game 5 – Sun Apr 11 4:05 PM * Elmira at Florida

American Conference Quarterfinals
SOUTH CAROLINA vs. CINCINNATI
Not Yet Started
Game 1 – Tue Apr 6 7:30 PM South Carolina at Cincinnati
Game 2 – Wed Apr 7 7:30 PM South Carolina at Cincinnati
Game 3 – Fri Apr 9 7:00 PM Cincinnati at South Carolina
Game 4 – Sat Apr 10 7:00 PM * Cincinnati at South Carolina
Game 5 – Sun Apr 11 7:00 PM * Cincinnati at South Carolina

National Conference Quarterfinals
BAKERSFIELD vs. VICTORIA
Not Yet Started
Game 1 – Wed Apr 7 7:05 PM Bakersfield at Victoria
Game 2 – Thu Apr 8 7:05 PM Bakersfield at Victoria
Game 3 – Sat Apr 10 7:00 PM Victoria at Bakersfield
Game 4 – Sun Apr 11 6:00 PM * Victoria at Bakersfield
Game 5 – Mon Apr 12 7:00 PM * Victoria at Bakersfield

National Conference Quarterfinals
STOCKTON vs. ALASKA
Alaska leads series 1 – 0
Game 1 – Mon Apr 5 7:35 PM ALASKA 4, Stockton 3
Game 2 – Tue Apr 6 7:35 PM Stockton at Alaska
Game 3 – Fri Apr 9 7:30 PM Alaska at Stockton
Game 4 – Sat Apr 10 7:30 PM * Alaska at Stockton
Game 5 – Mon Apr 12 7:00 PM * Alaska at Stockton

National Conference Quarterfinals
UTAH vs. LAS VEGAS
Not Yet Started
Game 1 – Tue Apr 6 7:05 PM Utah at Las Vegas
Game 2 – Wed Apr 7 7:05 PM Utah at Las Vegas
Game 3 – Sat Apr 10 7:05 PM Las Vegas at Utah
Game 4 – Sun Apr 11 4:05 PM * Las Vegas at Utah
Game 5 – Tue Apr 13 7:05 PM * Las Vegas at Utah

(* if necessary)