The make-up of the Charlotte Checkers will take some time to come together, as cuts are made and players are assigned from the Carolina Hurricanes' training camp in September. With that said, though, moves that the Hurricanes have made thus far in the offseason have helped paint an initial picture of what Charlotte's roster might look like in the 2017-18 campaign.
Forwards Warren Foegele, Julien Gauthier, Steven Lorentz, Nicolas Roy and Spencer Smallman will be turning pro this season, and if they don't make the big club, Charlotte seems a likely destination. Janne Kuokkanen and Aleksi Saarela are two others to watch in the Checkers' potential forward mix.
Perhaps more questions surround the defensemen and goaltenders in Charlotte. With a spot seemingly up for grabs on the Canes' blue line this season, Trevor Carrick, Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown figure to be smack dab in the mix. What happens there will have a ripple effect on the Checkers' roster, which will still likely feature the likes of Jake Chelios, Dennis Robertson and Philip Samuelsson, among others.
In goal, the Checkers currently have four players jockeying for two slots. Among them are Callum Booth and Alex Nedejlkovic, one of whom will likely head to Florida of the ECHL to see consistent playing time. The Canes also signed veteran Jeremy Smith to a two-way contract on July 1. Smith is a reliable third-string option if either Scott Darling or Cam Ward go down with injury, and he'll also be a valuable asset for the Checkers.
There are more layers to all of these roster spots, and Nick Niedzielski hammered out all the details. Be sure to
check that out
.