Florida Panthers Prospects: Logan Hutsko leads Charlotte Checkers again

For the first time in almost two years, the Charlotte Checkers took the ice at Bojangles Coliseum for a weekend set against the Hershey Bears. Logan Hutsko led the Florida Panthers prospects once again.

The Checkers came out of the series with three points in hand, giving them a 2-1-1 record to start their season.

Hutsko led the way for the second straight week, adding a goal and an assist to his season totals this week to give him five points — the most of any Panthers prospect on the team.

Seattle’s Alex True is the only Checker with more points than Hutsko, having seven through the first four games.

Aleksei Heponiemi also contributed to Charlotte’s success, scoring the game-tying goal in what was a 5-3 Checkers win on Friday.

With two goals in four games, Florida’s 2017 second-round pick ranks second on the team in goals only behind True, who has four.

Tired of pop-up ads on free stories? Subscribe to FloridaHockeyNow today and log in for an ad-free reading experience!

Matt Kiersted had his first AHL action of the season after playing on the NHL roster for the first two games of the season, registering his first NHL point in game two. He scored an empty-net goal in the 5-3 victory on Friday night for the first AHL goal of his career.

The Checkers will be going on a three-game road trip this weekend, starting with a 7:10 p.m. puck drop on Friday as they take on the Providence Bruins.

They’ll work their way through New England, taking on the Hartford Wolfpack on Saturday at 7 p.m. and former affiliate the Springfield Thunderbirds on Sunday at 2:05.

Outside of Charlotte, Justin Suordif continues his stellar season with a two-assist effort this week.

Both assists came in a 7-4 losing effort to the Kamloops Blazers.

Sourdif’s Vancouver Giants split their two games this weekend, moving to 3-2-0 on the season while Sourdif’s five assists and seven points lead the team.

Meanwhile, in Colorado, Mike Benning continues his torrid scoring pace, scoring another goal for the University of Denver this weekend.

While the Pioneers dropped both of their games on their New England road trip – losing to both Providence and Boston College. His four goals are most by a defenseman on the team.