Colby Guy
Cole Schwindt, one of the Florida Panthers top prospects, did not record a single point in the Charlotte Checkers first seven games of the season.
Schwindt, Florida’s third-round pick in 2019, has been on a tear since.
In his past seven games, Schwindt has eight points off six goals and now leads the Checkers in goals.
Three of those goals were a part of a natural hat trick to open a 4-0 win over the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins on Saturday.
Schwindt is a key penalty killer for the Checkers and it showed on Saturday.
He registered his second shorthanded goal of the year by cleaning up a rebound in front of the net on a 2-on-1 rush to give Charlotte the 1-0 lead.
Schwindt is now tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals with two.
He is suddenly becoming a contender for a call-up in the event Florida needs an extra forward, showing progress in all areas of the game.
Grigori Denisenko had the most points out of anyone in Charlotte, scoring a goal and three assists to total four points in the Checkers’ three-game road trip.
Olli Juolevi also played in Saturday’s game on a conditioning stint, recording a shot on goal and a minor penalty before being a healthy scratch on Sunday.
He returned to the Florida Panthers and was assigned to injured reserve on Monday.
The Checkers went 2-1-0 over the weekend, splitting a two-game set with the Penguins while beating the Hershey Bears 5-2 on Sunday.
Charlotte will head to Allentown to face off against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.
This weekend, they will face off against the Utica Comets on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Hershey Bears at 5 p.m.
North of the border, Braden Hache recorded his first OHL goal in a 5-4 shootout win over the Mississauga Steelheads.
The Kingston defenseman was drafted by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Evan Nause, a third-round pick in 2021, also had a big week as he recorded two assists. Both came in a 6-1 Quebec Remparts win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
He has a goal and seven assists for eight points in 13 games.
Quinnipiac’s Ty Smilanic had the best performance out of Florida’s college prospects, scoring two goals in two games – scoring both of them in a 5-2 win over Arizona State.
The forward currently has five goals and three assists for eight points in 12 games.
| Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Justin Sourdif (WHL, Vancouver Giants) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| D Mike Benning (NCAA, University of Denver) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| C Aleksi Saarela (NL, SCL Tigers) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C Mackie Samoskevich (NCAA, University of Michigan) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D Carter Berger (NCAA, University of Connecticut) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D Tyler Inamoto (NCAA, University of Wisconsin) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C Owen Lindmark (NCAA University of Wisconsin) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D Braden Hache (OHL, Kingston Frontenacs) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| D Cole Krygier (NCAA, Michigan State University) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D Kasper Puutio (Liiga, KalPa) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D Santtu Kinnunen (Liiga, Tappara) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C Aleksi Heponiemi (AHL, Charlotte Checkers) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| LW Grigori Denisenko (AHL, Charlotte Checkers) | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| D Max Gildon (AHL Charlotte Checkers) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D Lucas Carlsson (NHL Florida Panthers) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| RW Serron Noel (AHL Charlotte Checkers) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| C Logan Hutsko (AHL, Charlotte Checkers) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D Matt Kiersted (AHL, Charlotte Checkers) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| RW Cole Schwindt (AHL, Charlotte Checkers) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| C Henry Bowlby (AHL, Charlotte Checkers) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| LW Maxim Mamin (NHL, Florida Panthers) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C Ty Smilanic (NCAA, Quinipiac) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| D Evan Nause (QMJHL, Quebec Remparts) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |