This past summer marked a fresh slate for Nate Smith, allowing him to dial in and put in the work he missed out while recovering from surgery the offseason before.

Gustavo Canals says he owes it all to “The Mighty Ducks.” The assistant athletic trainer for the Charlotte Checkers discovered and fell in love with hockey watching the hit movie as a kid in a Puerto Rican family near Washington, D.C.

Geordie Kinnear hit the ice this week with his Charlotte Checkers squad in preparation for another season, his 10th as head coach of the Florida Panthers’ AHL affiliate.

Dustin Tokarski has joined the Carolina Hurricanes organization as a goalie scout.

NHL.com is providing in-depth prospect analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the top five prospects for the Florida Panthers, according to NHL.com.

The New Jersey Devils have acquired forward Ben Steeves from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Angus Crookshank, part of a five-player deal that also sends Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist to New Jersey and goaltender Jacob Markstrom to Florida.

Coachella Valley Firebirds captain Max McCormick has retired from professional hockey following a 12-year career.

Former Checker Julien Gauthier scored 14:50 into overtime to send the Springfield Thunderbirds past Charlotte and into the Atlantic Division semifinals with a 2-1 victory in a decisive Game 3 at Bojangles Coliseum on Saturday evening.

Zach Dean and Chris Wagner scored 49 seconds apart late in the second period, turning a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead and propelling Springfield to a 5-2 win at Charlotte in Game 2 on Friday night.

Noah Gregor scored twice, Jack Studnicka recorded four points and the Charlotte Checkers opened their Eastern Conference championship defense with a commanding 8-1 win over Springfield on Wednesday.