The American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers are hoping some of their parent club’s success will rub off on them with new uniforms based on those worn by their big NHL brothers.
The Checkers unveiled the new uniforms on their website and social media platforms on Wednesday, September 17. While retaining their own red, black and white colour scheme, the jerseys are modeled after those worn by the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who first became affiliated with the Checkers in 2020.
The red jersey features a broad white stripe bordered in black across the chest, as well as the same stripes around the sleeves and socks. The Checkers’ primary logo sits on the chest, featuring a polar bear in a triangle with the Charlotte skyline overtop and the full team name underneath.
The collar is black with white laces at the front. A black-and-white version of the Panthers’ logo sits on each shoulder.
The white jersey swaps the red and white in the base and stripes while keeping the black elements consistent. The recoloured Panthers logos also sit on the shoulders of this jersey. Photos of the new uniforms didn’t show what numbers or names would look like.
Wednesday’s announcement also confirmed that the Checkers would continue to wear their black alternate jersey, which was first introduced in 2022. They’ll wear them eight times throughout the 2025-26 AHL regular season.
Charlotte’s previous uniforms were also heavily influenced by their parent club at the time of their unveiling, the Carolina Hurricanes. The Checkers were affiliated with the Hurricanes for 10 seasons, from the time they relocated from Albany, New York, in 2010 until the switch to the Panthers in 2020.
The Checkers open their 2025-26 AHL regular season on the road with games against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday, October 11, and the Providence Bruins on Sunday, October 12. They’ll wear the new uniforms at home at the Bojangles Arena when they host the Iowa Wild on Friday, October 17.
