New season. New players. New conference. The Charlotte Checkers roared their way into the 2017-18 season as they took on Eastern Conference opponents after switching conferences in the offseason. The Checkers wrapped up a perfect opening weekend, going 2-0 in back to back games against the Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers) and the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins).
The Checkers started the season with a 5-4 win over Hartford on the road. Hartford got onto the board early into the game but rookie forward Warren Foegele tied the game up with his first professional goal later in the period.