Florida Panthers Assign 10 Players to Charlotte Checkers
October 2, 2022 – American Hockey League (AHL) – Charlotte Checkers News Release
The Panthers made another trim to their camp roster, assigning forwards Connor Bunnman, Grigori Denisenko, Patrick Giles and Anton Levtchi, defensemen Santtu Kinnunen and John Ludvig and goalie Mack Guzda to Charlotte.
Additionally, Florida released forwards Ethan Keppen and Riley Nash and defenseman Dennis Cesana from camp and the group – all on AHL deals – will report to Charlotte.
Bunnaman, 24, joined the Checkers late last season as a part of the Claude Giroux trade with Philadelphia and posted three points (1g, 2a) in 12 games with Charlotte. A fourth-round pick in 2016, Bunnaman has 57 points (33g, 24a) points in 159 career AHL games with Lehigh Valley and Charlotte and three points (1g, 2a) in 54 career NHL games with the Flyers.
Denisenko, 22, is coming off a season in which he logged 18 points (9g, 9a) in 30 games for the Checkers and appeared in one NHL contest for Florida before an injury ended his season. The 15th overall pick in 2018, Denisenko has notched 27 points (14g, 13a) in 45 AHL games with Syracuse and Charlotte, four points (0g, 4a) in eight NHL games for the Panthers and 18 points (10g, 8a) in 63 KHL games before he made the jump to North America.
Giles, 22, is set to begin his proper rookie campaign after appearing in 10 games for the Checkers at the end of last season and all seven postseason contests. Giles, who signed an NHL entry-level deal with Florida in September, spent four seasons at Boston College prior to turning pro and posted 45 points (22g, 23a) in 108 games.
Levtchi, 26, is making the jump to North America after starting his career in his native Finland. The forward is coming off a season in which he led Liiga in scoring and has notched 176 points (59g, 117a) in 252 career games in Finland’s top league – all with Tappara Tampere.
Kinnunen, 23, is also coming to North America for the first time this season. Florida’s seventh-round pick in 2018, Kinnunen has recorded 50 points (10g, 40a) in 164 career Liiga games with Pelicans and Tappara Tampere – including skating alongside Levtchi for each of the last two seasons.
Ludvig, 22, missed the majority of last season due to injury – appearing in three regular season and three postseason games for the Checkers. A third-round selection by Florida in 2019, Ludvig previously notched eight points (2g, 6a) in 13 games for the Syracuse Crunch during the shortened 2020-21 AHL season that the Checkers opted out of.
Guzda, 21, is heading into his first pro season after wrapping up his junior career with a solid 20-9-2 mark for Barrie with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.
Keppen, 21, finished his junior career last season with 146 points (79g, 67a) in 217 career OHL games with Flint. A fourth-round pick by Vancouver in 2019, Keppen also has 18 games of AHL experience under his belt from the shortened 2020-21 campaign and a stint with Abbotsford at the end of last season.
Nash, 33, is back for his second stint with the Checkers – having played three seasons in Charlotte from 2010 to 2013. The veteran forward has amassed 176 points (63g, 113a) in 627 NHL games and 107 points (45g, 62a) in 205 AHL games over his career.
Cesana, 24, is set to begin his proper rookie campaign after appearing in eight games for Charlotte at the end of last season. The Rhode Island native finished up his four-year career at Michigan State prior to that, posting 74 points (20g, 54a) in 135 games.
An updated training camp roster can be found here. The Checkers will open up their training camp on Monday.
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