Charlotte Checkers Sign Forward Riese Gaber to One-Year AHL Deal

The Charlotte Checkers signed forward Riese Gaber to a one-year, one-way AHL contract for the 2026-27 season, locking up a player whose offensive instincts have been on full display all year, including a goal in Charlotte's most recent home victory.

Louis Domingue turned in a 31-save performance between the pipes, and strikes in the waning moments from Gaber and Noah Gregor sealed the deal for Charlotte at 6-2 over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on March 22. It was a fitting backdrop for the contract news that followed the next day.

Gaber, 26, registered nine goals and 12 assists in 42 games this year with Charlotte. Across 56 AHL games, all with Charlotte, Gaber has 11 goals and 28 points, making the Gilbert Plains, Manitoba native one of the few players in the organization to have spent his entire professional career in a single AHL city.

The signing comes as Charlotte is firmly in control of a postseason berth. Charlotte occupies third place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 37-20-5-0, having won seven of their past 10 games. The Checkers have clinched a spot in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs, marking the eighth consecutive season in which the team has qualified for the AHL postseason.

Gaber's path to Charlotte is one of the more decorated in recent AHL memory. In the 2019-20 season, he was named the Forward of the Year in the United States Hockey League, leading the league with 34 goals in 47 games as a member of the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Before turning professional, Gaber played four seasons of NCAA Division I hockey with the University of North Dakota, posting 64 goals and 129 points in 142 games. He was nominated for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award in the 2023-24 season, college hockey's most prestigious individual honor.

The roots go back even further for the Manitoba native. Gaber debuted with the Dauphin Kings in the 2015-16 season with three points in 10 games, then returned as a full-time member in 2016-17 and posted 32 points in 42 games. During 2017-18, he was off to a strong start with 15 goals in 27 games before being dealt to the Steinbach Pistons, with whom he helped win the Turnbull Cup. That same season, Gaber helped Team Canada West win a gold medal at the World Junior A Challenge.

Ben Steeves leads the Checkers in points with 40, in goals with 19, and leads the active roster in assists with 21 this season, giving Charlotte a formidable top line above Gaber on the depth chart. Gaber's role as a reliable secondary contributor with a scorer's pedigree makes the one-way deal a calculated investment as the organization heads into what it hopes is another deep playoff run.