The American Hockey League charges into the New Year with a head of steam and an action-packed, 11 games slate this Friday. The 2026 season is just about at the halfway point now and teams are starting to look ahead to their playoff positioning. Odds suggest there will be several tightly contested games this weekend. These AHL Betting Picks January 9, 2026 will focus on two of them in particular.
Currently, Hard Rock is the only book offering AHL action. The following odds are current as of Wednesday, January 7th, 7:00 p.m. Pacific.
Charlotte Checkers Over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (+105 via Hard Rock)
Friday, 4:00 pm PST
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is currently tied with the Providence Bruins for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins are 22-9-1-2 on the season and have accrued 47 points. However, they have gone cold, losing back-to-back games heading into Friday. On top of that, they are 4-4-0-2 in their last ten games. Last week, they failed to score a goal in a lopsided 6-0 loss to the Syracuse Crunch.
Charlotte sits in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with an 18-11-2 record. The Checkers are also on a two game skid coming into this contest. However, both of those losses came by way of the Cleveland Monsters. Charlotte is 6-4 over their last ten games, fairing slightly better than their opponents in that regard.
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/1a7y1p9Sms
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) December 31, 2025
The Checkers have won the last three head-to-head matchups against the Penguins. Charlotte has outscored Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 14-5 in that span. This includes their most recent meeting in late December in which the Checkers handed the Penguins a 6-2 loss.
Providence Bruins -1.5 Over Bridgeport Islanders (+100 via Hard Rock)
Friday, 4:05 pm PST
Bridgeport is holding down last place in the Atlantic Division with a 12-16-2-1 record. The Islanders have lost their last two games and are 4-5-1 over their last ten. They have struggled on the road lately, going 4-9-1 away from home this season. Recently, they’ve gone 1-3 since mid-December. Bridgeport has been beaten by at least two goals in four of their last five losses.
Providence is tied with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for first place in the Atlantic Division with 47 points on the season. The Bruins have won four of their last five games and are 7-2-1 in their last ten. They’ve done well for themselves at home posting a mark of 10-4 in the friendly confines of Amica Mutual Pavilion.
WHAT. A. STOP. 🛑
Going to the game film for another look at this spectacular save from Michael DiPietro during last night’s 3-1 win 🧱#SlowMoMonday x @ABS_NE pic.twitter.com/wQf1W0PMWE— Providence Bruins (@AHLBruins) January 5, 2026
The Islanders are 0-3 against the Bruins so far this season. Bridgeport has gone 1-14 against Providence going back to last year. The Bruins have won by at least two goals in three of the last five meetings with the Islanders.
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