The Savannah Ghost Pirates are a professional minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL based in Savannah, Georgia. The team began play in the 2022–23 ECHL season with home games at Enmarket Arena.
| Savannah Ghost Pirates | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Savannah, Georgia |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | South |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Home arena | Enmarket Arena |
| Colors | Black, white, green |
| Mascot | Davy |
| Owner(s) | Andy Kaufman |
| Head coach | Jared Staal |
| Affiliates | Florida Panthers (NHL) Charlotte Checkers (AHL) |
| Website | ghostpirateshockey |
| Franchise history | |
| 2022–present | Savannah Ghost Pirates |
 Current season | |
History
editIn January 2021, the city of Savannah, Georgia, was reported to have come to an agreement with the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen majority owner Andy Kaufmann to place an expansion team in the new Savannah Arena for the 2022–23 season.[1] The team was the first tenant announced for Enmarket Arena, which was planned to be completed in January 2022.[2] The ECHL approved the membership of the expansion team on January 27, 2021, to begin play in the 2022–23 season.[3] On October 27, 2021, the team name was announced as the Savannah Ghost Pirates.[4]
On May 19, 2022, the Ghost Pirates announced a one-year affiliation for the 2022–23 season with the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Additionally, former NHL player and Union Dutchmen head coach Rick Bennett was announced as Savannah's first head coach.[5] The team was placed in the South Division with the Atlanta Gladiators, Florida Everblades, Greenville Swamp Rabbits, Jacksonville Icemen, Orlando Solar Bears, and the South Carolina Stingrays.[6]
On June 17, 2024, Ghost Pirates announced an affiliation agreement with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.[7]
Season-by-season record
editNote: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Standing | Year | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Kelly Cup |
| 2022–23 | 72 | 28 | 34 | 9 | 1 | 66 | 207 | 258 | 928 | 7th, South | 2023 | did not qualify | |||
| 2023–24 | 72 | 30 | 34 | 7 | 1 | 68 | 218 | 243 | 928 | 6th, South | 2024 | did not qualify | |||
References
edit- ^ "Minor league ice hockey coming to Savannah's new arena". Savannah Morning News. January 26, 2021.
- ^ "Construction of New $165 Million Georgia Arena on Track". U.S. News & World Report. November 21, 2020.
- ^ "ECHL Approves Expansion Membership For Savannah". ECHL. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ "Updated: Savannah Ghost Pirates unveiled as the name of Enmarket Arena's pro hockey team". Savannah Morning News. October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "VGK Announce ECHL Affiliation Relationship With Savannah Ghost Pirates". NHL.com. May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ "Savannah Ghost Pirates drops inaugural game schedule". wsav.com. May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ "Ghost Pirates announce affiliation with Florida Panthers and Charlotte Checkers". Savannah Ghost Pirates. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
External links
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