Savannah Ghost Pirates
The Savannah Ghost Pirates, the newest team in the East Coast Hockey League, will be the newest minor-league affiliate of the Golden Knights starting in 2022-23.
Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 2:23 p.m.
The Golden Knights have a new affiliate in the ECHL.
The Savannah Ghost Pirates, the league's newest team, and Vegas have reached an agreement to begin filtering players to and from Savannah, Georgia, beginning next season.
The ECHL approved the addition of the Ghost Pirates in January 2021.
In addition, the Ghost Pirates announced Rick Bennett as their first coach. Bennett spent 11 seasons at Union College in Schenectady, New York, winning the national championship in 2014.
“This affiliation with Savannah gives us alignment from the ECHL level through Henderson and up to the NHL,” Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement. “We are excited to lead the hockey operations and have a proven developer of talent as a head coach in Rick Bennett.”
The deal ends the Golden Knights' four-year partnership with the Fort Wayne Komets. That run included a four-game victory in the Kelly Cup in 2021 over the South Carolina Stingrays.
The Ghost Pirates will begin their inaugural season Oct. 22 against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Their home opener at Enmarket Arena will be Nov. 5, also against the Swamp Rabbits.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
