2021-22 Kelly Cup Champion will serve as ECHL affiliate for the Panthers and the Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has entered into a multi-year affiliation agreement with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. The Everblades will serve as the ECHL affiliate for the Panthers as well as its American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
“We are pleased to announce a new affiliation with the Florida Everblades,” said Brett Peterson, Assistant General Manager of the Florida Panthers. “We want to thank the Swamp Rabbits for two great seasons and look forward to beginning a new partnership just down the road in Estero, Fla. We look forward to the development of our young players in Florida and many opportunities together with this new pipeline plan.”
“We are thrilled to have the Florida Panthers as our new NHL affiliate,” said Craig Brush, General Manager of the Florida Everblades. “Florida’s General Manager Bill Zito and Assistant General Manager Brett Peterson have done an outstanding job and we are looking forward to becoming an integral part of the development of players for the Panthers and Charlotte Checkers.”
The Everblades are based out of Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla. Founded in 1998, the Everblades have made the ECHL playoffs in all but one of their 24 seasons (2013-14). The franchise has won the Kelly Cup twice (2011-12 and 2021-22) and have appeared in the finals on five occasions.
As members of the ECHL’s Eastern Conference and South Division, the Everblades routinely face off against regional clubs including the Orlando Solar Bears, Jacksonville Icemen, Atlanta Gladiators, South Carolina Stingrays, Greenville Swamp Rabbits, and beginning in 2022-23, the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
The 2022-23 ECHL regular season will commence on Friday, Oct. 21, when the Everblades will visit the Gladiators at Gas South Arena in Georgia. Panthers fans can catch the Everblades at their home opener on Saturday, Oct. 29 when the club hosts the Icemen at Hertz Arena.
The ECHL is the leading professional developmental league for the American Hockey League and the National Hockey League. The league began in 1988-89 with five teams in three states and now spans coast-to-coast, with 28 teams playing in 21 states and provinces. There have been more than 650 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL.
Florida Panthers 2022-23 Territory Memberships are available now. Join Panthers Territory to get presale access to the 2023 NHL All-Star game at FLA Live Arena plus other exclusive benefits. Call 954-835-PUCK or visit FloridaPanthers.com/TerritoryMemberships for more information.
-PANTHERS-
