Florida Panthers, Charlotte Checkers Are New Savannah Ghost Pirates Affiliates
Savannah, Ga.— Via a rocking hockey video on their home Enmarket Arena scoreboard, the third-year Savannah Ghost Pirates (ECHL) today announced their new affiliation with the Florida Panthers (NHL) and Charlotte Checkers (AHL), while also introducing rookie head coach Jared Staal to an estimated crowd of 300 fans.
Their new NHL parent club, the Panthers, can inject an immediate dose of winning into the Savannah market if they can capture Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Florida currently leads the series three games to one, as they seek to capture their first Cup in franchise history.
“This is a very exciting time,” said Derek Wilkinson, Charlotte’s senior vice president of hockey operations. “Jared is a great coach and a great man,” he added before ceding the podium to Staal.
Staal, 33, joins the Ghost Pirates after serving as an assistant to Checkers’ head coach Geordie Kinnear. “Geordie was my mentor who I learned a lot from during the last two years in Charlotte,” Staal said.
Staal plans to meet with his staff tomorrow while immersing himself into the city and the Ghost Pirates’ fan base. He exuded optimism in anticipation of the newest chapter in his coaching career. “It’s going to be a daily approach day-by-day. We’re not looking at the end goal,” he said.
During their initial two seasons, Savannah was the affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights (as of today still the reigning Stanley Cup champions) and their AHL farm club, the Henderson Silver Knights.
Last season, the Ghost Pirates finished sixth of seven teams in the Eastern Conference’s South Division with a 30-34-7-1 record for 68 points. The Pirates’ inaugural head coach, Rick Bennett, was relieved of his duties on February 1, 2024, with Alex Loh named interim head coach.
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