Each Wednesday over the next several weeks, we look back at some of the top moments, teams and players that defined the ECHL’s 2024-25 season.
This week, we look at the league’s continued commitment to growth, announcing that two more teams would be added over the next two years.
Hockey Comes Back To Greensboro
Over the past several months, the ECHL has made it clear it is always looking to expand if the timing and geographic location are right.
This season saw the acceptance of two new teams, one to begin play in the 2025-26 season, the other the following year.
The Greensboro Gargoyles will begin play next season. They become the 30th ECHL franchise, and will play their home games at the First Horizon Coliseum, a 22,000-seat arena at the heart of Greensboro Complex inNorth Carolina.
The team’s primary colors consist of Gargoyle Grape, Greensboro Gold and Midnight. The Gargoyles’ team name and logo, which were announced last January, is portrayed as a stone monster that watches over and protects the city of Greensboro.
The franchise is owned and operated by Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, led by CEO Andy Kaufmann.
“The opportunity to bring professional hockey back to Greensboro is incredibly exciting,” Kaufmann said in January. “We are looking forward to uniting the community as we build towards the first time the Gargoyles take the ice together as a team in October.”
Greensboro will be the ECHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes and the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. They announced in June that former Rapid City Rush head coach Scott Burt would be the team’s first head coach. Burt spent four seasons as the bench boss of the Rush, where he won 130 games. He brings 13 years of coaching experience to the Gargoyles.
Professional hockey isn’t new to the Greensboro area. The city first played host to the Greensboro Generals, who played in the Eastern Hockey League from 1959-73 and the Southern Hockey League from 1973-77.
Greensboro has had two previous entries in the ECHL, with the Monarchs skating in the league from 1989-95 and a second incarnation of the Generals participating from 1999-2004. The Monarchs won the Riley Cup title in their first season of existence in 1989-90, lost in the Finals on two other occasions and hold the ECHL record for the largest crowd in league history with 20,911 fans on Jan. 15, 1994 against Charlotte.
Greensboro was also home to the American Hockey League’s Carolina Monarchs from 1995-97, and the NHL's Hurricanes played their first two seasons in North Carolina in Greensboro from 1997-99 while awaiting completion of their arena in Raleigh.
The Gargoyles will play their first regular season game in franchise history on Oct. 18 at home against the Jacksonville Icemen.
New Mexico Granted An ECHL Franchise
In early May, the ECHL Board of Governors approved the expansion application of Rio Rancho, New Mexico for admittance into the League. The club will begin play in the 2026-27 season.
REV Entertainment’s Sports Management division will oversee all team operations. The Dallas Stars have been serving as hockey operations consultants to REV Entertainment for the launch of the team.
REV currently operates two teams in the American Association of Professional Baseball – the Cleburne Railroaders and Kane County Cougars – and previously served as a managing partner for the ECHL’s Allen Americans.
“Today marks a significant milestone for REV Entertainment and the ECHL,” REV Entertainment President Sean Decker, said in May. “We are incredibly excited to bring professional hockey back to New Mexico and to expand the ECHL’s footprint with the league’s 31st Member. The Rio Rancho community has a rich history with the sport, and we look forward to building a team that will be a source of pride for fans across the region.”
The New Mexico Professional Hockey Club will play its home games at the Rio Rancho Events Center, a 7,000-seat arena located less than 30 miles from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The arena previously hosted the Central Hockey League’s New Mexico Scorpions from 2006-09 and the North American Hockey League’s New Mexico Mustangs from 2010-12.
The venue continues to host sporting events, concerts, and other live entertainment.
The franchise recently launched a “Name the Team” contest, allowing fans to cast their vote for its official name. Nearly 2,000 submissions were entered, and the three finalists are the Goatheads, Cutthroats and Tarantula Hawks.
Voting on the team name will close on July 3.
(Photo Courtesy of the ECHL)