New ECHL team for Athens, GA ?

[Growlers]

It was revealed last month during groundbreaking of the new Classic Center Arena that it will house an East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) team, the National Hockey League's equivalent of an 'AA' affiliation.

Expected to be completed in the fall of 2023, the arena will seat 5,500 fans for hockey, which will include the UGA Ice Dawg club hockey team.

The ECHL team will begin play in the arena shortly after its completion.

"I think Athens in general are rabid sports fans," said Danny Bryant, Classic Center Arena manager. "Hockey fans are some of the most passionate fans I've ever been around. Having it be a fun, family-friendly environment, being a cost effective way to bring your family out and have a good time, I think we're really excited for Athens to really adopt this new team."

The ECHL team does not have a name nor an NHL affiliate, only an agreement between the Classic Center and an ownership group launching the Athens team.

Coming to Athens:The Classic Center Arena — to host hockey, concerts and more — is set to open late 2023

What it looks like:New Classic Center Arena renderings, designs await approval from commissioners

Bryant expects the community to become involved with contests to determine the team's name and colors.

The ECHL currently has 27 teams and will add another next season when the Savannah Ghost Pirates enter the league.

Athens' team is expected to join the south division in 2023 with the Ghost Pirates, Atlanta Gladiators and teams in Greenville, South Carolina, North Charleston, South Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida, Estero, Florida, and Orlando.

The Atlanta Gladiators, which play at Gas South Arena in Duluth, are an affiliate of the NHL's Ottawa Senators. The Belleville Senators, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of Ottawa, is the 'AAA' team for the NHL franchise.

The arena has already booked more than 60 events including concerts, hockey, trade shows and banquets. And it will be a larger space for the Ice Dawgs, which has used the Classic Center's Akins Ford Arena as a home for several years.

The team's success was one of the inspirational factors in bringing an ECHL club to Athens.

"That's gonna be really exciting, having them move into the larger arena, being able to host more home games throughout the duration of the season of the college hockey season," said Bryant, who added that the club hockey season runs from September through March. "The reason we're excited about bringing ECHL hockey is everything we've been able to do with the Ice Dawgs in that partnership. I think just bringing more hockey fans in is just going to help the awareness of both teams."

Source: Athens is getting a minor league hockey team at Classic Center Arena. Here's what we know

Click to read more...

 

[Atlantian]

Yep. It’s happening. Atlanta moving up to the AHL and the current ECHL team relocating to Athens.

 

[Growlers]

Has it been confirmed Atlanta is moving up?

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Yep. It’s happening. Atlanta moving up to the AHL and the current ECHL team relocating to Athens.

doesn't sound like it, if Atlanta aka Gwinnett is mentioned...... Belleville is owned outright by Ottawa and has been since that franchise was in New Haven, THEN went to Binghamton, why would the Gladiators leave Duluth for Athens..... this sounds like Savannah getting a new rival instead of Atlanta holding the corner for pro hockey in Georgia

 

[JMCx4]

Athens already added to The JMCs' Southeast U.S. Loop Road Trip Map.

 

[Atlantian]

doesn't sound like it, if Atlanta aka Gwinnett is mentioned...... Belleville is owned outright by Ottawa and has been since that franchise was in New Haven, THEN went to Binghamton, why would the Gladiators leave Duluth for Athens..... this sounds like Savannah getting a new rival instead of Atlanta holding the corner for pro hockey in Georgia

What the f*** are you talking about? No one said anything about it being the Belleville Senators moving. The current affiliation deal was done out of necessity after they were dropped by the Bruins. It’s an independently owned AHL team that will be moving to Atlanta. The Gladiators are going to Athens because they are being replaced in the market. Simple as.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

What the f*** are you talking about? No one said anything about it being the Belleville Senators moving. The current affiliation deal was done out of necessity after they were dropped by the Bruins. It’s an independently owned AHL team that will be moving to Atlanta. The Gladiators are going to Athens because they are being replaced in the market. Simple as.

there's no independent owned team left in the AHL that's in trouble of relocating.... Belleville is in trouble because they are owned outright by Ottawa, as most of the AHL IS..... it has NOTHING to do with the affiliation you speak of.... ECHL affiliations are renewed or changed annually if not specified as a long-term agreement.

Duluth, GA will not have pro hockey in a decade and will be a scorched market if the AHL moves there, there's no guarantee the Gladiators will be even affiliated with that

prove where it says the AHL is coming to Georgia, in a direct communication with the league itself, otherwise why would the Gladiators be mentioned in the same article and apparently going nowhere, if the Gladiators were moving wouldn't that be public knowledge to the ECHL, even a change of territory.

I'm taking this as an expansion of pro hockey, in GA, just like the addition of Savannah will ease the burden of Atlanta/Gwinnett being the center of hockey there.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

there is no truth to the rumor that Duluth, GA is acquiring or seeking an independent AHL Franchise ownership transfer if this franchise is approved at the ECHL level, whether it has the same connection to the Gladiators as presently constructed, now it could be a simple transfer of territory for the existing Gladiators to Athens like how Alaska's franchise was transferred from Anchorage to Portland

 

[JMCx4]

JMO, I accepted the article's mention of the Gladiators being a future competitor for the Athens team as the musings of an uninformed local reporter. The article was not a press release from the team or arena, so the details should be taken with a grain of salt - or a spray of ice shavings.

 

[mk80]

Well this will put to rest anybody's speculation UGA was going to add NCAA hockey in this arena.

UGA was never going to do that.

 

[wildcat48]

Again... I'm going to say that Atlantian has pretty good insight as to what is going on with this the Glads. I'd add that from people that I've spoken to around the AHL - Charlotte is the team that's been sold or will be sold and relocated to Atlanta for the 2023-24 season. There is a potential it could be the 2024-25 season but that's in the details. As for the team going to Athens, I'll defer to Atlantian because I've been told that Manchester and Binghamton were/are both in the mix to purchase the franchise. If Manchester gets an ECHL franchise, it likely they'll be affiliated with the New York Rangers.

 

[SemireliableSource]

there is no truth to the rumor that Duluth, GA is acquiring or seeking an independent AHL Franchise ownership transfer if this franchise is approved at the ECHL level, whether it has the same connection to the Gladiators as presently constructed, now it could be a simple transfer of territory for the existing Gladiators to Athens like how Alaska's franchise was transferred from Anchorage to Portland

You're out here asking people for their proof but then you're making unsubstantiated claims yourself. Gotta love good ol hypocrisy.

How many times do you have to be wrong before you might consider that's what going through your mind doesn't always (usually doesn't) line up with reality?

I think we'll end up seeing Atlantian be proven correct which means another instance of Hutch being super confidently wrong.

I agree with JMC that it's likely an uninformed journalist going, "hey, y'all, not only will we have a hockey team, we'll be playing Atlanta and Greenville!" The ECHL's days of having teams one hour apart are over.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Hutch making unsubstantiated claims while telling people to not make unsubstantiated claims.

 

[PCSPounder]

I must have tried to sleep-read this thread the first time I opened it. That didn’t work.

You guys almost made it sound like “hey, Athens is building a 5,500-seat arena for the UGA club team, let’s just add the E!” Glad I researched a little. (It’s really Athens adding on to its convention complex)

Part of the research was to back up and check out Iowa’s attendance for 21-22. Interesting. I’m curious to see if adding pure college towns will become a trend. I would think it’s counterintuitive, and I can see that attendance before the holidays might reflect concern vs an apparent growth afterward.

 

[Atlantian]

I must have tried to sleep-read this thread the first time I opened it. That didn’t work.

You guys almost made it sound like “hey, Athens is building a 5,500-seat arena for the UGA club team, let’s just add the E!” Glad I researched a little. (It’s really Athens adding on to its convention complex)

Part of the research was to back up and check out Iowa’s attendance for 21-22. Interesting. I’m curious to see if adding pure college towns will become a trend. I would think it’s counterintuitive, and I can see that attendance before the holidays might reflect concern vs an apparent growth afterward.

I and several people I’ve talked to share similar concerns. Hockey is growing in Athens. With the Ice Dawgs (unique name, I know) growing in popularity and a new public rink being built within 10 minutes of downtown, there’s no doubt that it’s becoming a hockey town. But. Is the support there at this point in time to being a legitimate league like the ECHL in? I do not think so. With all of the other college sports in Athens that students get in for free or the $5 tickets to the Ice Dawgs games, I don’t see this new team being able to compete in the long term. Now, the Fed would absolutely work in Athens. No doubt in my mind. The SPHL is a possibility, but I do not think the ECHL support is there yet. I don’t believe they will draw as low as Iowa and it helps that the South is a relatively easy travel division, but in the long term, I have little faith. I hope they prove me wrong.

 

[mk80]

Unrelated to the hockey part of the discussion, I just noticed the connected train station in the concept art. That is an awesome feature to be included in this project.

 

[JMCx4]

Unrelated to the hockey part of the discussion, I just noticed the connected train station in the concept art. That is an awesome feature to be included in this project.

Imagine what would've become of the St. Charles Chill if the Family Arena had a Metro rail stop. Probably would've boosted their attendance by 50% ... to 100 per game ...

 

[Atlantian]

Unrelated to the hockey part of the discussion, I just noticed the connected train station in the concept art. That is an awesome feature to be included in this project.

There is no active metro rail in Athens. The railroad is no longer in use. It is part of the reason it has taken 10 years to build the arena as they had to purchase old railroad property.

 

[mk80]

There is no active metro rail in Athens. The railroad is no longer in use. It is part of the reason it has taken 10 years to build the arena as they had to purchase old railroad property.

Hmmm I wonder why they included it in the concept art then? I guess an artists choice maybe

 

[JMCx4]

Hmmm I wonder why they included it in the concept art then? I guess an artists choice maybe

Thus the common saying: "artist's deception"?

 

[Checkers Hockey]

Imagine what would've become of the St. Charles Chill if the Family Arena had a Metro rail stop. Probably would've boosted their attendance by 50% ... to 100 per game ...

They probably would not have folded as quickly as they did. According to the guy who designed the logos and jerseys for the Chill, this jersey (below) would've been the third jersey for the team.

 

[JMCx4]

They probably would not have folded as quickly as they did. According to the guy who designed the logos and jerseys for the Chill, this jersey (below) would've been the third jersey for the team.

View attachment 564102

I'll stick with my gameworn specialty jersey, and my semi-fond memories of Rivers' Folly.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I and several people I’ve talked to share similar concerns. Hockey is growing in Athens. With the Ice Dawgs (unique name, I know) growing in popularity and a new public rink being built within 10 minutes of downtown, there’s no doubt that it’s becoming a hockey town. But. Is the support there at this point in time to being a legitimate league like the ECHL in? I do not think so. With all of the other college sports in Athens that students get in for free or the $5 tickets to the Ice Dawgs games, I don’t see this new team being able to compete in the long term. Now, the Fed would absolutely work in Athens. No doubt in my mind. The SPHL is a possibility, but I do not think the ECHL support is there yet. I don’t believe they will draw as low as Iowa and it helps that the South is a relatively easy travel division, but in the long term, I have little faith. I hope they prove me wrong.

with Savannah now coming aboard I think it's a wait and see approach as to how Savannah will take to the hockey landscape, as a natural rivalry with the Gladiators, almost like Augusta's Lynx before they collapsed

 

[NYRfan85]

I'd add that from people that I've spoken to around the AHL - Charlotte is the team that's been sold or will be sold and relocated to Atlanta for the 2023-24 season. There is a potential it could be the 2024-25 season but that's in the details.

As a Checkers fan, I've seen/heard these rumblings here and there as well. I would imagine (and hope) that if this is the case, that Charlotte will re-join the ECHL again. I know plenty of fans that would love to go back to the ECHL Checkers days again. Not to mention, we'd have SO many nearby rivals (unlike the AHL now).

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

As a Checkers fan, I've seen/heard these rumblings here and there as well. I would imagine (and hope) that if this is the case, that Charlotte will re-join the ECHL again. I know plenty of fans that would love to go back to the ECHL Checkers days again. Not to mention, we'd have SO many nearby rivals (unlike the AHL now).

Panthers just switched ECHL Affiliates to Estero, FL from Greenville, . I doubt Kahn would sell the Checkers.