Kalamazoo named host city for 2025 Warrior/ECHL Hockey Heritage Weekend

The ECHL announced on Friday that the Kalamazoo Wings have been named the host of the 2025 Warrior/ECHL Hockey Heritage Week presented by Discover Kalamazoo and FireKeepers. The event is set to take place Jan. 17-18, 2025.
 
“The K-Wings hosted the last ECHL Hockey Heritage Event back in 2016 to celebrate the history of the game of hockey, and thus it is very fitting to bring this event back to Kalamazoo for their 50th Anniversary Season,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “K-Wings hockey has enhanced not just the Kalamazoo region, but rather all levels of hockey, and the Warrior/ECHL Hockey Heritage Event will showcase this rich tradition next Season.”
 
“Fifty years of professional hockey in a community the size of Kalamazoo is unheard of,” said Kalamazoo Wings General Manager and Governor Toni Will. “K-Wings hockey is woven into the fabric of our city. There’s no better way to celebrate our franchise’s 50th Anniversary Season than the honor of hosting the Warrior/ECHL Hockey Heritage Game.”  
 
The 2024-25 season will mark the 50th Anniversary Season for the K-Wings, and their 15th in the ECHL. Since the team’s inception in 1974, 283 players have advanced to the National Hockey League while 24 former K-Wings have their name engraved on the Stanley Cup.
 
The 2025 Warrior/ECHL Hockey Heritage Week presented by Discover Kalamazoo and FireKeepers will include the induction of the 17th class into the ECHL Hall of Fame on Friday, Jan. 17, and the Hockey Heritage Game at Wings Event Center on Saturday, Jan. 18.
 
Other featured events during the weekend include the Stanley Cup® and exhibits from the Hockey Hall of Fame on display both days, as well as Fan Fest and a K-Wings 50th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday.

About the ECHL
Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces for its 36th season in 2023-24. There have been 745 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including five who have made their NHL debuts in the 2023-24 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 28 of the 32 NHL teams in 2023-24, marking the 27th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com.