Ghost Pirates enter affiliation agreement with Florida Panthers

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Savannah Ghost Pirates announced the club has entered an affiliation agreement with the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers and the American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers. The announcement came at a press conference held at Enmarket Arena in front of Fantom Club members, corporate partners, local community members and partners.

For the past two seasons, the Ghost Pirates served as the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Florida Panthers,” Zawyer Sports CEO Andy Kaufmann said. “We believe they can help us maintain an exciting brand of hockey that will make Savannah proud, and we look forward to helping them continue their recent success by getting their prospects to the next level.”

The Panthers are currently one win away from capturing their first Stanley Cup in franchise history as they hold a 3-1 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers. Florida has won back-to-back Eastern Conference championships and advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three consecutive seasons. The club secured its fourth division title in 2023-24, topping the Atlantic Division with a record of 52-24-6 (110 points). They joined the NHL in 1993, along with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, as the league expanded to 26 teams.

“We are very excited to announce our new partnership with the Savannah Ghost Pirates,” Florida Panthers Assistant General Manager Brett Peterson said. “We look forward to bringing Florida Panthers’ style hockey to the Savannah area as we develop our prospects in pursuit of the Kelly Cup.”

The Checkers joined the AHL in 2010 after a previous iteration of the team existed in the ECHL from 1993-2010. They won their first Calder Cup in franchise history in 2018-19 and have qualified for the postseason in six straight years. In 2023-24, Charlotte won 39 games, placing fourth in the Atlantic Division.

“We’re very excited to be working with a great group of people in an exciting new market,” Charlotte Checkers COO Tera Black said. “We have been very impressed with the early success of the Ghost Pirates organization and believe it will be a great environment for player development.”