Greenville Swamp Rabbits ink deal with L.A. Kings
When the puck dropped on the ’22-’23 Greenville Swamp Rabbits season the night of October 22, they hopped on the ice with a powerhouse behind them. Here’s why: the local professional ice-hockey team recently inked a multi-year affiliate deal with the L.A. Kings of the National Hockey League and the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Ontario (California) Reign.
The new relationship brings a bit of West Coast buzz and visibility to the ECHL franchise. It’s also great news for players. “Not only is it exciting for fans, but the interest level from agents and players has also been raised as a result,” says the Swamp Rabbits’ Head Coach and General Manager, Andrew Lord. “Their reputation for doing things the right way, taking care and investing in their players, and their focus on development are all well-known parts of their organization.”
Other off-season moves include bringing on former Swamp Rabbits’ center Mason Baptista as assistant coach after his time working as an assistant to the Chinese women’s 2022 Olympic hockey team.
This season, the Rabbits return several key players, including talented defenseman Ethan Cap and scorer Ayden MacDonald, both coming off head-turning rookie campaigns with the club. Then there’s scrapper Dallas Gerard, a fan favorite known not only for his knuckle-chucking prowess, but his scoring. All form the nucleus of a squad that reeled off twenty-four wins in their final forty games last season—good enough to earn a playoff spot—before losing in the first round to the eventual ECHL champion Florida Everblades.
This year, the hunt for a third consecutive playoff season began for the Rabbits against the Savannah Ghost Pirates, the ECHL’s newest franchise. Meanwhile, Rabbits’ broadcaster and Media Relations Manager Mark Shelley says fans have plenty of non-hockey news to digest. “Last season, the Swamp Rabbits hosted Racing Night and had a number of NASCAR drivers at the game,” Shelly says. “This year, the team has again joined forces with NASCAR for NASCAR Night and will have even more drivers, the Swamp Rabbit-wrapped NASCAR car, meet-and-greets, and more, on January 28.”
The club will also don nine different specialty jerseys to be auctioned off to fans throughout the season, including The Avengers, Wonder Woman, Paw Patrol, and more. Another event is the beloved Teddy Bear Toss when, after the Rabbits score their first goal, fans throw teddy bears onto the ice that are gathered up and donated to local charities. It’s happening December 10 against the South Carolina Stingrays.
For tickets to see the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, visit: ticketmaster.com/greenville-swamp-rabbits-tickets
Photography courtesy of Swamp Rabbits.
