ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin has been vocal about his desire to see the league reach 32 teams to mirror the NHL and AHL, which both stand at 32. The ECHL is now a step closer as the league announced Friday morning that an expansion team has been granted to Greensboro, N.C., following its approval from the league's board of governors.

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The as yet unnamed team will begin play in 2025-26 as the ECHL’s 30th team and will reside in the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. The team will be owned by Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, which already owns or manages a number of clubs in the ECHL including the Jacksonville Icemen, Tahoe Knight Monsters and Savannah Ghost Pirates. Zawyer also recently took ownership of the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

The League’s Board of Governors has approved the expansion application of Greensboro, North Carolina for admittance into the League. @gsoprohockey will begin play the 2025-26 Season 🏒

The team will be owned and operated by @ZawyerSports

Read More📝: https://t.co/fzKHnqYvRI pic.twitter.com/JIRz1cQBgG

— ECHL (@ECHL) October 18, 2024

This will not be the first time a team in Greensboro has played in the ECHL, having first had a team in the ECHL from 1989 to 1995 called the Monarchs.

There have been multiple iterations of a club named the Greensboro Generals, most recently one that played in the ECHL from 1999 to 2004. However, Greensboro’s hockey history goes much further back than that.

The original Greensboro Generals played in the Eastern and Southern Hockey Leagues from 1959 to 1977. In fact, ECHL commissioner emeritus Patrick J. Kelly, whose name adorns the ECHL's championship trophy, played for the Greensboro Generals for five seasons. 

There was also once an AHL team in Greensboro called the Carolina Monarchs that existed from 1995 to 1997.

The ECHL continues to grow as Greensboro will be the sixth new team added since 2021-22. In that span, only the Newfoundland Growlers have gone dormant, leading positive growth for the league.

Since 2021-22, the Iowa Heartlanders, Trois-Riviéres Lions, Savannah Ghost Pirates, Bloomington Bison and Tahoe Knight Monsters have allowed the league to expand its footprint and create more affiliates for NHL teams to send their prospects for more development.

Only the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators are currently without ECHL affiliates heading into this season. 

The ECHL opens its 2024-25 season Friday night. All games will stream live and on demand on FloHockey throughout the season.

How To Watch The ECHL on FloHockey

FloHockey is the exclusive global streaming home of the ECHL. Every game throughout the regular season and Kelly Cup Playoffs will be available live and on demand at FloHockey.tv or via the FloSports App.

When Does The ECHL Season Start?

The 2024-25 ECHL season begins Friday, Oct. 18 with eight games on the schedule. The Reading Royals travel to take on the Trois-Rivières Lions at 7 p.m. ET in the very first game of the season. 

How To Watch Free Streams Of ECHL Games

FloHockey, in partnership with the ECHL, will present one free game per week on Fridays throughout the regular season. The games will stream live and free across FloHockey's social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The first free game of the season will feature the Wichita Thunder hosting the Kansas City Mavericks.

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