The Ghost Pirates Leave Port

It's always exciting when an expansion teams joins a league as everyone scrambles to see when they'll visit. The Savannah Ghost Pirates will take to the ice this October when the ECHL kicks off its 2022-23 schedule, so ECHL fans were waiting to see when they'll sail into town. The wait is now over, though, as the ECHL released their schedule for next season with the Ghost Pirates all over it!

It won't be an easy start to the season for the Ghost Pirates when they open their season on Saturday, October 22 as they'll play their first five games on the road. The Greenville Swamp Rabbits will officially be the Ghost Pirates' opponent in their very first ECHL regular season game before getting closer to home on Sunday when they roll into Atlanta to play the Gladiators. Those regional games are close enough that Ghost Pirates fans may make the trip to watch their team in the opposing teams' barns, so it could be a fun opening weekend in the ECHL.

From there, the team plays a pair of games in Fort Wayne against the Komets on October 28 and 29 before they play one more in Greenville on Friday, November 4. The next night, however, will see the Savannah Ghost Pirates christen the brand-new Enmarket Arena as they welcome the Swamp Rabbits in their first-ever home game in the back half of the home-and-home series. Expect a raucous crowd that night as I'm sure that all of Savannah will be out to catch the new team in their new arena!

If you were hoping for a Canadian visit from the Ghost Pirates, that's not happening in 2022-23 as the furthest north the Ghost Pirates will travel is Fort Wayne, Indiana on the second weekend of the season. Beyond that, it's all Texas, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina road trips for the Ghost Pirates as neither Newfoundland nor Trois-Rivières make the cut this season. For snowbirds and winter vacationers, the January 20-21 weekend might be the best opportunity to see the Ghost Pirates if your destination is Florida as the Ghost Pirates will play the Florida Everblades on those back-to-back nights at the Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida.

The full season's schedule can be found here, but there were no special games announced yet. Usually, the ECHL tries to play an outdoor game somewhere, but nothing was announced today regarding that opportunity. The 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic will be played on Monday, January 16 at Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia as the Admirals play host to the league's most outstanding players. Outside of that game, though, the ECHL hasn't really come forth with any major promotions for their upcoming season.

There will be more information released as the summer rolls on, and marketing departments for each of the 28 ECHL teams are starting to gear up for promotional nights. Keep an eye on your local team's website for a promotional schedule, but you can start planning your winter in terms of seeing your favorite teams with the schedule being released. If there's a game or rivalry you enjoy, you can officially circle those dates on the calendar!

If you're hoping to catch a glimpse of the Ghost Pirates this season, though, you'll have to head southeast in the US because they won't sail much further than a few states away. They don't have jerseys yet and they have yet to sign a player, but the Ghost Pirates will set sail in 2022-23 as they look to plunder and pillage points from their South Division rivals as they look to make the playoffs for the ECHL's treasure in the Kelly Cup! Will you be there to cheer them on?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!