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Carolina Hurricanes: Top 3 ECHL Teams the Hurricanes Should Affiliate With

By Matthew Nidiffer

JACKSONVILLE, FL - APRIL 18: Florida Everblades players celebrate a goal during the game between the Florida Everblades and the Jacksonville Icemen on April 18, 2018 at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - APRIL 18: Florida Everblades players celebrate a goal during the game between the Florida Everblades and the Jacksonville Icemen on April 18, 2018 at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – MAY 14: PNC Arena was sold out for the Carolina Hurricanes versus the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – MAY 14: PNC Arena was sold out for the Carolina Hurricanes versus the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Greenville Swamp Rabbits

The Greenville Swamp Rabbits are an obvious shoe-in for the #1 spot for me. Not only am I a huge fan of the team, but they have brought hockey back to Greenville, SC in a big way. Since the Grrrowl left in the mid-2000’s, hockey was virtually non-existent in the area.

The former Greenville Road Warriors came to town in 2011 (since renamed the Swamp Rabbits in 2015 to tie in relevancy to the local Swamp Rabbit Trail) and made the playoffs in their first season of contention before losing in the second round. Hockey found new life in Greenville, which in turn spurned a huge influx of fans looking to find an NHL team to support after finding themselves enjoying local hockey at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

I did my part to ensure these new fans followed the right team (the Hurricanes, obviously), and a vast majority of these fans are still huge Hurricanes fans to this day.

Not only would affiliating with the Swamp Rabbits keep the ‘One Carolina’ mantra in full effect, but it would pull even more local fans from the upstate into the Hurricanes fan base.

Greenville is roughly 2 hours from Charlotte and about 4 hours or so from Raleigh, so local fans could easily make the trip to either arena and help to boost attendance. This affiliation would unite the region like never before, and create a triangle of hockey from West to East.

The best part of this idea? Greenville does not have an NHL affiliate. The team decided to forego an affiliation for this season, effectively breaking the ties they held with the New York Rangers. The integration of the team into the Hurricanes organization would be near seamless.

This might sound like I’m being a homer (I definitely am), but it would serve as a way to include South Carolina in the hockey market that Raleigh and Charlotte have built over the past two decades. The Hurricanes have a great opportunity to grow the game in yet another ‘non-traditional hockey market’, and I can think of no better ECHL team to affiliate with.

Hot. Charlotte Checkers Punch Ticket to Calder Cup Finals. light

Question for CC Readers: What other ECHL team(s) do you think the Hurricanes should consider?

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