PRINCETON, N.J. – The ECHL announced on Wednesday that the League’s Board of Governors has approved the expansion application of Savannah, Georgia for admittance into the League.

Savannah, which will be owned by Andy Kauffman who also owns Jacksonville Icemen, will begin play in in the 2022-23 Season at the new Savannah Arena, slated for completion in Spring 2022, which will hold 7,300 fans for hockey.

“The ECHL is excited to welcome the City of Savannah as our newest member,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “We have a great working relationship with Andy his management group and we look forward to bringing ECHL hockey to the Savannah community in October 2022 and the creation of natural rivalries with the Atlanta Gladiators, South Carolina Stingrays, Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Jacksonville Icemen.”

“We are grateful to the ECHL Board of Governors for awarding us a new membership and we thank Mayor Van R. Johnson, the Savannah City Council and Oak View Group for creating a stunning new venue for us to compete,” said Kaufmann. “Savannah is a terrific sports town and we look forward to making it a fantastic hockey town.”

Oak View Group, the company hired by the City of Savannah to manage and operate the new Savannah Arena, is currently involved in four other new arena construction projects, including the Climate Pledge Arena, home to the National Hockey League’s newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken, the UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York, the new home of the NHL’s New York Islanders, and the Palm Springs Arena in Palm Springs, California, the home of the newest AHL franchise.