The Greenville Swamp Rabbits have entered an affiliation agreement with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Swamp Rabbits will serve as the development destination for the Hurricanes' prospects as they look to rise through the ranks to the NHL level by being part of North America's double-A hockey league, the ECHL. The Charlotte Checkers is the Hurricanes' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.
The Swamp Rabbits were an independent team last season.
"This is a landmark day for our franchise. A year ago, we set out on a goal to find a regional NHL partner to build a relationship with who is committed to development at the AHL and the ECHL level," said Swamp Rabbits President and CEO Steve Donner. "In partnering with the Hurricanes, we have found that partner for player development with a huge added bonus of marketing synergy in the Carolinas."
"After the dust settles on the hockey side, we look forward to both of our marketing departments collaborating on developing hockey interest in the region," Donner said.
"We are excited to begin a new ECHL partnership with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits," said Carolina Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell. "The affiliation makes competitive and geographic sense for us, and we look forward to working with Greenville to develop our prospects."
The Hurricanes organization completed an incredible season up and down the organizational depth chart. The 'Canes completed their first season with head coach and franchise legend Rod Brind'Amour. He led them to a 46-29-7 record, their first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2009, and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Charlotte Checkers, Carolina's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate since 2010, finished an incredible season as the top team in the league. A record of 51-17-8 (110 points), and a dominant playoff performance, allowed them to capture the Calder Cup championship in five games over the Chicago Wolves for the first time in their AHL history.