Anson Carter Becomes Co-Owner of Atlanta's ECHL Franchise

Anson Carter has become a co-owner of the Atlanta Gladiator, an ECHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes.

Atlanta announced Tuesday that Carter, an NHL analyst for TNT who played 674 NHL games for eight teams from 1996 to 2007, will be the new minority owner and Alex Campbell, director of operations for Capital Staffing Solutions, will be the new majority owner. announced that it is the owner.

“I am thrilled to be joining professional hockey here in my adopted hometown,” said Carter. We will be actively involved.”

Carter, who is a member of the NHL Player Inclusion Committee, spoke with Campbell, league commissioner Ryan Krellin, and ECHL Jacksonville Icemen owner Andrew Kaufman before joining a Gladiators game and joining the ownership. He says he became interested in it.

“I had no idea what ECHL meant. I was focused on my performing and broadcasting career,” said Carter. “I went to my first Glads game last year and was pleasantly surprised to see all the NHL jerseys lined up in the stands. Completely caught me off guard.”

Carter says he’s learned that the ECHL is a quality development league with more than 727 players skating and several NHL coaches honing their skills before reaching the NHL.

“Look at a coach like Jared Bednar. He won a championship in the ECHL (in South Carolina in 2009), then moved up to the AHL, moved to the NHL, and led the Colorado Avalanche to last season’s Stanley Cup. ’” he said. He said. ‘You see (Seattle Kraken ahead) Jani GuldoA two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he spent time with the ECHL. “

The Gladiators went 43-24-4-1, finishing second in the ECHL South division last season behind the Florida Everblades (42-20-6-4). Atlanta lost his four games to Jacksonville in the 2022 Kerry Cup South semifinals.

Atlanta was home to two NHL franchises, the Flames from 1972-1980 and the Thrashers from 1999-2011. The Flames moved to Calgary and the Thrashers became his second incarnation for the Winnipeg Jets.

Carter said he’s bullish on growth as a hockey market in Atlanta and across the state based on his experience over the past few years. His ECHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, Savannah Ghost his Pirates, debuts Saturday. In April, his $130 million arena was built to promote hockey in Athens. The University of Georgia and Georgia Tech have club hockey programs. The Atlanta area has an active adult league and youth hockey scene, he said.

“With a market as big as Atlanta and a big appetite, we need to find a way to develop that connectivity within the hockey ecosystem, and that’s something I’ve been slowly trying to build over the last few years.

Krillin welcomed Carter and Campbell to the ECHL on Tuesday, saying, “Through their vision and commitment to the market, hockey in Gwinnett County and the Atlanta area will grow to new heights for the 2022-23 season and beyond.”