Pittsburgh Penguins name Florida Everblades as new ECHL affiliate

ESTERO, Fla. (WINK)—The Pittsburgh Penguins have named the Florida Everblades as the organization's ECHL affiliate.

The partnership will begin with the upcoming 2026-27 campaign. The Everblades will serve as the secondary developmental affiliate for the Penguins, joining the organization's primary developmental affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

"The Penguins are excited to partner with the Florida Everblades, who are one of the premier organizations in the ECHL," Penguins Assistant General Manager Jason Spezza said.

Spezza emphasized the organization's three-tiered development model between the NHL, AHL and ECHL.

"We feel that Florida's championship pedigree and winning environment will help our players reach their maximum potential," Spezza said. "Under the leadership of Craig Brush and Head Coach Brad Ralph, the Everblades have won four of the last five Kelly Cup championships and our goal to provide Coach Ralph with quality prospects that can continue to help the Everblades bring championship hockey to Southwest Florida."

The Florida Everblades were founded in 1998 and acquired by David Hoffmann and Hoffmann Family of Companies in 2019. They are the only team all-time to win five Kelly Cups, which includes championships in four of the last five seasons.

The Everblades have qualified for the postseason in 25 of their 26 seasons. They own the ECHL record for playoff games played and playoff wins.