The Nashville Predators have entered into an affiliation agreement with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. The partnership is only for the 2019-20 season, but will give the Predators another minor league affiliate to send their prospects for development purposes. Everblades GM Craig Brush released a statement on the agreement:
We are thrilled to have the Nashville Predators as our new NHL affiliate. Nashville’s President of Hockey Operations and General Manager David Poile has done a remarkable job developing an expansion franchise into one of the most prominent teams in the NHL. We are looking forward to becoming an integral part of the development of players for the Predators and Milwaukee Admirals.
The Everblades were previously the ECHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, given they shared at least partial ownership with the NHL franchise in the form of Peter Karmanos. The Predators meanwhile last had an ECHL affiliation in 2017 but ended the partnership with the Norfolk Admirals in mid-November. Before that, they had worked with the Cincinnati Cyclones for a decade.
Florida will represent a new opportunity for the Predators to send their raw or unpolished prospects, so that they can get large amounts of ice time without the pressure of the higher leagues. The ECHL is most notable for the goaltending alumni it has produced, which includes names like Jordan Binnington, James Reimer, Aaron Dell, Collin Delia and MacKenzie Blackwood. Former Nashville goaltender Dan Ellis even spent some time in the ECHL before making his NHL debut.
The Everblades finished second in the entire ECHL during this season with a 50-16-6 record but were unfortunately eliminated in the Kelly Cup semi-final by the Newfoundland Growlers.