Ghost Pirates' Port Wentworth facility will include public rinks, youth hockey leagues

Will Peebles, Savannah Morning News
·3 min read

The City of Port Wentworth threw a welcoming party for the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Tuesday at city hall, complete with a Groves High School Marching band performance, bounce castles and refreshments.

The celebration was a homecoming.

Groves High School's Marching Band performs outside Port Wentworth City Hall on Tuesday during an announcement for the Savannah Ghost Pirates training facility, to be located in the city's upcoming recreation complex.
Groves High School's Marching Band performs outside Port Wentworth City Hall on Tuesday during an announcement for the Savannah Ghost Pirates training facility, to be located in the city's upcoming recreation complex.

Port Wentworth will be home to the Ghost Pirates' $25 million training facility, set to be complete in 2025.

The rink will be built within the confines of Port Wentworth’s new 150 acre recreation facility, located at the corner of Monteith Road and Interstate 95. Ground was recently broken on the site, and the full buildout is expected to take as long as three years.

But it won’t just be a training facility for Savannah’s hockey team. The complex will include two regulation-size ice rinks, a sports bar and grill, a pro shop and other amenities.

A photo of an artist's rendering of the Ghost Pirates training facility planned to be built in Port Wentworth. The name "Ice Cove" is just a placeholder, City Manager Steve Davis said.
A photo of an artist's rendering of the Ghost Pirates training facility planned to be built in Port Wentworth. The name "Ice Cove" is just a placeholder, City Manager Steve Davis said.

The site will be a practice rink for the Ghost Pirates and host youth and adult hockey leagues, public figure skating and learn-to-skate programs, some of which will be free to the public, according to Ghost Pirates CEO Andy Kaufmann.

Andy Kaufmann, the Savannah Ghost Pirates CEO, left, and Port Wentworth City Manager Steve Davis speak outside Port Wentworth City Hall on Tuesday during an announcement for the Savannah Ghost Pirates training facility, to be located in the city's upcoming recreation complex.
Andy Kaufmann, the Savannah Ghost Pirates CEO, left, and Port Wentworth City Manager Steve Davis speak outside Port Wentworth City Hall on Tuesday during an announcement for the Savannah Ghost Pirates training facility, to be located in the city's upcoming recreation complex.

“We’re not in this just because we love hockey. Yes, obviously we love hockey, but we also love the community,” Kaufmann said. “We want this to be for everyone, and we want to make sure that’s what happens here.”

Bringing winter sports to Port Wentworth

The Ghost Pirates are partnering with the city to build the facility on Port Wentworth’s land, but the professional hockey franchise will operate the recreational leagues and community events in the as-of-yet unnamed facility.

That doesn’t mean the city will be totally hands-off, Port Wentworth City Manager Steve Davis said.

“We’re going to coordinate our schedules and share our youth rosters and things of that nature so they can participate,” Davis said. “But what a unique opportunity for this to happen in our community. I can’t even tell you how excited I am.”

Davis also touted the uniqueness of the facility, noting it will be the only true ice sports complex in the region.

“If you want to do what they’re doing right now, you have to drive to Jacksonville,” Davis said.

Hockey in 'hot ol' Georgia'

Port Wentworth's Davis and other city leaders recently visited Jacksonville to tour the Community First Igloo, the home of the Jacksonville Icemen hockey team.

The Icemen play in the same league as the Ghost Pirates, the ECHL, and are owned by the same group that is behind the Ghost Pirates.

According to Davis, The Igloo serves as an inspiration for the future Port Wentworth facility: it's a community recreation center, with public skating, hockey leagues for all ages and summer camps. The Igloo even hosts e-sports leagues.

Davis said he wants the building to fit into the landscape of the park as a whole, and he’s pushing for other buildings at the recreation complex to be built using “the same architectural standards” as the Ghost Pirates' facility. He also said the name of the property would be left up to the public through a naming contest.

Port Wentworth Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Barbee said he was excited about the partnership and what having access to a facility like this one means to Port Wentworth. But he was especially excited about finally getting to try out one winter sport in particular: curling.

Davy, the Ghost Pirates mascot, left, and Port Wentworth Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Barbee pose for a photo outside Port Wentworth City Hall on Tuesday during an announcement for the Savannah Ghost Pirates training facility, to be located in the city's upcoming recreation complex.
Davy, the Ghost Pirates mascot, left, and Port Wentworth Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Barbee pose for a photo outside Port Wentworth City Hall on Tuesday during an announcement for the Savannah Ghost Pirates training facility, to be located in the city's upcoming recreation complex.

“I’ve gotta try it. At least once. I like the guy who has to brush really fast, I think it’s comical, but it’s an interesting game, and I’ve always wanted to try it and see what it’s like,” Barbee said. “But really, it’s an awesome, exciting feeling for not just the city but the citizens."

“Who would’ve ever thought that hockey would be coming to hot ol’ Georgia?” Barbee said.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Ghost Pirates' Port Wentworth facility to host public hockey leagues