The Norfolk Admirals open the season tonight. Here’s what you need to know.
The Norfolk Admirals open the season tonight against the South Carolina Stingrays at Scope. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets start at $15 and are available online and at the Scope box office.
Last season
The Admirals finished 29-37-6, sixth in the South Division of the ECHL. Norfolk ranked 24th in the league in goals per game (2.83), 25th in goals-against average (3.63), 27th in power-play percentage (14.6) and 18th in penalty-kill percentage (79.6).
What’s new?
The Admirals have moved to the ECHL’s North Division, joining the Adirondack Thunder (Glens Falls, New York), Maine Mariners, Newfoundland Growlers, Reading Royals, Trois-Rivières Lions (Quebec) and Worcester Railers. The Admirals will embark on trips to Canada to play Newfoundland and Trois-Rivières for the first time.
Who’s new?
Goaltender Cale Morris joins the Admirals after splitting time last season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs and ECHL’s Indy Fuel. Morris, 26, is a Colorado native and former star at Notre Dame. He finished with a combined record of 11-11-2 last season.
Who’s back?
Coach Rod Taylor, a former Admirals player and member of the franchise’s hall of fame, returns for a third season. Also the GM, Taylor is 43-75-14 in two seasons as a coach.
On the roster, forward Blake Murray, 21, returns to the ice after collecting 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) with Norfolk last season.
NHL connections
Tag Bertuzzi, a 21-year-old rookie forward, is playing his first pro season in the U.S. after spending last year in the Ontario Hockey League. Bertuzzi’s father, Todd, played 18 seasons in the NHL, logging 1,159 games with six teams. Bertuzzi’s cousin Tyler was the Detroit Red Wings’ second-leading scorer with 62 points last season.
Promotions
The first 1,000 fans at tonight’s season opener will receive an Admirals Soccer Scarf. Also, throughout this season, the Admirals will introduce the City Series, honoring six cities in Hampton Roads. On those nights, the Admirals will rebrand to become that city for a weekend: Hampton (Oct. 28-29), Newport News (Nov. 25-26), Portsmouth (Dec. 16-17), Suffolk (Jan. 13-14), Chesapeake (Feb. 17-18) and Virginia Beach (March 17-18).
Early season
The Admirals play 11 of their first 15 games on the road. After tonight’s home opener, Norfolk will visit Charleston to play South Carolina on Saturday and travel to Greenville on Sunday. The Admirals return home Oct. 28 to play Maine.
All-star game
The Admirals will host the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 23 at Scope. The event will feature a tournament with ECHL All-Stars and Norfolk Admirals and include an integrated skills competition with points counting toward each team’s score. The ECHL also will hold its hall of fame induction ceremony and an All-Star Fan Fest. Norfolk last hosted the ECHL all-star festivities in 1994.
Jami Frankenberry, 757-446-2376, jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com
