1st Mariner Arena (old Baltimore Arena) will be home to the Baltimore Skipjacks, an AsHL affiliate to the Los Angeles Kings. 1st Mariner Arena holds a gametime capacity of 11,271. The city of Baltimore has been aggressively trying to lure an AsHL franchise to the city and began talks with the Los Angeles Kings organization over 8 months ago. "We are excited to relocate our AsHL franchise to Baltimore. It is a larger market, a fantastic town, and close to my roots." said Owner Nathan Kopsack. "...we look forward to providing a high level of hockey to the fans in Baltimore. "
The Baltimore Skipjacks, formerly the Manchester Monarchs, finished first in their division last season and have made the playoffs each of the last 2 seasons. The AsHL affiliate to the Kings made it as far as the AsHL Cup Finals in 2005 before losing to Chicago in Game 7. The Baltimore Skipjacks boast a young but very skilled roster consisting of many highly touted LA Kings prospects. "The team will be younger this season but we have the same goal as last season, to win the AsHL Cup." said owner Nathan Kopsack. "This team is stacked with talent and should perform well in the new AsHL." concluded Kopsack. "We look forward to bringing a championship to the city of Baltimore. |
