The Greensboro Gargoyles, the Carolina Hurricanes' ECHL affiliate, are gearing up for their inaugural season in 2025-26, and excitement is building in North Carolina. The team recently unveiled their first-ever jerseys and announced the signing of their first player, marking significant milestones for the expansion franchise.
The Gargoyles revealed their home, road, and alternate jerseys at a special ceremony. The team's color scheme is a striking combination of purple, gold, white, and black. The home jersey is primarily purple with black, gold, and white trim. The road jersey is mainly white with purple, black, and gold trim. An alternate black jersey was also revealed, featuring a smirking gargoyle's head bordered in purple as the crest. The alternate jersey has purple shoulder yokes and a thick purple stripe on the sleeves and at the waist. The home sweater is purple with the team's primary logo as the crest, with white, gold, and black stripes along the waist and a white and gold stripe just above the elbow. The white road jersey features the team's alternate crest, with the team name moved above the gargoyle in a shield. A gothic “G” is featured as the shoulder patch on both the home and road jerseys. According to renderings on the Gargoyles' website, each sweater will be paired with black pants, with socks to match the base color of each sweater.
Adding to the anticipation, the Gargoyles announced Logan Nelson, a seasoned ECHL veteran, as the first player in franchise history. The 31-year-old forward brings a wealth of experience to the team, having played 576 ECHL games and accumulating 424 points. Nelson spent the previous season with the Tahoe Knight Monsters, where he recorded 52 points in 66 games. He also served as their alternate captain, contributing three goals and eight points in eight playoff games.
Gargoyles Head Coach Scott Burt, who previously coached Nelson with the Rapid City Rush, expressed his enthusiasm about the signing. "Logan is a true warrior and a bit of a throwback player," Burt said. "He plays the game hard and hates to lose, which is a mindset that we want all of our players to understand. He has played for me before, and I have seen him grow his game every year, not only on the ice but off it as well. He understands my standard and culture, and he will bring that here to Greensboro".
The Greensboro Gargoyles are owned and operated by Zawyer Sports & Entertainment. The ownership group also includes "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast hosts Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney, Keith Yandle, and Mike Grinnell, as well as former Carolina Panthers long snapper J.J. Jansen.
The Gargoyles will play their home games at the First Horizon Coliseum and are affiliated with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and the AHL's Chicago Wolves. The team's inaugural season begins on October 18th and 19th, 2025, when they host the Jacksonville Icemen. The team will play a 36-game home regular-season schedule.
The return of the ECHL to Greensboro marks a significant moment for hockey fans in the region. The city has a rich hockey history, dating back to the late 1950s, but has not had an ECHL team since the Greensboro Generals folded in 2004. The Greensboro Monarchs were also a professional ice hockey team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Monarchs joined the ECHL as an expansion franchise prior to the start of the 1989–90 season. The organization surrendered the franchise back to the league when the Monarchs ownership obtained an expansion franchise in the American Hockey League (AHL) at the conclusion of the 1994–95 ECHL season. The Hurricanes' affiliation with the Gargoyles provides a local connection for fans and a pathway for players to develop within the organization.
