EVERBLADES WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT ECHL TEAM AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

ESTERO, Fla. – The Florida Everblades organization has been honored by the ECHL with the 2025 Team Award of Excellence for the fifth consecutive year, as announced by the league office on Wednesday.

The honor is awarded annually by the ECHL to organizations that are first-rate, cooperative with the league office, compliant with league programs, and who distinguish themselves on and off the ice and in the community.

With the 2025 accolades, the Everblades have received the Team Award of Excellence a league-record six times (2004, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) and become the first ECHL organization to earn the honor five straight times.

Commissioner's Club recognition is bestowed upon ECHL members which meet or exceed the league's revenue standards of $1,000,000 in Ticket and Sponsorship Sales. This achievement highlights the Everblades' strong fan base and the organization's ability to consistently attract spectators to Hertz Arena.

Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Adam Winslow, Executive Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer Chris Palin, Director of Sales Calvin Isaac, and Vice President of Business Development & Broadcasting Mike Kelly accepted the awards on behalf of the Florida Everblades organization.

Adam Winslow, Florida Everblades Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, stated, “It is an incredible honor to not only be recognized by the league, but to be recognized for the passion, hard work, collaboration, and attention to detail displayed daily by every team member of every department across the entire organization. It is a privilege to work alongside such strong members of the league, and the continued efforts of all teams do not go unnoticed. Our sustained level of excellence remains a source of pride for everyone associated with our operation.”

Off the ice, Florida sold out Hertz Arena for 19 of 36 regular-season games, exceeding The Swamp’s seating capacity of 7,181 for more than half of the team’s home contests. With the organization’s third-highest average attendance in franchise history, the Everblades ranked sixth in the ECHL with an average of 6,758 fans per game. 

Chris Palin, Florida Everblades Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, commented, “We are privileged to be recognized by the ECHL for not only the exceptional job by our team this season, but for the sustained level of excellence that is a hallmark of the Florida Everblades organization. I am immensely proud of our dedicated staff, whose unwavering motivation and outstanding commitment to service continue to drive our growth and success. We strive to deliver not only a championship team on the ice every year, but to create an exceptional experience for our fans, ticket holders, and corporate partners, all of whom play a critical role in our organizational success.”

In addition to being named the ECHL Team Award of Excellence winner, the Everblades previously earned six other league award nominations in 2025, including Marketing Team of the Year, Social Media Team of the Year, Most Creative Revenue Generation of the Year, Corporate Partnership of the Year, Ticket Department of the Year – Aggregate and Group Department of the Year. Previously, the Everblades were also recognized as the top ECHL team in the league’s partnership with DASH, a leading platform for sports memorabilia and fan engagement.

On the ice, the Everblades followed up three consecutive Kelly Cup Championships with a fourth-straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance following a 49-15-7-1 regular-season record and postseason series wins in the South Division Semifinals and Finals, before coming up short in the third round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

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