Goaltender Darion Hanson introduced as first ever Ghost Pirates player

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Savannah Ghost Pirates introduced the first player in team history on Tuesday.

A goaltender, Darion Hanson, was introduced to the public by the team president on a WTOC live stream from the Enmarket Arena.

The 25-year-old Minnesota native played his college hockey at Union before finishing his career at the University of Connecticut. At Union, Hanson played for Ghost Pirates head coach Rick Bennett. He says that relationship will serve him and the team well in the first season later this fall.

As for being the first player in team history, Hanson isn’t letting that add any pressure to his young career.

“No, no. it’s not any pressure. It will only be pressure if I put that pressure on myself. This is fun. I’m glad to see the city of Savannah is so excited, but at the end of the day, it’s just playing hockey. It doesn’t matter if you’re the first or the thirtieth or whatever it may be,” he said.

Hanson will be a rookie this season, but already has a taste of action in the ECHL. He played one game for the Reading Royals at the end of the 2021-22 season, making 22 saves in 23 chances in a Royals win.

The team’s assistant head coach, Alex Loh, was also introduced at the event. Loh’s hiring was announced last week.

He said he’s looking forward to working with a critical part of the team’s foundation.

“He’s a big goalie. That’s usually step one. Big guys usually tend to get in front of the puck a little more often. But he also has a lot of athleticism. He certainly knows what he’s doing back there. You always want to build from the goaltender out when it comes to building a new team, so with him as that initial building block and being able to go from there puts us in a great spot,” Loh said.

The Ghost Pirates begin play in October. The home opener is set for Saturday, Nov. 5 against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

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