Ghost Pirates announce $25 million practice facility in Port Wentworth

PORT WENTWORTH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Savannah Ghost Pirates made a huge announcement in Port Wentworth Tuesday.

The Ghost Pirates will be opening a $25 million practice facility. The facility will be built west of Interstate 95 in the area of Highway 21 and GA 30.

“We are here today to announce our next step in our long term plan of continuing to share out live not only of hockey but of community with you guys. And in that plan includes a $25 million dollar commitment to build a state of the art facility, that will not only be the practice facility for the Savannah Ghost Pirates but also an ice sports winter wonderland to share with the community.”

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson’s energy, an example of the enthusiasm around the 90,000 square foot facility set to open Summer 2025. The occasion rung in by a Groves High School band and a familiar chant or two as the Ghost Pirates expand their footprint further in our community.

“It’s not about Port Wentworth, Savannah, Pooler... they’re all going to use this facility. The real thing is getting tournaments from out of town, fill hotel rooms,” said Ghost Pirates President Bob Ohrablo.

Like the team’s president hints at, the arena will do a lot more than host ghost pirate practices with Port Wentworth leaders hoping their businesses will benefit.

“It’s a great economic booster for the city, not just the city but the surrounding area,” said Port Wentworth Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Barbee.

The arena will be complete with a sports bar, pro shop, and two NHL sized sheets of ice for all kinds of winter activities. The city’s acting mayor says the plan has been in the works for a while, and he’s grateful it all came together.

“I liked the fact that they chose Port Wentworth out of 108,000 cities across the United States of America.”

The team says the choice was easy, as the public private partnership made sense for everyone involved.

“City council said if you’re going to build a facility, why not build it here in Port Wentworth? So that’s what we did and we’re very excited.”

Of course it’s not built yet, with a groundbreaking likely on the way in the coming months, but Orhablo understands the local impact the building will have once it’s complete and says the mission goes beyond the sport played in Enmarket Arena.

“This is what our dream was when we got here was bring the hockey team here and then bring ice skating here.”

To accomplish that, one of the many activities in the new building will be the Ghost Pirates’ community skating that they say is ready for a new home.

The team broke an ECHL record with 33 sellouts during the 2023 season at Enmarket Arena in Savannah.

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