SWAMP RABBITS NAMED FINALIST FOR SIX ECHL AWARDS

(SHREWSBURY, N.J.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced in conjunction with the ECHL that the team has been recognized as a finalist for six categories for the 2024-25 Team Awards, presented by SponsorCX.

Winners of the ECHL’s awards will be announced during the 2025 ECHL Hockey Summer Meetings in Orlando during the awards show on Wednesday, June 25th. Since the acquisition of the Swamp Rabbits by Spire Sports + Entertainment in 2020, the team has been an ECHL Awards finalist 26 times, claiming four in that span.

The Swamp Rabbits are finalists for four team categories: Community Service Team of the Year, Most Creative Revenue Generation of the Year, Ticket Department of the Year (Year Over Year Growth), and Group Department of the Year (Year Over Year Growth). Additionally, Account Executive Tanner Babeo is a finalist for Sales Rookie of the Year, and Senior Director of Communications & Team Services/Broadcaster Mark Binetti is a finalist for Broadcaster of the Year.

““The recognition as finalist for four team awards is a well-earned validation of the effort, energy and commitment this entire Front Office puts into providing a community-first, high quality fan experience environment,” said Tim Vieira, President of the Swamp Rabbits. “It gives us a great sense of pride and purpose to represent Greenville, and the entire Upstate community. Specifically, I’d like to congratulate and commend Tanner Babeo, for the contributions, enthusiasm and success that he has brought to the organization in his first year; and Mark Binetti, a consummate professional, and first-class representation of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Both of these individuals are extremely deserving of their respective honors.”

The 2024-25 Season marks the second time the Swamp Rabbits are a finalist for Community Service Team of the Year, previously doing so in 2020-21. During the 2024-25 season, the team contributed $225,000 to the Upstate community through various events, jersey auctions, and fundraisers. Helping the community heal in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the Swamp Rabbits raised $10,000 for United Way of Greenville County through their “Care As One” preseason hockey game, complimenting a full staff and team effort of making 18,000 meals with Levy Restaurants and Bon Secours Wellness Arena for community distribution. Over 750 hours of service were worked between players and staff, impacting 85 different Upstate organizations, charities, and programs. Among those impacted were “Project Search” through Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, “Dinner on Ice” with Habitat for Humanity, Teddy Bear Toss deliveries during the holidays, military support with Upstate Warrior Solution and Veterans United Home Loans, and growing the game of hockey with the youth players of the Greater Greenville Hockey Association, Carolina Rage, and the Chandler School’s Street hockey program.

The Swamp Rabbits are a finalist in back-to-back seasons for Most Creative Revenue Generation of the Year, with the team’s Postgame Concert on February 23rd, up for ECHL recognition. The postgame music festivities, anchoring the team’s Military Appreciation Weekend, featured multi-platinum recording artist Chris Janson, who jammed out on the ice at Bon Secours Wellness Arena with his major hits like “Buy Me A Boat”, “Fix A Drink”, and “Good Vibes” following the team’s 8-2 win over the Atlanta Gladiators. Fans received automatic admission to the concert with a ticket and had chances to upgrade to floor and VIP access additionally for a more unique experience.

For a third consecutive season, the Swamp Rabbits are a finalist for Ticket Department of the Year (Year Over Year Growth). This year, the Swamp Rabbits saw an increased average attendance of 582 fans per game, roughly 14% growth year over year, with promotional nights seeing an average of 509 more fans attending, approximately a 7% year over year increase. Additionally, season ticket revenue grew an astounding 32% with a total of 220 new season tickets compared to the 2023-24 campaign. The team claimed the ECHL Award in 2022. Compounding with the success of ticket sales, the Swamp Rabbits group sales department saw a 45% increase in year over year revenue, and ticket growth of 48% overall for their second straight campaign as a finalist for Group Department of the Year (Year Over Year Growth).

Tanner Babeo, who joined the Swamp Rabbits front office in May 2024, becomes the second Swamp Rabbits Account Executive to finish as a finalist for Sales Rookie of the Year. This season, he cemented himself as a valuable member of the Swamp Rabbits sales staff, selling over $250,000 in revenue across all facets of team sales while spearheading the efforts for our Organization of the Night Program, an initiative geared towards non-profit groups as an avenue to fundraise. He also sold just shy of 1,000 group tickets for the return of the Swamp Rabbits “School Day Game” on November 12th, which accounted for nearly a third of the game’s overall group total. Babeo came to the Upstate after graduating from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania last May with a degree in Sports Management, with minors in Business Administration and pre-MBA Management.

Binetti is the second to receive ECHL Broadcaster of the Year finalist recognition with the Swamp Rabbits, marking a third time in his career. Joining the team in January 2024, the 12-year veteran has been responsible for handling all game broadcasts with his partner, Matt Caldwell, through Mixlr on the team website and FloHockey. Binetti also holds various hockey operations, team services, and media obligations on the Swamp Rabbits behalf, and helped welcome in Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network as the team’s official local television partner for home game broadcasts. He has nearly 1,000 broadcasts in NCAA and professional sports and is approaching 800 regular season broadcasts in hockey with the Rapid City Rush (CHL/ECHL), Stockton Heat, Charlotte Checkers, and Ontario Reign (AHL), and Swamp Rabbits. Before starting his broadcast career, Binetti graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2010 with a degree in Biological Sciences.

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About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team have been providing family friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's LA Kings and the AHL's Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.