(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and AHL’s Ontario Reign, announced today via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that the team has acquired 2023 ECHL Most Valuable Player Hank Crone from the Allen Americans in exchange for future considerations.

Crone comes to the Swamp Rabbits after beginning the season with the Allen Americans, where he has spent the vast majority of his career. The 5’10”, 185-pound forward has three assists in four games. Last season, the Swamp Rabbits acquired his rights and dealt him to Allen for Carter Savoie, and in his second stint in Texas, he compiled 50 points in 63 games and an additional assist in three Kelly Cup Playoff games, ending with a finish in the Mountain Division Finals against the eventual Kelly Cup runner-up Kansas City Mavericks.

In coming to Greenville, Crone reunites with Head Coach/General Manager Chad Costello, teaming up for two seasons prior with the Americans. As a rookie in the 2022-23 season, Crone put the ECHL on notice, leading all skaters with 49 goals and 105 points, becoming the first player in the ECHL since Costello’s third straight campaign in 2016-17 to register 100+ points in a season. For his efforts, he captured ECHL All-Rookie Team and First All-Star Team recognitions and won both the John Daley Award as ECHL Rookie of the Year alongside ECHL MVP Honors. In both seasons under Costello’s guidance, Crone earned 160 points (66g-94ast) in 109 games.

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Crone, 28, is in the early stages of his fifth professional season, where he’s cemented himself as one of the most consistent offensive threats in the entire ECHL. As a member of the Idaho Steelheads, Norfolk Admirals, and two stints with the Americans, he’s logged totals of 98 goals, 179 assists, and 277 points in 231 contests, averaging 1.20 points-per-game. He has additionally been credited with five appearances in the AHL, earning a pair of assists while with the Ontario Reign and Chicago Wolves. Before turning professional, Crone played four seasons of NCAA college hockey with Northern Michigan University, the University of Denver, and Boston University, and preceded his college career with four USHL seasons as a member of the Fargo Force and Omaha Lancers.

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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.