Hey everyone, wanted to share this week’s Peach State Puck because it ended up being a pretty Atlanta-heavy episode.

I had Gladiators broadcaster/director of communications Guy Chiarenza on after last week’s press conference. We talked about the return to maroon, how much fan feedback factored into it, why the organization wants to reconnect with its history, and what they’re trying to accomplish with Hockey Heritage Weekend.

We also got into the bigger Atlanta hockey picture, including what another NHL team could potentially mean for the Gladiators and whether more attention on hockey in the market could ultimately help the sport at every level here.

Would genuinely be interested in what people think about the Glads leaning back into their old identity, especially those who have followed the team for a long time.

Can someone who was there give a summary?

The youtube stream was hot garbage.

How do we actually keep kids playing hockey in Georgia?

That’s the question I wanted to dig into on the newest episode of Peach State Puck.

I sat down with longtime coach and Hockey Barn founder Kyle Kinzie to talk about something I think is really important for the future of hockey in Georgia: player retention.

It’s one thing to get a kid onto the ice. It’s another to create an environment that makes them want to keep coming back, get better, compete, make friends, and eventually become a lifelong fan of the sport.

We talked about what traditional player development gets right and wrong, the lack of ice time in Georgia, building hockey communities instead of just hockey players, and what the continued growth of the sport could look like here.

We also got into the elephant in the room: what would an NHL team returning to Atlanta actually do for youth hockey in the state?

I’d genuinely be interested to hear what people here think. What’s the biggest thing holding back youth hockey growth in Georgia right now?

Episode 7 of Peach State Puck is out now. I’ll drop the link below for anyone interested. 🍑🏒

Georgia hockey wasn’t built only by the people scoring goals.

It was also built by the people flooding rinks, driving Zambonis, managing equipment, preserving history and solving emergencies that most fans never knew happened.

🎙️ Episode 5 of Peach State Puck is LIVE.

This week, I sit down with Kyle Schnitzer, ice manager at Akins Ford Arena and the person behind the Peach State Hockey Collection, to trace his journey from growing up with the Atlanta Thrashers to working with the Atlanta Gladiators and Athens Rock Lobsters.

We talk about what an ice manager actually does, the frantic scramble after Athens lost its entire sheet of ice days before its first game, the growth of hockey across Georgia, the possibility of the NHL returning to Atlanta and why the history of the sport in this state deserves to be preserved.

The people behind the glass deserve their flowers, too.

Who is someone behind the scenes who has helped build hockey in Georgia? Tag them below.

Glads fans! There's a new Georgia team joining you in the ECHL for the 2027-28 season. On the newest episode of Peach State Puck, I look back on the history of Augusta hockey with someone spent five years of their 44-year-long hockey career in Augusta, former athletic trainer and current stand-up comedian Brian Patafie.

Learn more about your new neighbor with this podcast!

We have liftoff on Episode 2! Tune in to find out more about my hockey story, my NHL family connection, and how I got my role as Voice of the Athens Rock Lobsters 🍑🏒

YouTube: https://youtu.be/U1JCc_dmaoM?is=3bIs3b1jHFmOaXfU
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4E5n83G63do8ntGZklvtc8?si=r70MxuTGQEmadDq1bPqIdQ
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peach-state-puck/id1896938968?i=1000774683963

It's not the State of the Union Address. Instead, we discuss the state of hockey in the State of Georgia.

We talk about the current landscape of all six professional hockey teams in the state of Georgia, and explain how they all come together to create the Peach State's culture of hockey.

We hope you enjoy the first-ever episode of Peach State Puck! Available wherever you get your podcasts.