Admirals Name Joe Gregory Executive Vice President
 
NORFOLK, VA – Norfolk Admirals President Ken Young announced today that Joe Gregory has been named the team's Executive Vice President. Gregory will officially join the Admirals on July 7.
 
As Executive Vice President, Gregory will oversee the day-to-day business operations of the Admirals. He will also serve on the American Hockey League (AHL) Board of Governors.
 
Gregory had served as General Manager of the Youngstown SteelHounds since 2006, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Central Hockey League (CHL) team. During his tenure with the team, the SteelHounds' season ticket base increased by 70%. In addition, Gregory negotiated the team's first National Hockey League (NHL) affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2006-07. Youngstown was one of only three clubs in the 17-team CHL to have a NHL affiliation in 2007-08.
 
 "We are delighted that Joe will be joining us in early July," said Young. "Joe's enthusiasm and background in the hockey business will be excellent for the Admirals as we look forward to the team's twentieth anniversary season."
 
"I am very excited to be joining the Admirals," Gregory said. "While I am not a native of Virginia, I have vacationed at Sandbridge since I was two years old. I am familiar both with the area and with the impeccable reputation of the Admirals and Ken Young. I look forward to carrying on the Admirals tradition of excellence that has been built over nearly 20 years and to becoming an active member of the Hampton Roads community."
 
A native of Boardman, Ohio, Gregory graduated in 2001 from Youngstown State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. His career began as the Coordinator of Tournament Operations and the Coordinator of Sales and Marketing for the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic in Vienna, Ohio.
 
In late 2003, Gregory became Director of Business Development for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a Short-Season Class-A baseball team affiliated with the Cleveland Indians. There, he oversaw all sponsorship and advertising sales and cultivated community relationships. The Scrappers won the 2004 NY-Penn League Championship. When he became General Manager of the SteelHounds in March 2006, Gregory was the youngest general manager in the CHL and one of the youngest in all of minor professional hockey at age 26.
 
"I would like to thank Herb Washington [the owner of the SteelHounds] and my staff here in Youngstown," Gregory said. "They are the people that helped me get to this point. I would also like to thank my family for their invaluable support. I could not have done this without them."
 
The Norfolk Admirals have been members of the American Hockey League since the 2000-01 season and have been the top minor league affiliate of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning since the 2007-08 season. Prior to joining the AHL, the Hampton Roads Admirals were members of the ECHL from 1989-2000, winning three championships.
 
In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 84 percent of today's NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and this season marked the seventh consecutive year in which more than six million fans attended AHL games across North America.