Lightning, Everblades forced to split

An ECHL vote has led to the Florida Everblades ending their affiliation with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Everblades president and general manager Craig Brush said league owners voted unanimously to have single affiliation. The Everblades now will affiliate solely with just the Carolina Hurricanes.

“They wanted to give an opportunity for all 28 teams now to have an affiliation,” Brush said.

Brush said he expects more players to be assigned by Carolina but he doesn’t have an exact number.