Broadcasters named for 2024 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Gulfstream

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The ECHL announced on Friday that Arley Johnson of the Jacksonville Icemen, Cam McGuire of the Idaho Steelheads and Cristiano Simonetta of the Savannah Ghost Pirates will serve as the broadcasters for the 2024 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Gulfstream, on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia. The game will air LIVE exclusively on NHL Network and be streamed via FloHockey. Local channel listings are available at  NHL Network.com.

In this year’s All-Star event, the host Savannah Ghost Pirates will take on a team of ECHL All-Stars representing the other teams in the League, as well as feature several Skills events which will count as a goal towards the winning Player’s team score. The 2024 ECHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place between periods of the game, with results counting towards the cumulative score. The first two periods of the game will be 5-on-5 while the final period will consist of 3-on-3.

Johnson has been the voice for Icemen home games since their inception in 2017, and has called Jacksonville home since 2003. He boasts 17 seasons of experience and has broadcast over 750 hockey games. His first stop in the ECHL was in 1995 with the Mobile Mysticks. He has also spent time with the Greensboro Generals in the ECHL, along with the Macon Whoopee and Nashville NightHawks in the Central Hockey League and the New Haven Knights in the United Hockey League. Johnson is originally from Barrington, Rhode Island and is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

McGuire is in his second season with Idaho, and fifth overall in the ECHL after spending the three previous seasons with the Worcester Railers. He is the team’s lead play-by-announcer for all games, with home games being simulcast on KTVB Channel 7.2 and KTIK 95.3 FM and 1350 AM The Ticket. McGuire also hosts the Steelheads Hockey Show on KTIK every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the season. He was named the ECHL Broadcaster of the Year in 2021-22 and received the Joe Babik Award as ECHL Media/PR Director of the Year in 2022-23. McGuire is a 2019 graduate of Lake Forest College with a degree in communications and business.

Simonetta is in his second season as the play-by-play voice for Savannah. The Carol Stream, Illinois native helped broadcast the 2023 Rookie Faceoff in Las Vegas this summer and was a finalist for the ECHL Broadcaster of the Year Award following the 2022-23 season. Before joining the Ghost Pirates, Simonetta spent three years with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League and he previously worked with The Athletic during the 2018-19 season. Simonetta graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Serving as the start of the All-Star festivities, the Savannah Ghost Pirates will also be hosting Fan Fest on Sunday, January 14 at Enmarket Arena. Fan Fest will feature live music, interactive games, player autographs, giveaways and an exclusive area dedicated to the Hockey Hall of Fame featuring some of hockey’s most famed memorabilia exhibits and trophies including the Stanley Cup®. CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets for Fan Fest. 

The 16th class of the ECHL Hall of Fame will be officially inducted at a luncheon, presented by BFL CANADA and Sutton Special Risk, on Monday, January 15 at 12:00 p.m. at the Savannah Convention Center. Tickets for the luncheon are available for $75 per person and include a plated lunch in conjunction with the ECHL Hall of Fame ceremony.

The 2024 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Gulfstream will take place on Monday, January 15, 2024, at Enmarket Arena. CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets today!

About the ECHL

Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces for its 36th season in 2023-24. There have been 744 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including four who have made their NHL debuts in the 2023-24 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 28 of the 32 NHL teams in 2023-24, marking the 27th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com.