NORFOLK, Va. - While the coronavirus pandemic stopped the Norfolk Admirals 2019-20 season from being completed and the upcoming season from starting on time, it didn't prevent Ryan McGinnis from progressing in his career with the Admirals.
McGinnis was named the General Manager of the Admirals on Tuesday, and at 33 years old, it makes him the youngest GM in the ECHL. He was with the team last season as an assistant coach, a role he'll continue to hold in addition to GM.
"It grew organically for me. Nothing was forced," McGinnis said about his transition from hockey player to coach and front office staff member. "Just because I played hockey didn't mean I was gonna try to prolong my hockey career, if you will. When my playing career was over I took about a year off and kind of naturally found myself back into hockey.
"Last place, our attendance has been low over the years, why is this so appealing? I view it in a way that, if you can do something here, you can really do something and be proud of it. With the attendance, with the building relationships, and building a better team and building a different culture, if you can change that, how neat."
The Admirals should be in the midst of training camp, preparing for a season that starts in mid-October. Because of the pandemic, the upcoming season has been postponed.
The ECHL announced a target date of December 4th for the start of the season, but that date could change based on the state of the pandemic. Schedules have not been released and training camp dates have not been decided.
