The Henderson Silver Knights are a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

team based in

Henderson, Nevada Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 320,189 in 2019. The city is part of the Las Vegas Val ...

, that began play in the 2020–21

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

(AHL) season. The team plays its home games at the

Dollar Loan Center The Dollar Loan Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Henderson, Nevada. Built on the site of the former Henderson Pavilion, it is the home of the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League, the Vegas Knight Hawks of the In ...

. The team is an owned-and-operated affiliate of the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...

History

The franchise began in 1971 as the Tidewater/Virginia Wings in the

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

of the greater

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic ...

area. The team played in Virginia as an owned and operated affiliate of the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...

until 1975 where after a two year suspension they moved to

Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls is a City (New York), city in Warren County, New York, Warren County, New York, United States and is the central city of the Glens Falls, New York metropolitan area, Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,7 ...

as the

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Nation ...

. In 1999, the Red Wings suspended operations of the team. The franchise remained dormant until 2002, when it was purchased by the ownership of the NBA's

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

and resurrected as the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was s ...

. The team then spent the next eighteen years in San Antonio. On February 6, 2020, the

announced it had purchased the franchise from the Spurs with the intent to relocate it to the

Las Vegas area The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area is ...

. The purchase and relocation was approved by the league on February 28. The team was announced to initially play at the

Orleans Arena Orleans Arena is a 9,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Paradise, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. It is located at the Orleans Hotel and Casino and is operated by Coast Casinos, a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming Corporation. The arena is the home t ...

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the f ...

, while the club's new 6,000-seat arena is constructed at the site of the

Henderson Pavilion The Henderson Pavilion was an amphitheater in Henderson, Nevada used primarily for music performances. The Henderson Pavilion was known for its canopy style roof. This allowed for the feeling of both being inside and outdoors at the same time ...

. On May 28, 2020, the

announced that the team will be called the Henderson Silver Knights. The team is named for Nevada's nickname "The Silver State" and adopted the slogan "Home Means Henderson," inspired by the Nevada state song "Home Means Nevada." On August 31, 2020,

Emanuel Viveiros Emanuel "Manny" Viveiros (born January 8, 1966) is a Canadian-Austrian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Vivieros is currently the head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League. He is former head coach o ...

was announced as the club's initial head coach. The start of the Silver Knights' inaugural season was delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. On February 5, 2021, the team named Patrick Brown as their first captain a day before their inaugural game of the

2020–21 AHL season The 2020–21 AHL season was the 85th season of the American Hockey League. Due to the ongoing restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season was pushed back to February 5, 2021, and the league championship Calder Cup was n ...

. The Silver Knights finished their first regular season earning the top seed in the Pacific Division. The Pacific Division was the only division in the AHL that chose to have a postseason, and the teams had a playoff for the

John D. Chick Trophy The John D. Chick Trophy is presented annually to the American Hockey League team that has the best record in the Pacific Division. The award is named after John Chick, who served as vice president and treasurer of the American Hockey League. Pr ...

and division title. As the top seed, the team earned a bye to the semifinals, where they swept the

San Jose Barracuda The San Jose Barracuda are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. The team will play at Tech CU Arena beginning in the 2022-23 season. The Barracuda is a relocation of the ...

in two games before losing the division championship to the second seeded

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned by and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their hom ...

in three games. When the 2021–22 season schedule was released, it was revealed the Silver Knights would begin play in Henderson earlier than expected with the first home game at the new

to take place on April 2, 2022. In the 2022 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs, The Silver Knights lost in the 1st round to the

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hoc ...

In a 2-0 series sweep.

Season-by-season records

Players

Current roster

Updated December 23, 2022.

Team captains

* Patrick Brown, 2020–21 * Ryan Murphy, 2021–22 * Brayden Pachal, 2022–present

References

External links

* {{Navboxes, list= {{Vegas Golden Knights {{AHL {{Nevada sports {{Sports in Las Vegas Henderson Silver Knights Sports teams in Las Vegas Ice hockey clubs established in 2020 Ice hockey teams in Nevada 2020 establishments in Nevada Vegas Golden Knights minor league affiliates