Athletic Trainers, Equipment Managers named for Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The ECHL announced on Friday that Thomas Gillespie of the Idaho Steelheads has been named the athletic trainer and Skylar Garver of the Fort Wayne Komets has been named the equipment manager 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.

Ghost Pirates head athletic trainer Dillon Campbell and equipment manager Justin Sommer will also work the 2024 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic.

Campbell, 27, is the current athletic training program director for the Savannah Ghost Pirates and Optim Orthopedics. Before his time in Savannah, the Denver, CO, native served as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) and Amarillo Bulls (NAHL), as well as previously working at Colorado College as their Campus Recreation Athletic Trainer. In addition to being an athletic trainer, Dillon is an emergency medical technician and has previously worked for Stadium Medical and the City of Oxford Fire Department in that capacity.

Sommer, 26, is in his first season as the head equipment manager for the Savannah Ghost Pirates. The Olalla, WA, native previously worked at the College of the Holy Cross in the same capacity. Sommer attended college at Keene State and Merrimack. He first worked in pro shops repairing and fitting gear while playing in the EHL with the Walpole Express. 

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.

Gillespie, who is in his 10th season with Idaho, is employed through the St. Luke’s Health System as the Steelheads head athletic trainer. He previously worked as the Rehabilitation Coordinator at a chiropractic clinic in Tampa, Florida before joining the Steelheads in 2013. A Georgia native, Gillespie received his Bachelor’s Degree in Athletic Training from Appalachian State University in 2005 and his Master’s Degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology from UNC-Charlotte in 2007.

A Fort Wayne native, Garver grew up in Stephens City, Virginia, and began playing hockey at the age of four. His family owned the Roller Dome in Fort Wayne where he learned to skate. Garver began working in a pro shop while in college and spent one season as an equipment manager at Indiana Tech University, where he was part of an NAIA National Championship in 2019. He joined the Komets as assistant equipment manager in 2019-20, and took over the head role the following season when the Komets captured the Kelly Cup title.

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!

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