In a way, gaming equipment provider AGS and the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights have a similar storyline.

Neither the manufacturer nor the hockey team was given much of a chance to succeed.

So a multi-year corporate partnership agreement between the gaming company and the hockey team – which will land AGS’s presence in front of 17,000-plus screaming hockey fans during 44 preseason and regular season games inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena – seems like a logical step.

The deal is the first between a manufacturer of electronic gaming machines, table games and other gambling products, and the Golden Knights, which has signed marketing deals with other gaming-oriented businesses.

“There is kind of a natural link between the two organizations,” said Jim Frevola, senior vice president and chief sales officer for the Golden Knights. “We both have defied the odds.”

The Golden Knights story is well-documented. In its inaugural season, the expansion team won both the Pacific Division and Western Conference titles and reached the Stanley Cup Finals, ultimately falling four games to one to the Washington Capitals.

As for AGS, the manufacturer had its initial public stock offering in January and has since seen its price per share double in value. The company has taken market share away from the major slot machine providers and has quickly found new growth opportunities.

“We’re the new kids on the block and we weren’t supposed to compete right away,” said AGS Chief Marketing Officer Julia Boguslawski. “But, like the Golden Knights, we’ve exceeded expectations.”

AGS stock closed at $29.82 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.

The corporate partnership will include community outreach and employee engagement programs. But the major feature will be the “AGS Play of the Game” at every Golden Knights home game. Centered on the T-Mobile Arena jumbotron, the “AGS Play of the Game” will replay and highlight a key moment from the game.

AGS and the Golden Knights will roll out the partnership during the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Oct. 9-11, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. AGS will host appearances at G2E by the Knights’ team ambassadors, the Golden Aces, and the team’s mascot, Chance the Gila monster, along with other hockey-themed promotions and events.

AGS will also have a Vegas Golden Knights promotional-use slot machine on the company’s large-format cabinet in its G2E booth.

Boguslawski said the focus of the partnership initially has been on AGS’s 130 corporate employees in the company’s Las Vegas headquarters, many of whom are Golden Knights fans. AGS CEO David Lopez said in a statement that the partnership also sends a similar message to the major casino operators, the company’s corporate customers.

“AGS employees have been huge Golden Knights fans from the team’s inception, and we are excited to take our support and love for this team to another level as corporate partners,” Lopez said.

Frevola said the nationwide legalization of sports betting opened doors to gaming industry partnerships for the Golden Knights and other sports teams. In Las Vegas, he said, the goal is to partner with companies that embrace the community, like the Golden Knights’ efforts in Las Vegas.

Stifel Nicolaus gaming analyst Brad Boyer – himself an avid hockey fan – praised the corporate partnership as a way of building the gaming company’s image in Las Vegas.

“Although AGS has had a ton of success of late and received a number of business/employer accolades, the company is still a relative unknown in the Las Vegas Valley,” Boyer said. “The partnership should help with new employee recruitment.”

Boyer also thought there could be collaboration opportunities between AGS and the Golden Knights.

Since going public, AGS has grown its ship share to roughly 5 percent of all casino floors. In a Sept. 17 research report, Boyer wrote than AGS has the best growth opportunities of any gaming equipment provider.

“Although an emerging growth story is certainly not unique within the gaming equipment supplier industry’s history, we do not believe any of those that came before AGS boasted a growth pipeline supported by such a diverse array of initiatives,” Boyer wrote to investors.

Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.

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