ECHL facts for kids
Current season or competition: 2025–26 ECHL season |
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| Countries | United States (28 teams) Canada (1 team) |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Ryan Crelin |
| Commissioner Emeritus | Patrick J. Kelly |
| First season | 1988–89 |
| No. of teams | 30 |
| Feeder to | AHL, NHL |
| Championship | Kelly Cup |
| Recent Champions | Trois-Rivières Lions (2025) |
| Most successful club | Florida Everblades (4) |
| Headquarters | Shrewsbury, New Jersey |
The ECHL is a professional ice hockey league in North America. It used to be called the East Coast Hockey League. The league has teams in the United States and Canada.
The ECHL is a step below the American Hockey League (AHL). It is also a "farm system" for the AHL and the National Hockey League (NHL). This means players often start in the ECHL. They can then move up to the AHL or even the NHL.
The ECHL and AHL are the only minor leagues officially recognized by the NHL. This means players with entry-level NHL contracts must play in either the ECHL or AHL. Many players have played in the ECHL before making it to the NHL. Over 739 players have done this.
As of the 2024–25 season, most NHL teams have a partnership with an ECHL team. Only two NHL teams do not have a direct ECHL partner. Sometimes, NHL teams lend players to ECHL teams to help them develop.
The ECHL regular season usually runs from October to April. After that, teams compete in the Kelly Cup playoffs. The Trois-Rivières Lions won the most recent championship in 2025.
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History of the ECHL
The ECHL started playing in 1988. It was created by Henry Brabham, an oil man from Virginia. The league combined teams from two older leagues. It began with five teams. These teams were the Carolina Thunderbirds, Erie Panthers, Johnstown Chiefs, Knoxville Cherokees, and Virginia Lancers.
In 2003, another league called the West Coast Hockey League closed down. Seven of its teams joined the ECHL. This made the ECHL a truly nationwide league. Because of this, the league changed its name. On May 19, 2003, it officially became known as the ECHL. It was no longer just the "East Coast" Hockey League.
The ECHL has tried to use technology to connect with fans. They improved their website and offered internet radio for games. Fans could also watch games online. In 2008, they even launched a special toolbar for web browsers. This gave fans quick access to scores and news.
In 2010, the league changed the names of its conferences and divisions. The American Conference became the Eastern Conference. The National Conference became the Western Conference. Divisions also got new names like Atlantic and Mountain.
The league grew in 2011-12. Two new teams joined, including the Colorado Eagles. The league had 20 teams that season. More teams joined in the following years. In 2014, seven teams from the Central Hockey League joined the ECHL. This brought the league to 28 teams. It also brought a Canadian team back to the league.
In 2015, the AHL created a new division in California. This caused three ECHL teams in California to move to new cities. For example, the Bakersfield Condors moved to Norfolk, Virginia. The ECHL continued to expand into new markets.
Two new teams joined for the 2021–22 season. These were the Iowa Heartlanders and the Trois-Rivières Lions. This brought the league to 27 teams. The Savannah Ghost Pirates joined in 2022, making it 28 teams.
For the 2024–25 season, two more teams were added. These were the Tahoe Knight Monsters and the Bloomington Bison. This brought the league to 30 teams. However, the Newfoundland Growlers team stopped playing in April 2024. This brought the total down to 29 teams. The league plans to grow to 32 teams in the future.
In October 2024, the league announced a new team for Greensboro, North Carolina. This team, the Greensboro Gargoyles, will start playing in the 2025–26 season. Another new team for New Mexico was announced in May 2025. It will start playing in the 2026–27 season.
ECHL Teams
Here are the teams, their locations, and their NHL and AHL partners for the 2024–25 season.
| Conference | Division | Team | City | Arena | Founded | Joined | Head coach | NHL affiliate | AHL affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | North | Adirondack Thunder | Glens Falls, New York | Harding Mazzotti Arena | 1990* | Sylvain Cloutier | New Jersey Devils | Utica Comets | |
| Maine Mariners | Portland, Maine | Cross Insurance Arena | 1989* | 2003 | Rick Kowalsky | Boston Bruins | Providence Bruins | ||
| Norfolk Admirals | Norfolk, Virginia | Norfolk Scope | 1995* | 2003 | Jeff Carr | Winnipeg Jets | Manitoba Moose | ||
| Reading Royals | Reading, Pennsylvania | Santander Arena | 1991* | Anthony Peters | Philadelphia Flyers | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | |||
| Trois-Rivières Lions | Trois-Rivières, Quebec | Colisée Vidéotron | 2021 | Ron Choules | Montreal Canadiens | Laval Rocket | |||
| Wheeling Nailers | Wheeling, West Virginia | WesBanco Arena | 1981* | 1988 | Derek Army | Pittsburgh Penguins | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | ||
| Worcester Railers | Worcester, Massachusetts | DCU Center | 2017 | Nick Tuzzolino | New York Islanders | Bridgeport Islanders | |||
| South | Atlanta Gladiators | Duluth, Georgia | Gas South Arena | 1995* | Matt Ginn | Nashville Predators | Milwaukee Admirals | ||
| Florida Everblades | Estero, Florida | Hertz Arena | 1998 | Brad Ralph | St. Louis Blues | Springfield Thunderbirds | |||
| Greenville Swamp Rabbits | Greenville, South Carolina | Bon Secours Wellness Arena | 1987* | 1988 | Kyle Mountain | Los Angeles Kings | Ontario Reign | ||
| Jacksonville Icemen | Jacksonville, Florida | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena | 1992* | 2012 | Sean Teakle | Buffalo Sabres | Rochester Americans | ||
| Orlando Solar Bears | Orlando, Florida | Kia Center | 2012 | Matt Macdonald | Tampa Bay Lightning | Syracuse Crunch | |||
| Savannah Ghost Pirates | Savannah, Georgia | Enmarket Arena | 2022 | Jared Staal | Florida Panthers | Charlotte Checkers | |||
| South Carolina Stingrays | North Charleston, South Carolina | North Charleston Coliseum | 1993 | Jared Nightingale | Washington Capitals | Hershey Bears | |||
| Western | Central | Bloomington Bison | Bloomington, Illinois | Grossinger Motors Arena | 2024 | Phillip Barski | New York Rangers | Hartford Wolf Pack | |
| Cincinnati Cyclones | Cincinnati, Ohio | Heritage Bank Center | 1995* | Riley Weselowski | Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto Marlies | |||
| Fort Wayne Komets | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | 1985* | 2012 | Jesse Kallechy | Edmonton Oilers | Bakersfield Condors | ||
| Indy Fuel | Fishers, Indiana | Fishers Event Center | 2014 | Duncan Dalmao | Chicago Blackhawks | Rockford IceHogs | |||
| Iowa Heartlanders | Coralville, Iowa | Xtream Arena | 2021 | Chuck Weber | Minnesota Wild | Iowa Wild | |||
| Kalamazoo Wings | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Wings Event Center | 1999* | 2009 | Joel Martin | Vancouver Canucks | Abbotsford Canucks | ||
| Toledo Walleye | Toledo, Ohio | Huntington Center | 1991 | Pat Mikesch | Detroit Red Wings | Grand Rapids Griffins | |||
| Mountain | Allen Americans | Allen, Texas | Credit Union of Texas Event Center | 2009 | 2014 | Steve Martinson | Utah Mammoth | Tucson Roadrunners | |
| Idaho Steelheads | Boise, Idaho | Idaho Central Arena | 1997 | 2003 | Everett Sheen | Dallas Stars | Texas Stars | ||
| Kansas City Mavericks | Independence, Missouri | Cable Dahmer Arena | 2009 | 2014 | Tad O'Had | Seattle Kraken | Coachella Valley Firebirds | ||
| Rapid City Rush | Rapid City, South Dakota | The Monument | 2008 | 2014 | Dave Smith | Calgary Flames | Calgary Wranglers | ||
| Tahoe Knight Monsters | Stateline, Nevada | Tahoe Blue Event Center | 2024 | Alex Loh | Vegas Golden Knights | Henderson Silver Knights | |||
| Tulsa Oilers | Tulsa, Oklahoma | BOK Center | 1992 | 2014 | Rob Murray | Anaheim Ducks | San Diego Gulls | ||
| Utah Grizzlies | West Valley City, Utah | Maverik Center | 1981* | 1988 | John Becanic | Colorado Avalanche | Colorado Eagles | ||
| Wichita Thunder | Wichita, Kansas | Intrust Bank Arena | 1992 | 2014 | Bruce Ramsay | San Jose Sharks | San Jose Barracuda | ||
Future ECHL Teams
| Team | City | Arena | Founded | Joining | Head coach | NHL affiliate | AHL affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greensboro Gargoyles | Greensboro, North Carolina | First Horizon Coliseum | 2024 | 2025 | Scott Burt | Carolina Hurricanes | Chicago Wolves |
| New Mexico | Rio Rancho, New Mexico | Rio Rancho Events Center | 2025 | 2026 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
The ECHL wants to grow to 32 teams. This would match the number of teams in the NHL and AHL.
Teams That Left or Moved
Many teams have joined and left the ECHL over the years. Teams usually leave because of money problems or other issues. The Johnstown Chiefs were the last original team to stay in their first city. They moved to Greenville, South Carolina, in 2010.
Sometimes, ECHL teams are replaced by AHL teams in the same city. For example, the Greensboro Monarchs ECHL team was replaced by an AHL team in 1995. In 2015, three California ECHL teams moved. This happened when the AHL created a new division in California.
Kelly Cup Playoff Rules
The Kelly Cup is the championship trophy for the ECHL. The playoff format has changed over the years.
For the 2012–13 season, eight teams from each conference made the playoffs. Division winners were top seeds. All playoff rounds were best-of-seven series. This means a team had to win four games to advance.
In the 2014–15 season, the top four teams in each division made the playoffs. The first two rounds were played within the divisions.
For the 2015–16 season, the playoffs changed again. The top team in each of the six divisions qualified. Then, the next five teams with the most points in each conference also made it. All rounds were still best-of-seven.
The league went back to four divisions for the 2016–17 season. The top four teams in each division qualified. They played within their division for the first two rounds. After that, the winners played in the conference finals. The final two teams then played for the Kelly Cup.
ECHL Hall of Fame
The ECHL started its Hall of Fame in 2008. This was to celebrate the league's 20th year. It honors players, coaches, and other people who have made a big impact on the league.
See also
- Kelly Cup
- ECHL All-Star Game
