The 2018 Kelly Cup playoffs of the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
began in April 2018 following the conclusion of the
2017–18 ECHL regular season. The
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...
was won by the
Colorado Eagles
The Colorado Eagles are a professional 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 Hockey League and ...
, in their last season in the ECHL before joining the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
, in seven games over the regular season champions, the
Florida Everblades
The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliat ...
.
Playoff format
At the end of the regular season the top four teams in each division qualifies for the 2018 Kelly Cup playoffs and be seeded one through four based on highest point total earned in the season. Then the first two rounds of the playoffs are held within the division with the first seed facing the fourth seed and the second seed facing the third. The division champions then play each other in a conference championship. The Kelly Cup finals pits the Eastern Conference champion against the Western Conference champion. All four rounds are a best-of-seven format.
Playoff seeds
After the regular season, 16 teams qualify for the playoffs. The Florida Everblades were the first team to qualify during the regular season on February 28. The Everblades were the Eastern Conference regular season champions and clinched the
Brabham Cup
The Henry Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded annually by the ECHL to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. The Brabham Cup has been awarded 34 times to 16 different franchises since its debut in 1989. ...
with the best record in the ECHL on April 5. The Toledo Walleye earned the top seed in the Western Conference.
''Final seeds''
Eastern Conference
North Division
#
Adirondack Thunder
The Adirondack Thunder are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2015–16 season. The team is based in Glens Falls, New York, and affiliated with the NHL's New Jersey Devils and AHL's Utica Comets. The Thunder play t ...
– Division champions, 89 pts
#
Manchester Monarchs Manchester Monarchs may refer to:
*Manchester Monarchs (AHL) (2001–2015)
*Manchester Monarchs (ECHL)
The Manchester Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL which began play in the 2015–16 ECHL season, 2015–16 season. Bas ...
– 88 pts
#
Reading Royals
The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the North Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Santander Arena located in downtown R ...
– 87 pts
#
Worcester Railers
The Worcester Railers (also called Worcester Railers HC) are a professional ice hockey team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. The team began play in the 2017–18 ECHL season, and is a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of t ...
– 82 pts
South Division
#
Florida Everblades
The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliat ...
–
Brabham Cup
The Henry Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded annually by the ECHL to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. The Brabham Cup has been awarded 34 times to 16 different franchises since its debut in 1989. ...
winners, division champions, 112 pts
#
South Carolina Stingrays
The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston ...
– 104 pts
#
Orlando Solar Bears
The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at Kia Center (formerly Amway Center) in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa ...
– 75 pts
#
Atlanta Gladiators
The Atlanta Gladiators are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Duluth, Georgia. The Gladiators play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at Gas South Arena, approximately northeast ...
– 69 pts
Western Conference
Central Division
#
Toledo Walleye
The Toledo Walleye are a professional ice hockey team based in Toledo, Ohio. The Walleye are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL. The Walleye were founded in 1991 as the Toledo Storm and play their home games ...
– Division champions, 105 pts
#
Fort Wayne Komets
The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team, which currently plays in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Orig ...
– 98 pts
#
Cincinnati Cyclones
The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at Heri ...
– 81 pts
#
Indy Fuel
The Indy Fuel are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2014–15 season. Based in Fishers, Indiana, the Fuel play their home games at the Fishers Event Center, after having started play at the Indiana Farmers ...
– 78 pts
Mountain Division
#
Colorado Eagles
The Colorado Eagles are a professional 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 Hockey League and ...
– Division champions, 102 pts
#
Idaho Steelheads
The Idaho Steelheads are an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Boise, Idaho, and a member of the ECHL. The Steelheads play in the Mountain Division of the ECHL's Western Conference since the 2016–17 season.
In 1996, t ...
– 96 pts
#
Allen Americans
The Allen Americans are a professional ice hockey team headquartered at the Allen Event Center, Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, which currently plays in the ECHL. The team was founded in 2009–10 CHL season, 2009 in the Centr ...
– 78 pts
#
Wichita Thunder
The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009, the Thunder played in ...
– 76 pts
Playoff bracket
Division semifinals
North Division
(1) Adirondack Thunder vs. (4) Worcester Railers
(2) Manchester Monarchs vs. (3) Reading Royals
South Division
(1) Florida Everblades vs. (4) Atlanta Gladiators
(2) South Carolina Stingrays vs. (3) Orlando Solar Bears
Central Division
(1) Toledo Walleye vs. (4) Indy Fuel
(2) Fort Wayne Komets vs. (3) Cincinnati Cyclones
Mountain Division
(1) Colorado Eagles vs. (4) Wichita Thunder
(2) Idaho Steelheads vs. (3) Allen Americans
Division finals
North Division
(N1) Adirondack Thunder vs. (N2) Manchester Monarchs
South Division
(S1) Florida Everblades vs. (S3) Orlando Solar Bears
Central Division
(C1) Toledo Walleye vs. (C2) Fort Wayne Komets
Mountain Division
(M1) Colorado Eagles vs. (M2) Idaho Steelheads
Conference finals
Eastern Conference
(S1) Florida Everblades vs. (N1) Adirondack Thunder
Western Conference
(M1) Colorado Eagles vs. (C2) Fort Wayne Komets
Kelly Cup finals
(S1) Florida Everblades vs. (M1) Colorado Eagles
Statistical leaders
Skaters
These are the top ten skaters based on points.
''GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes''
Goaltending
This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on
goals against average
Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...
and the top five goaltenders based on
save percentage
Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various Goal (sports), goal-scoring sports that track Save (goaltender), saves as a statistic.
In ice hockey and lacrosse and association football, it is a sta ...
, with at least 240 minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded.
See also
*
2017–18 ECHL season
*
List of ECHL seasons
This is a list of season (sport), seasons of the ECHL since its inception:
Notes
References
External links ECHL official website
{{Authority control
ECHL seasons, *list ...
References
External links
ECHL website
{{ECHL
Kelly Cup playoffs
2017–18 ECHL season