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 league serves as a farm system to the AHL and National Hockey League (NHL).

The ECHL and the AHL are the only minor leagues recognized by the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), meaning any player signed to an entry-level NHL contract and designated for assignment must report to a club in either the ECHL or the AHL. Additionally, the league's players are represented by the Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA) in negotiations with the ECHL itself. At least 739 players have played at least one game in the NHL after appearing in the ECHL.

As of the 2024–25 season, 30 of the 32 NHL teams held affiliations with an ECHL team, with only the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators having no such franchise affiliation. NHL teams sometimes lend contracted players to ECHL teams with which they have no affiliation agreements for development and increased playing time.

The league's regular season typically begins in October and ends in April, followed by the Kelly Cup playoffs. The most recent playoff champions are the Trois-Rivières Lions in 2025.

History

The league, formed by Vinton, Virginia oil man, Henry Brabham, and for whom the regular season championship trophy, the Brabham Cup, was named, combined teams from the defunct Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) and All-American Hockey League (AAHL), began to play as the East Coast Hockey League in 1988 with five teams – the (Winston-Salem, North) Carolina Thunderbirds (now the Wheeling Nailers); the Erie Panthers (folded in 2011 as the Victoria Salmon Kings); the Johnstown Chiefs (now the Greenville Swamp Rabbits); the Knoxville Cherokees (ceased operations as the Pee Dee Pride in 2005; folded in 2009 following failed relocation efforts); and the Virginia Lancers (now the Utah Grizzlies).

In 2003, the West Coast Hockey League ceased operations, and the ECHL board of governors approved membership applications from the Anchorage/Alaska Aces, the Bakersfield Condors, the Fresno Falcons, the Idaho Steelheads, the Las Vegas Wranglers, the Long Beach Ice Dogs and the San Diego Gulls as well as from potential teams in Ontario, California, and Reno, Nevada. Alaska, Bakersfield, Fresno, Idaho, Las Vegas, Long Beach and San Diego began play in the 2003–04 season as expansion teams. In a change reflective of the league's now-nationwide presence, the East Coast Hockey League shortened its name to the orphan initialism ECHL on May 19, 2003. The ECHL reached its largest size to date (31 teams) that season before being reduced to 28 teams for the 2004–05 season.

The ECHL has attempted to be more tech-friendly to its fans. Some improvements on the league's website have included a new schedule and statistics engine powered by League Stat, Inc. (introduced in 2006), internet radio coverage for most teams, and pay-per view broadcasting of ECHL games through B2 Networks (a subsidiary of America One Broadcasting). In 2008, the league introduced the ECHL toolbar for web browsers which gave users short cut access to statistics, scores, transactions, and news updates.

At the annual ECHL Board of Governors meeting on June 15, 2010, in Henderson, Nevada, the Board of Governors approved changes to the names of the conferences and divisions. The former American Conference (comprising eleven East Coast and Midwest teams) was renamed the Eastern Conference, while the National Conference (consisting of 8 West Coast teams, including the league's only Canadian team at the time) was re-designated the Western Conference. Within the Eastern Conference, the East Division was renamed the Atlantic Division, and the Western Conference's former West Division was dubbed the Mountain Division.

The league lost its only Canadian team with the folding of the Victoria Salmon Kings subsequent to the 2010–11 season, but increased to 20 teams for the 2011–12 season with the addition of the expansion franchise Chicago Express and the Colorado Eagles who previously played in the Central Hockey League.

With the folding of the Chicago Express at the conclusion of the 2011–12 season and the announcement of expansion franchises in Orlando, San Francisco, Evansville, and Fort Wayne (both in Indiana and both from the Central Hockey League) the league played the 2012–13 season with 23 teams. That number dropped to 22 for the 2013–14 season with the folding of the Trenton Titans and subsequently fell to 21 with the mid-season folding of the San Francisco Bulls on January 27, 2014.

On October 7, 2014, the ECHL announced that the seven remaining active members of the Central Hockey League (the Allen Americans, Brampton Beast, Quad City Mallards, Missouri Mavericks, Rapid City Rush, Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder) would be admitted as new members for the 2014–15 season. The addition of the former CHL teams plus the expansion Indy Fuel raised the number of teams to 28 and placed a team in Canada for the first time since 2011.

Before the 2015–16 season, the AHL's creation of a Pacific Division led the three California ECHL teams to relocate to former AHL cities with the Bakersfield Condors, Ontario Reign, and Stockton Thunder relocating to become the Norfolk Admirals, Manchester Monarchs, and Adirondack Thunder, respectively. By the 2018–19 season, the ECHL lost both the Quad City Mallards and Manchester Monarchs by folding, and the ECHL kept the Quad City Mallards name as a trademark. But the East Coast Hockey League expanded into other markets recently vacated by the AHL in the Maine Mariners, Newfoundland Growlers, and Worcester Railers.

There were two expansion teams added in 2021–22, the Iowa Heartlanders and the Trois-Rivières Lions, with Iowa going into the Central Division and Trois-Rivières going into the North. This brought the league up to 27 teams. The league added the Savannah Ghost Pirates, bringing the league to 28 teams, and balancing the divisions for the 2022–23 season.

Two expansion teams were added for the 2024–25 season; the Tahoe Knight Monsters in Stateline, NV, and the Bloomington Bison in Bloomington, IL. The Knight Monsters were placed in the Mountain division, with the Bison placed in the Central division. These additions were intended to bring the ECHL to 30 teams before the Newfoundland Growlers folded late in the 2023–24 ECHL season, but plans are to expand the league to 32 in the future to match the number of teams in the NHL and the AHL.

On April 2, 2024, the league announced that the Newfoundland Growlers' membership had been terminated due to failure to fulfill its obligations under league bylaws, bringing the league down to 29 teams and forcing the Wheeling Nailers to move to the North Division.

On October 18, 2024, the league announced a new expansion team for Greensboro, North Carolina set to begin play for the 2025–26 ECHL season, which would be unveiled as the Greensboro Gargoyles.

On May 2, 2025, the league announced a new expansion team for New Mexico, set to begin play for the 2026–27 ECHL season.

Teams

Alignment, affiliations, and locations for the 2024–25 season.

Future teams

Representatives from all potential expansion franchises, markets that have been granted expansion franchises and franchises that have suspended operations must attend the league's annual Board of Governors Meeting between seasons and provide progress reports on their situations in order to keep their ECHL franchise rights. For dormant and existing franchises, the Board of Governors votes whether or not to extend a franchise's league license until the next Board of Governors Meeting.

At the 2012 Board of Governors meeting, the Board elected to limit the league to 26 teams, with an emphasis on adding teams to the Western Conference. However, it was decided at the 2015 Board of Governors meeting that the cap should be expanded to 30 teams, hoping to eventually match the NHL and AHL's (then) 30-team totals. In 2023, ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin commented that the eventual goal was to match the AHL and NHL expansion to 32 teams.

Defunct and relocated teams

Since starting with five franchises in its inaugural season, the ECHL has had dozens of franchises join and leave the league. Typically, these teams fold or relocate due to operation issues or financial losses. The Johnstown Chiefs became the last remaining founding franchise of the East Coast Hockey League to remain in its original city until it relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, following the completion of the 2009–10 season.

While the ECHL has stated in recent years they would not grant voluntary suspensions of franchises for more than one year, both the Toledo Storm (now the Toledo Walleye) and Mississippi Sea Wolves (now defunct) were granted two-year suspensions—the Sea Wolves because of Hurricane Katrina and the Storm in order to demolish their present arena and construct a new one in downtown Toledo. The Mississippi Sea Wolves resumed play for the 2007–08 season, while the Toledo Walleye resumed play in their new arena for the 2009–10 season.

Seven former ECHL franchises have been directly replaced in their respective markets by American Hockey League franchises. The Greensboro Monarchs were the first, being replaced by the Carolina Monarchs in 1995. The Hampton Roads Admirals were the second, giving way to the Norfolk Admirals in 2000. The Peoria Rivermen were the third. In their case, the replacement franchise retained the Worcester IceCats history but assumed the Rivermen identity for their first AHL season of 2005–06. The Charlotte Checkers were the fourth, yielding to a franchise that retained the Albany River Rats history following the club's move to Charlotte following the 2009–10 season and assumed the Checkers identity. In each of these cases, the ECHL franchise was relinquished to the league by its respective ownership group. In 2015, the three California franchises ( Bakersfield Condors, Ontario Reign, and Stockton Thunder) were displaced by the formation of an AHL Pacific Division. Each ECHL franchise involved in the territorial shift was either owned or purchased by their NHL affiliate prior to being relocated.

* Alaska Aces (2003–2017; purchased and relocated to Portland, Maine, for the 2018–19 season.)
* Arkansas RiverBlades (1999–2003)
* Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (2001–2005; moved to Stockton, California.)
* Augusta Lynx (1998–2008; suspended operations and relinquished their membership back to the ECHL after their ownership group was unable to continue to operate in 2008–09. The first ECHL team to fold mid-season.)
* Bakersfield Condors (2003–15; the team moved to Norfolk, Virginia, to become the Norfolk Admirals and was replaced in the market by an AHL team of the same name.)
* Baton Rouge Kingfish (1996–2003; moved to Victoria, British Columbia, as the Victoria Salmon Kings.)
* Birmingham Bulls (1992–2001; moved to Atlantic City, New Jersey; now the Adirondack Thunder.)
* Brampton Beast (2014–2020; folded during the COVID-19 pandemic.)
* Carolina/Winston-Salem Thunderbirds (1988–1992; moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, as the Wheeling Thunderbirds before being renamed as the Wheeling Nailers.)
* Charlotte Checkers (1993–2010; replaced by the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL.)
* Chesapeake Icebreakers (1997–1999; moved to Jackson, Mississippi.)
* Chicago Express (2011–2012; membership relinquished to ECHL.)
* Colorado Eagles (2011–2018; organization obtained an expansion franchise in the AHL.)
* Columbia Inferno (2001–2008; voluntarily suspended operations.)
* Columbus Chill (1991–1999; suspended operations due to the then-impending entry of the Columbus Blue Jackets into the NHL; franchise purchased and relocated to Reading, Pennsylvania.)
*Columbus Cottonmouths (2001–2004; the team moved down to the Southern Professional Hockey League; ECHL franchise moved to Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida, to play as Gulf Coast Swords, franchise revoked in summer 2006 after construction halted on the proposed home arena.)
* Dayton Bombers (1991–2009; relinquished their membership back to ECHL.)
* Elmira Jackals (2007–2017)
* Erie Panthers (1988–1996; moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.)
* Evansville IceMen (2012–2016; moved to Jacksonville, Florida, after a one-year hiatus.)
* Fresno Falcons (2003–2008; suspended operations and relinquished their membership back to the ECHL after their ownership group was unable to continue to operate in 2008–09. The second ECHL team to fold mid-season.)
* Greensboro Generals (1999–2004)
* Greensboro Monarchs (1989–1995; replaced by the Carolina Monarchs of the AHL.)
* Greenville Grrrowl (1998–2006)
*Hampton Roads Admirals (1989–2000; replaced by the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL; ECHL franchise purchased in 2001 and moved to Columbus, Georgia, to become the Cottonmouths.)
* Huntington Blizzard (1993–2000; moved to Beaumont, Texas, to become the Texas Wildcatters.)
* Huntsville Blast (1993–1994; moved to Tallahassee, Florida.)
* Jackson Bandits (1999–2003)
* Jacksonville Lizard Kings (1995–2000)

* Johnstown Chiefs (1988–2010; relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, as the Greenville Road Warriors.)
* Knoxville Cherokees (1988–1997; moved to Florence, South Carolina, as the Pee Dee Pride.)
* Las Vegas Wranglers (2003–2014; suspended operations for the 2014–15 season and later relinquished their membership.)
* Lexington Men O' War (2002–2003; moved to West Valley City, Utah, to become the Utah Grizzlies)
* Long Beach Ice Dogs (2003–2007)
* Louisiana IceGators (1995–2005)
* Louisville IceHawks (1990–1994; moved to Jacksonville, Florida.)
* Louisville RiverFrogs (1995–1998; moved to Miami, Florida.)
* Macon Whoopee (2001–2002; moved to Lexington, Kentucky, to become the Lexington Men O' War.)
* Manchester Monarchs (2015–2019)
* Miami Matadors (1998–1999; moved to Cincinnati, Ohio.)
* Mississippi Sea Wolves (1996–2009; replaced in the market by the Mississippi Surge of the SPHL.)
* Mobile Mysticks (1995–2002; moved to Duluth, Georgia.)
* Nashville Knights (1989–1996; moved to Pensacola, Florida.)
* Newfoundland Growlers (2018–2024; ceased operations for failure to fulfill obligations under ECHL bylaws. The fourth ECHL team to fold mid-season.)
* New Orleans Brass (1997–2002; team relinquished their league membership after the arrival of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets.)
* Ontario Reign (2008–2015; the team moved to Manchester, New Hampshire, to become the Manchester Monarchs.)
* Pee Dee Pride (1997–2005; suspended operations after the 2004–05 season and planned to move to the Myrtle Beach area but later relinquished their membership.)
* Pensacola Ice Pilots (1996–2008; replaced in the market by the Ice Flyers of the SPHL.)
* Peoria Rivermen (1996–2005; replaced by the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL.)
* Phoenix RoadRunners (2005–2009)
* Quad City Mallards (2014–2018)
* Raleigh IceCaps (1991–1998; moved to Augusta, Georgia.)
* Richmond Renegades (1990–2003)
* Roanoke Express (1993–2004)
* San Diego Gulls (2003–2006)
* San Francisco Bulls (2012–2014; ceased operations and relinquished their membership back to the ECHL after their ownership group was unable to continue to operate in 2013–14. The third ECHL team to fold mid-season.)
* Stockton Thunder (2005–2015; team moved to Glens Falls, New York, to become the Adirondack Thunder.)
* Tallahassee Tiger Sharks (1994–2001; moved to Macon, Georgia.)
* Texas Wildcatters (2003–2008; moved to Ontario, California.)
* Trenton Titans (1999–2013)
* Victoria Salmon Kings (2004–2011; replaced in market by the WHL's Victoria Royals.)
* Virginia Lancers/ Roanoke Valley Rebels/ Rampage (1988–1993; moved to Huntsville, Alabama.)

Timeline

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy

ImageSize = width:1100 height:auto barincrement:20

Period = from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/2028

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:50 top:5

Colors =
id:line value:black
id:Now value:rgb(0.4,0.80,0.67) # current member
id:Past value:rgb(0.8,0.8,0.8) # former member
id:Future value:rgb(0.25,0.8,0.9) # future member
id:Suspended value:rgb(0.75,0.6,0.9) # suspended member

PlotData =
width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:Past from:09/01/1988 till:06/01/1992 text: Carolina/Winston-Salem Thunderbirds (1988–92)
bar:1 shift:(120) color:Now from:09/01/1992 till:end text: Wheeling Thunderbirds/Nailers (1992–present)

bar:2 color:Past from:09/01/1988 till:06/01/1996 text: Erie Panthers (1988–96)
bar:2 color:Past from:09/01/1996 till:06/01/2003 text: Baton Rouge Kingfish (1996–2003)
bar:2 color:Past from:09/01/2004 till:06/01/2011 text: Victoria Salmon Kings (2004–2011)

bar:3 color:Past from:09/01/1988 till:06/01/2010 text: Johnstown Chiefs (1988–2010)
bar:3 color:Now from:09/01/2010 till:end text: Greenville Road Warriors/Swamp Rabbits (2010–present)

bar:4 color:Past from:09/01/1988 till:06/01/1997 text: Knoxville Cherokees (1988–1997)
bar:4 color:Past from:09/01/1997 till:06/01/2005 text: Pee Dee Pride (1997–2005)

bar:6 color:Past from:09/01/1988 till:06/01/1993 text:Virginia(88–93)
bar:6 color:Past from:09/01/1993 till:06/01/1994 shift:-40 text: Huntsville(93–94)
bar:6 color:Past from:09/01/1994 till:06/01/2001 shift:15 text: Tallahassee(94–01)
bar:6 color:Past from:09/01/2001 till:06/01/2002 shift:-40 text: Macon(01–02)
bar:6 color:Past from:09/01/2002 till:06/01/2003 text: Lex.(02–03)
bar:6 color:Now from:09/01/2005 till:end text: Utah Grizzlies (2005–present)

bar:10 color:Past from:09/01/1989 till:06/01/1995 text: Greensboro Monarchs (1989–95)
bar:11 color:Past from:09/01/1989 till:06/01/2000 text:Hampton Roads Admirals (1989–2000)
bar:11 color:Past from:09/01/2001 till:06/01/2004 text:Columbus Cottonmouths (2001–04)
bar:12 color:Past from:09/01/1989 till:06/01/1996 text: Nashville Knights (1989–1996)
bar:12 color:Past from:09/01/1996 till:06/01/2008 text: Pensacola Ice Pilots (1996–2008)

bar:14 color:Past from:09/01/1990 till:06/01/1992 shift:-20 text:Cincinnati(90–92)
bar:14 color:Past from:09/01/1992 till:06/01/2001 text: Birmingham Bulls (1992–2001)
bar:14 color:Past from:09/01/2001 till:06/01/2005 text: Atlantic City(01–05)
bar:14 color:Past from:09/01/2005 till:06/01/2015 text: Stockton Thunder (2005–2015)
bar:14 color:Now from:09/01/2015 till:09/01/2020 text: Adirondack Thunder (2015–present)
bar:14 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:14 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:17 color:Past from:09/01/1990 till:06/01/1994 text: Louisville IceHawks (1990–94)
bar:17 color:Past from:09/01/1995 till:06/01/2000 text: Jacksonville Lizard Kings (1995–2000)

bar:18 color:Past from:09/01/1990 till:06/01/2003 text: Richmond Renegades (1990–2003)

bar:19 color:Past from:09/01/1991 till:06/01/1999 text: Columbus Chill (1991–99)
bar:19 color:Now from:09/01/2001 till:09/01/2020 text: Reading Royals (2001–present)
bar:19 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:19 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:20 color:Past from:09/01/1991 till:06/01/2009 text: Dayton Bombers (1991–2009)

bar:21 color:Past from:09/01/1991 till:06/01/1998 text: Raleigh IceCaps (1991–98)
bar:21 color:Past from:09/01/1998 till:12/02/2008 text: Augusta Lynx (1998–2008)

bar:22 color:Past from:09/01/1991 till:06/01/2007 text: Toledo Storm (1991–2007)
bar:22 color:Now from:09/01/2009 till:09/01/2020 text: Toledo Walleye (2009–present)
bar:22 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:22 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:23 color:Past from:09/01/1993 till:06/01/2010 text: Charlotte Checkers (1993–2010)

bar:24 color:Past from:09/01/1993 till:06/01/2000 text: Huntington Blizzard (1993–2000)
bar:24 color:Past from:09/01/2003 till:06/01/2005 text: Texas Wildcatters (2003–08)
bar:24 color:Suspended from:06/01/2005 till:09/01/2006
bar:24 color:Past from:09/01/2006 till:06/01/2008
bar:24 color:Past from:09/01/2008 till:06/01/2015 text: Ontario Reign (2008–2015)
bar:24 color:Past from:09/01/2015 till:06/01/2019 shift:0 text: Manchester Monarchs (2015–2019)

bar:25 color:Past from:09/01/1993 till:06/01/2004 text: Roanoke Express (1993–2004)

bar:26 color:Now from:09/01/1993 till:end text: South Carolina Stingrays (1993–present)

bar:27 color:Past from:09/01/1995 till:06/01/2005 text: Louisiana IceGators (1995–2005)

bar:28 shift:(-60) color:Past from:09/01/1995 till:06/01/1998 text: Louisville RiverFrogs (1995–98)
bar:28 color:Past from:09/01/1998 till:06/01/1999 text: Miami Matadors (1998–99)
bar:28 shift:(60) color:Now from:09/01/2001 till:06/01/2004 text: Cincinnati Cyclones (2001–04, 2006–present)
bar:28 color:Now from:09/01/2006 till:09/01/2020
bar:28 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:28 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:29 color:Past from:09/01/1995 till:06/01/2002 text: Mobile Mysticks (1995–2002)
bar:29 color:Now from:09/01/2003 till:09/01/2020 text: Gwinnett/Atlanta Gladiators (2003–present)
bar:29 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:29 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:30 color:Past from:09/01/1996 till:06/01/2009 text: Mississippi Sea Wolves (1996–2009)

bar:31 color:Past from:09/01/1996 till:06/01/2005 text: Peoria Rivermen (1996–2005)

bar:32 shift:(-100) color:Past from:09/01/1997 till:06/01/1999 text: Chesapeake Icebreakers (1997–99)
bar:32 color:Past from:09/01/1999 till:06/01/2003 text: Jackson Bandits (1999–2003)

bar:33 color:Past from:09/01/1997 till:06/01/2002 text: New Orleans Brass (1997–2002)

bar:34 color:Now from:09/01/1998 till:end text: Florida Everblades (1998–present)

bar:35 color:Past from:09/01/1998 till:06/01/2006 text: Greenville Grrrowl (1998–2006)

bar:36 color:Past from:09/01/1999 till:06/01/2003 text: Arkansas RiverBlades (1999–2003)

bar:37 color:Past from:09/01/1999 till:06/01/2004 text: Greensboro Generals (1999–2004)

bar:38 color:Past from:09/01/1999 till:06/01/2013 text: Trenton Titans/Devils (1999–2013)

bar:39 color:Past from:09/01/2001 till:06/01/2008 text: Columbia Inferno (2001–2008)

bar:41 color:Past from:09/01/2003 till:06/01/2017 text: Alaska Aces (2003–17)
bar:41 color:Now from:09/01/2018 till:09/01/2020 text: Maine Mariners (2018–present)
bar:41 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:41 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:42 color:Past from:09/01/2003 till:06/01/2015 text: Bakersfield Condors (2003–2015)
bar:42 color:Now from:09/01/2015 till:09/01/2020 text: Norfolk Admirals (2015–present)
bar:42 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:42 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:43 color:Past from:09/01/2003 till:12/22/2008 text: Fresno Falcons (2003–2008)
bar:44 color:Now from:09/01/2003 till:09/01/2020 text: Idaho Steelheads (2003–present)
bar:44 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:44 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:45 color:Past from:09/01/2003 till:06/01/2014 text: Las Vegas Wranglers (2003–2014)
bar:46 color:Past from:09/01/2003 till:06/01/2007 text: Long Beach Ice Dogs (2003–2007)
bar:47 color:Past from:09/01/2003 till:06/01/2006 text: San Diego Gulls (2003–2006)

bar:48 color:Past from:09/01/2005 till:06/01/2009 text: Phoenix RoadRunners (2005–2009)

bar:49 color:Past from:09/01/2007 till:06/01/2017 text: Elmira Jackals (2007–2017)

bar:50 color:Now from: 09/01/2009 till:09/01/2020 text: Kalamazoo Wings (2009–present)
bar:50 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:50 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:51 color:Past from:09/01/2011 till:06/01/2012 text: Chicago Express (2011–12)
bar:52 color:Past from:09/01/2011 till:06/01/2018 text: Colorado Eagles (2011–2018)
bar:53 color:Past from:09/01/2012 till:06/01/2016 text: Evansville IceMen (2012–2016)
bar:53 color:Now from:09/01/2017 till:end text: Jacksonville Icemen (2017–present)
bar:54 color:Now from:09/01/2012 till:end text: Fort Wayne Komets (2012–present)
bar:55 color:Now from:09/01/2012 till:end text: Orlando Solar Bears (2012–present)
bar:56 color:Past from:09/01/2012 till:01/27/2014 text: San Francisco Bulls (2012–14)
bar:57 color:Now from:09/01/2014 till:end text:Allen Americans (2014–present)
bar:58 color:Past from:09/01/2014 till:09/01/2020 text: Brampton Beast (2014–2020)
bar:59 color:Now from:09/01/2014 till:end text: Indy Fuel (2014–present)
bar:60 color:Now from:09/01/2014 till:end text: Missouri/Kansas City Mavericks (2014–present)
bar:61 color:Past from:09/01/2014 till:06/30/2018 text: Quad City Mallards (2014–2018)
bar:62 color:Now from:09/01/2014 till:end text: Rapid City Rush (2014–present)
bar:63 color:Now from:09/01/2014 till:end text: Tulsa Oilers (2014–present)
bar:64 color:Now from:09/01/2014 till:end text: Wichita Thunder (2014–present)
bar:65 color:Now from:09/01/2017 till:09/01/2020 text: Worcester Railers (2017–present)
bar:65 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:65 color:Now from:07/01/2021 till:end
bar:66 color:Past from:09/01/2018 till:04/02/2024 text: Newfoundland Growlers (2018–2024)
bar:66 color:Suspended from:09/01/2020 till:07/01/2021
bar:66 color:Past from:07/01/2021 till:04/02/2024

bar:67 color:Now from:09/01/2021 till:end shift:(-50) text: Iowa Heartlanders (2021–present)
bar:68 color:Now from:09/01/2021 till:end shift:(-50) text: Trois-Rivières Lions (2021–present)
bar:69 color:Now from:09/01/2022 till:end shift:(-50) text: Savannah Ghost Pirates (2022–present)
bar:70 color:Now from:09/01/2024 till:end shift:(-70) text: Bloomington Bison (2024–present)
bar:71 color:Now from:09/01/2024 till:end shift:(-90) text: Tahoe Knight Monsters (2024–present)
bar:72 color:Future from:09/01/2025 till:end shift:(-110) text: Greensboro Gargoyles (2025–present)
bar:73 color:Future from:09/01/2026 till:end shift:(-130) text:New Mexico (2026-present)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1990

Kelly Cup playoff format

For the 2012–13 season, eight teams still qualify in the Eastern Conference: the three division winners plus the next five teams in the conference. With the addition of the expansion franchise in San Francisco, the Board of Governors changed the Western Conference seeding such that eight teams qualify: two division winners and the next six teams in the conference. This eliminated the Western Conference first-round bye.

Similar to the National Hockey League (NHL) at the time, the division winners were seeded as the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference and the top two seeds in the Western Conference; the conference winner faced the eighth seed, second faces seventh, third faces sixth and fourth faces fifth in the conference quarterfinal round. The winner of the 1st/8th series played the winner of the 4th/5th series while the 2nd/7th winner played against the 3rd/6th winner in the conference semifinal series. The Board of Governors also elected to change the playoff format such that all rounds of the playoffs are now best of seven series. For 2012–13, the Conference Finals and Kelly Cup Finals used a two-referee system.

Because of the late addition of the CHL teams for the 2014–15 season and its subsequent conference alignment, the top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs and the first two playoff rounds were played within the divisions.

For the realignment prior to the 2015–16 season, the playoffs changed once again to a six-division format. At the end of the regular season, the top team in each division qualified for the playoffs and be seeded either 1, 2, or 3 based on the highest point total earned in the season. Then the five non-division winning teams with the highest point totals in each conference qualified for the playoffs and be seeded 4 through 8. All four rounds will be a best-of-seven format.

The alignment changed back to four divisions for the 2016–17 season, but the playoffs kept the divisional format. The top four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs and play in the division for the first two rounds. After the division finals, the winners then play the conference finals and followed by the Kelly Cup finals.

ECHL Hall of Fame

In celebration of the league's 20th year of play, the ECHL Board of Governors created the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2008, to recognize the achievements of players, coaches, and personnel who dedicated their careers to the league.

See also

* Kelly Cup
* ECHL All-Star Game
*List of ECHL seasons
* List of developmental and minor sports leagues
* List of ice hockey leagues

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Echl

Minor league ice hockey
Professional ice hockey leagues in Canada
Ice hockey in New Jersey
Organizations based in Princeton, New Jersey
Sports leagues established in 1988
1988 establishments in North America
Professional ice hockey leagues in the United States
Multi-national professional sports leagues
Third-tier ice hockey leagues
Multi-national ice hockey leagues in North America