The Toledo Walleye are a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team based in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

. The Walleye are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference 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 ...

. The Walleye were founded in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

as the Toledo Storm and play their home games at the Huntington Center, which opened in 2009. Since the beginning of the 2009–10 season, the team has been affiliated with the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

and the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

of 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 ...

with an agreement in place through the 2026–27 season.

History

Toledo Storm (1991–2007)

The Walleye were founded in

as the Toledo Storm, playing their home games at

Toledo Sports Arena Toledo Sports Arena was a 5,230-seat multi-purpose arena at 1 Main Street, Toledo, Ohio. It was built in 1947 and demolished in 2007. As a concert venue, it seated 6,500, for theater concerts and stage shows, 4,400 and for boxing and wrestling, ...

across the river from downtown Toledo. The Storm were the first hockey team to play in Toledo since the International Hockey League's Toledo Goaldiggers suspended operations in 1986, eventually moving to

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

in 1990. In the Storm's inaugural season, the team won the West Division title and the Henry Brabham Cup after posting the league's best record in the regular season. The following year the Storm won its first Jack Riley Cup, defeating the Wheeling Thunderbirds in six games. The Storm came back the following season and won its second Riley Cup, defeating the Raleigh Icecaps in five games, becoming only the second team in league history to win back-to-back league titles (the first being the

Hampton Roads Admirals The Hampton Roads Admirals were a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL, East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). They played in Norfolk, Virginia at the Norfolk Scope Arena from 1989 until 2000, when the owners purchased an expansion American Hockey ...

and

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

). The Storm were dominant in its first few years, winning four division titles in their first five seasons and posting a winning record in thirteen of the sixteen seasons the team played. The Storm won its second Brabham Cup in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

and made the American Conference finals during the 2005–06 season, ultimately losing to the Gwinnett Gladiators in five games. The Storm's final game came on April 19, 2007, during the 2007 North Division semifinals losing to in-state rival,

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 ...

by a score of 4–0 getting swept in the series 3 games to 0. In sixteen seasons in the ECHL, the Storm posted a 610-395-103 record, winning two Riley Cups, two Brabham Cups and six division titles.

Sale to Toledo Arena Sports and Two Year Suspension

In 2007, Toledo Arena Sports, Inc., an Ohio-Not-For-Profit Corporation, purchased the rights to the Toledo, Ohio Territory from the ECHL. The new ownership group was planning to build a new state-of-the-art arena in downtown Toledo to replace the aging Sports Arena. Shortly after the sale, Toledo Arena Sports announced that after the 2006–07 season, the Storm would not compete again until the arena was completed and the ECHL granted the Storm a two-year voluntary suspension from competition. In February 2008, General Manager Joe Napoli announced that former Storm goaltender, ECHL Hall of Famer, and head coach from

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, Nick Vitucci would return to coach the franchise when it returned to the ice in 2009. One week after announcing Vitucci as head coach, Toledo Arena Sports Inc. renamed the Storm the "

Walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

," in reference to the popular game fish that is abundant in the area.

Toledo Walleye (2009–present)

At the ECHL Mid-Season Board of Governors meeting, the league announced that the Walleye would be members of the American Conference's North Division along with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Elmira Jackals,

Johnstown Chiefs The Johnstown Chiefs were a minor league ice hockey team located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that played in the ECHL. The team was founded in 1987 in the All-American Hockey League, and moved to the East Coast Hockey League (now ECHL) when th ...

Wheeling Nailers The Wheeling Nailers are a professional ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey Lea ...

and

Kalamazoo Wings The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...

. During the NHL's award ceremonies in Las Vegas, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland stated that the Walleye would become Detroit's ECHL affiliate for the 2009–10 season and that the Wings would send one of their three goaltender prospects (either Jordan Pearce, Thomas McCollum or Daniel Larsson) to Toledo for the season. On August 5, 2009, the Walleye announced a second affiliation agreement, becoming the ECHL affiliate of the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

and Chicago's AHL affiliate the Rockford IceHogs. The Walleye opened their inaugural season on October 16, 2009, hosting the defending Brabham Cup champion

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 ...

in the first of a three-game series. Prior to the Walleye's home opener, head coach Nick Vitucci named defenseman Ryan Stokes as the team's captain. Despite a strong effort, the Walleye dropped their opener to Florida 1–2 in front of a sell-out crowd of 8,000, the largest crowd to ever watch a pro hockey game in Toledo at the time. The Walleye would return the next night and rookie goaltender Jordan Pearce would stop 35 of 37 shots faced as the Walleye scored three goals in the final period to get past the Everblades for the team's first win, 5–2. On December 31, defenseman J.C. Sawyer and forward Maxime Tanguay were selected to the American Conference All-Star team and played at the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, it lies ...

on January 20. Sawyer was named the captain of the American Conference All-Stars. At the end of the regular season, defenseman J.C. Sawyer was named as a First Team selection to the All-ECHL team and won the Defenseman of the Year award, while center Maxime Tanguay was named to the All-Rookie team. The Walleye would finish the regular season in eighth place in the American Conference leading to a matchup with the American Conference regular season champions, the

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affiliate of the ...

. Toledo, behind a hat trick from winger Adam Keefe, claimed a 7–2 victory over top-seeded Charlotte in game one of the series, the first playoff game win for the organization since game two of the 2006 American Conference Finals against the Gwinnett Gladiators. However, the Walleye would lose the next three games to Charlotte and were eliminated from the playoffs in four games. 2012 Toledo and Kalamazoo

Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the Walleye voluntarily suspended operations for the 2020–21 season. Coming back from the voluntary suspension, the Walleye would go on to win the Brabham Cup in the 2021–22 season, finishing with the league's best points % with.708, the only team above .700%. They would then go on to win in comeback fashion the first series of the 2022 Kelly Cup playoffs, 4–3. They then went on to sweep Wheeling and best Utah in 5 games after losing Game 1. The Walleye would go on to lose the Kelly Cup Finals to the Florida Everblades.

Mascots

On July 27, 2009, the Walleye introduced Spike, their costumed mascot at a Toledo Mud Hens baseball game. Spike is a yellow anthropomorphic walleye, adorned with a white Walleyes jersey, blue gloves, helmet and shoes and a gap tooth smile. Spike's nemesis is Cat Trick, a fuzzy blue cat, with a fishing vest and bright yellow boots. The two like to take cheap shots at each other during games.

Winterfest

The first ECHL outdoor hockey event was at Fifth Third Field on Saturday, December 27, 2014. The Walleye lost 2-1 to the visiting

. On January 5, the Walleye fell to the

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 ...

3-2 in a shootout. In addition to the Walleye games, the annual Battle of the Badges game between the Toledo Police Department and Toledo Fire Department occurred on December 31, the U.S. National Under 18 Team defeated Adrian College 6-1 in an exhibition on January 1, and

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

played Robert Morris to a 2-2 draw on January 4. Anthony Wayne High School, Saint Ignatius High School, Saint John's High School, Whitmer High School, and many other youth and adult teams also participated in the Winterfest. Over 10 days, an estimated 45,000 to 50,000 people attended events at the stadium.

Rivalries

Fort Wayne Komets

The Walleye's rivalry with the Komets dates back to the time when the teams from both cities played each other in IHL. The Komets play in the same division as the Walleye, and each game usually features a high score and a major fight or two because of the high animosity between the two teams. Ever since the 2009–10 ECHL season, the teams have played each other five times in the playoffs:

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, and

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, with Toledo winning four of the five series.

Cincinnati Cyclones

The Walleye’s rivalry with the

Cyclones In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

comes from both teams playing in the state of Ohio, as well as the same division as Fort Wayne. The two teams have met each other four times in the playoffs:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, and

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, with Toledo winning the most recent three of the four series.

Season-by-season record

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''

Players and personnel

Team captains

* Ryan Stokes, 2009–10 * Adam Keefe, 2010–11 * Kyle Rogers, 2011–14 * Jared Nightingale, 2014–17 * Alden Hirschfeld, 2017–18 *

T. J. Hensick Timothy James Hensick (born December 10, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey center. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. Hensick was drafted 88th overall in the 2005 NH ...

, 2019–21 * John Albert, 2022–23

Head coaches

* Nick Vitucci, 2009–2014 * Derek Lalonde, 2014–2016 * Dan Watson, 2014 (interim), 2016–2023 * Pat Mikesch, 2023–present

Team records

Single season

:Goals: 40 – Brandon Hawkins (2023–24) :Assists: 68 – Shane Berschbach (2016–17) :Points: 93 – Brandon Hawkins (2023–24) :Penalty minutes: 246 – Bryan Moore (2018–19)

Career

:Goals: 186 – Brandon Hawkins (2022–25) :Assists: 277 – Shane Berschbach (2014–20) :Points: 393 – Shane Berschbach (2014–20) :Penalty minutes: 246 – Bryan Moore (2018–19) :Games Played: 376 – Shane Berschbach (2014–20)

Awards and honors

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

* Josh Kestner: 2019–20 * Brandon Hawkins: 2023–24, 2024–25 Leading Scorer * Josh Kestner: 2019–20 * Brandon Hawkins: 2023–24, 2024–25 All-ECHL First Team * J.C. Sawyer: 2009–10 * Shane Berschbach: 2015–16 * Josh Kestner: 2019–20 * Brandon Hawkins: 2022–23 * John Lethemon: 2022–23 All-ECHL Second Team * Jason Lepine: 2010–11 *

Jeff Lerg Jeff Lerg (born April 9, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey Goaltender (ice hockey), goaltender who played in the North American minor league, most notably for the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, and in Europe. Playing career Prior ...

: 2014–15, 2015–16 * Shane Berschbach: 2016–17 * Jake Paterson: 2016–17 * Matt Register: 2018–19 All-ECHL Rookie Team * Maxime Tanguay: 2009–10 * Andy Bohmbach: 2010–11 * Tyler Barnes: 2014–15 * Tylor Spink: 2016–17 * Tyson Spink: 2016–17 * Nolan Zajac: 2016–17 * Billy Christopoulos: 2019–20 CCM Defenseman of the Year * J.C. Sawyer: 2009–10 CCM Rookie of the Year * Tyler Barnes: 2014–15 * Tyson Spink: 2016–17 ECHL All-Star Game Selection * J.C. Sawyer:

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

* Maxime Tanguay:

* Peter Leblanc:

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

* Luke Glendening:

* Ben Youds:

* Tyler Barnes:

Sportsmanship Award * Randy Rowe: 2012–13 * Shane Berschbach: 2015–16, 2016–17 North Division Champions * 2014–15: 107 Points * 2015–16: 99 Points Central Division Champions * 2016–17: 106 Points * 2017–18: 105 Points * 2021–22: 102 Points Bruce Taylor Trophy
''ECHL Western Conference Playoff Champion'' * 2018–19 * 2021–22 Henry Brabham Cup
''ECHL regular season champion'' * 2014–15: 107 Points * 2016–17: 106 Points * 2021–22: 102 Points

John Brophy Award The John Brophy Award goes to the ECHL coach judged to have contributed the most to his team's success as voted by the coaches of each of the ECHL teams. The John Brophy Award has been awarded since 1988-89 ECHL season, 1989. The award is named aft ...

''ECHL Coach of the Year'' * Derek Lalonde: 2014–15 * Dan Watson: 2016–17 Executive of the Year * Joe Napoli: 2012–13, 2014–15 * Neil Neukam: 2017–18, 2018–19 Reebok Athletic Trainer of the Year * Brad Fredrick: 2014–15 Ticket Executive of the Year * Brian Perkins: 2014–15 Outstanding Media Award *Mark Monroe, Toledo Blade ( 2015–16) Team awards * Overall Award of Excellence: 2009–10, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 * Ticket Department of the Year: 2016–17 * Social Media Award of Excellence: 2015–16 *ECHL Best Ice Award: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20

References

External links

* {{Toledo Toledo Walleye Toledo Walleye players 2 ECHL teams Sports clubs and teams in Toledo, Ohio Ice hockey teams in Ohio Ice hockey clubs established in 2009 2009 establishments in Ohio