2014-15 ECHL season

The 2014–15 ECHL season is the 27th season of the ECHL. The regular season schedule will run from October 17, 2014, to April 11, 2015, with the Kelly Cup playoffs to follow. Twenty-eight teams in 20 states and one Canadian province will each play a 72-game schedule. The league was significantly expanded just before the season in October 2014 after a merger with its longtime rival, the Central Hockey League.

League business

Team changes

• The Indy Fuel will begin play at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• The Las Vegas Wranglers voluntarily suspended operations in May 2014 to allow the team time to secure a new home arena. The team's lease with the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas was not renewed after the 2013–14 season.
• Shortly before the season began in October 2014, the ECHL expanded with seven new teams as a result of a merger with the Central Hockey League. The Allen Americans, Brampton Beast, Missouri Mavericks, Quad City Mallards, Rapid City Rush, Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder formed a new Central Division in the Western Conference. This entirely replaced a previously planned Midwest Division, which in turn reassigned the Colorado Eagles to the Western Conference's Pacific Division and sent Evansville, Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo and Indy to the Eastern Conference's North Division. Within the Eastern Conference the Elmira Jackals and Reading Royals were reassigned to the former South Division, which was renamed the East Division.

Annual Board of Governors meeting

The annual ECHL Board of Governors meeting was held at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, in June 2014. Conferences were significantly re-aligned in light of recent team changes. In the Eastern Conference, the three-team Atlantic Division was eliminated while the Mountain Division in the Western Conference was eliminated to make way for a new Midwest Division. The Evansville IceMen, Fort Wayne Komets and Kalamazoo Wings were moved to the Western Conference to compete in the Midwest Division with the Colorado Eagles and expansion Indy Fuel. This was significantly revised after the CHL merger in October 2014,

with the newly created Midwest Division eliminated in favor of a Central Division consisting of the former CHL teams. Along with Indy, Evansville, Fort Wayne and Kalamazoo were moved back to the Eastern Conference.

The ECHL Board of Governors also re-elected Gwinnett Gladiators president Steve Chapman as chairman and approved changes to the icing rule similar to those previously implemented by the National Hockey League.

All-star game

The annual ECHL All-Star Classic will be held on January 21, 2015, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The plan as was set in August 2013 would feature the Orlando Solar Bears against an all-star team composed of players from the other ECHL teams. The ECHL and the Solar Bears, however, have not announced if that format will stay or a more traditional East vs West format would be used, considering the balance of the league has changed since the original plan.

2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs format

At the end of the regular season the top four teams in each division will qualify for the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The first two playoff rounds will be played entirely within the divisions, with the divisional playoff champions facing each other in the conference championships. The Kelly Cup final will pit the Eastern Conference champion against the Western Conference champion. All four rounds will be a best-of-seven format.

Standings

Due to the merger with the Central Hockey League, the league's conference alignment changed on October 9, 2014, moving the Colorado Eagles to the Pacific Division and moving the seven former CHL squads into the Western Conference as the Central Division. The Midwest Division dissolved, with its remaining teams joining the North Division. To make room for the four Midwest teams, the Reading Royals and Elmira Jackals left the North Division for the South, which was then renamed the East Division.

Eastern Conference

North Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	GF	GA	PTS
z – Toledo Walleye	72	50	14	5	2	281	182	107
x – Fort Wayne Komets	72	48	18	2	4	251	200	102
x- Kalamazoo Wings	72	36	30	3	3	226	233	78
x- Wheeling Nailers	72	37	33	1	1	210	213	76
e-Cincinnati Cyclones	72	31	30	2	9	195	212	73
e- Indy Fuel	72	31	30	4	6	197	221	73
e - Evansville IceMen	72	15	48	6	3	169	271	39

East Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	GF	GA	PTS
y – Florida Everblades	72	49	16	2	5	267	208	105
x –South Carolina Stingrays	72	45	20	1	6	224	163	97
x – Reading Royals	72	45	21	4	2	259	210	96
x – Orlando Solar Bears	72	37	25	6	4	236	215	84
x –Greenville Road Warriors	72	39	29	1	3	216	215	82
e - Elmira Jackals	72	32	33	0	7	186	217	71
e - Gwinnett Gladiators	72	20	45	3	4	174	263	47

Western Conference

Central Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	GF	GA	PTS
y – Allen Americans	72	48	14	6	4	292	203	106
x – Rapid City Rush	72	37	28	2	5	218	206	81
x – Quad City Mallards	72	37	28	4	3	205	186	81
x - Tulsa Oilers	72	37	29	3	3	248	244	80
e - Wichita Thunder	72	32	31	2	7	213	240	73
e - Missouri Mavericks	72	28	35	5	4	192	231	65
e - Brampton Beast	72	23	46	3	0	181	298	49

Pacific Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	GF	GA	PTS
y – Idaho Steelheads	72	48	18	2	4	258	187	102
x – Ontario Reign	72	43	19	4	6	239	184	96
x – Colorado Eagles	72	41	23	4	4	239	209	90
x – Utah Grizzlies	72	37	27	5	3	213	219	82
e – Alaska Aces	72	35	30	3	4	237	233	77
e - Bakersfield Condors	72	26	38	3	5	202	265	60
e - Stockton Thunder	72	21	49	1	1	199	296	44

• x - clinched playoff spot

• y - clinched regular season division title
• z - regular season champion

• e - eliminated from playoff contention

2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs

Bracket

Division Semifinals

Division Finals

Conference Finals

Kelly Cup Finals

N1

Toledo Walleye

4

N4

Wheeling Nailers

3

N1

Toledo

4

N2

Fort Wayne

3

N2

Fort Wayne Komets

4

N3

Kalamazoo Wings

1

N1

Toledo

3

Eastern Conference

E2

South Carolina

4

E1

Florida Everblades

4

E4

Orlando Solar Bears

2

E1

Florida

2

E2

South Carolina

4

E2

South Carolina Stingrays

4

E3

Reading Royals

3

E2

South Carolina

3

C1

Allen

4

C1

Allen Americans

4

C4

Tulsa Oilers

1

C1

Allen

4

C2

Rapid City

2

C2

Rapid City Rush

4

C3

Quad City Mallards

3

C1

Allen

4

Western Conference

P2

Ontario

3

P1

Idaho Steelheads

2

P4

Utah Grizzlies

4

P4

Utah

1

P2

Ontario

4

P2

Ontario Reign

4

P3

Colorado Eagles

3

Format

the top four teams in each division will qualify for the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The first two playoff rounds will be played entirely within the divisions, with the divisional playoff champions facing each other in the conference championships. The Kelly Cup final will pit the Eastern Conference champion against the Western Conference champion. All four rounds will be a best-of-seven format.

North Division Semifinals

• Toledo defeated Wheeling 4 games to 3 (2-3, 2-1 (ot), 4-5, 4-1. 2-1, 2-5, 2-1 (ot))
• Fort Wayne defeated Kalamazoo 4 games to 1 (4-2, 3-0, 3-1, 3-4, 6-4)

East Division Semifinals

• Florida defeated Orlando 4 games to 2 (3-2, 5-1, 2-5, 3-4, 5-4, 1-0 (ot)
• South Carolina defeated Reading 4 games to 3 (2-1 (2ot), 2-4, 5-2, 2-4, 4-3, 1-6, 3-2)

Central Divison Semifinals

• Allen defeated Tulsa 4 games to 1 (6-2, 5-4 (ot), 1-5, 3-1, 3-2)
• Rapid City defeated Quad City 4 games to 3 (2-3, 3-2, 2-1 (ot), 1-2, 0-4, 3-2, 2-1)

Pacific Divison Semifinals

• Utah defeated Idaho 4 games to 2 (2-3 (ot), 3-2, 4-5 (ot), 5-2, 3-0)
• Ontario defeated Colorado 4 games to 3 (2-4,, 4-1, 5-1, 3-4, 1-4, 4-1, 4-1)

North Division Final

• Toledo defeated Fort Wayne 4 games to 3 (4-1, 5-2, 2-3 (ot), 1-2 (ot), 3-2, 2-3 (2ot), 5-2)

East Divsion Final

• South Carolina defeated Florida 4 games to 2 (6-3, 4-2, 3-2, 1-2 (3ot), 4-5 (2ot), 5-2

Central Division Final

• Allen defeated Rapid City 4 games to 2 (2-4, 8-1, 4-1, 7-4, 4-7, 4-2)

Pacific Division Final

• Ontario defeated Utah 4 games to 1 (3-2 (ot), 6-2, 2-4, 4-2, 4-0)

Eastern Conference Final

• South Carolina defeated Toledo 4 games to 3 (2-1, 4-3, 6-5 (ot), 4-5, 4-5 (ot), 4-5 (ot), 1-0 (3ot))

South Carolina Stingrays win E.A. "Bud" Gingher Memorial Trophy as Eastern Conference champions

Western Conference Final

• Allen defeated Ontario 4 games to 3 (8-2, 0-3, 1-4, 0-5, 6-2, 2-1, 3-1)

Allen Americans win Bruce Taylor Trophy as Western Conference champions

Kelly Cup Final

• Allen defeated South Carolina 4 games to 3 (3-4, 5-2, 1-4, 3-2 (2ot), 3-2 (ot), 1-4, 6-1)

The Allen Americans win the Kelly Cup

Greger Hanson of the Allen Americans was named Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player with 12 goals and 17 assists in 25 games.

Allen Americans 2015 Kelly Cup Champions

See Also

• List of ECHL seasons