The 2025-26 ECHL season is the 38th season of the ECHL. The league regular season schedule will run from mid-October, 2025 to mid-April 2026 followed by the 2026 Kelly Cup playoffs. The Trois-Rivières Lions are the defending Kelly Cup champions, having won their first ECHL championship in their fourth season of existence.
As of the 2025–26 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.
Membership Changes[]
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,[1][2] which would be unveiled as the Greensboro Gargoyles.[3]
On May 2, 2025, the league announced a new expansion team for New Mexico, set to begin play for the 2026–27 ECHL season.[4]
Teams[]
Alignment, affiliations, and locations for the 2025–26 season.[5]
Future teams[]
| Team | City | Arena | Founded | Joining | Head coach | NHL affiliate | AHL affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico Pro Hockey Club | Rio Rancho, New Mexico | Rio Rancho Events Center | 2025 | 2026 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Augusta Pro Hockey Club | Augusta, Georgia | New Augusta Arena | 2025 | 2027 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Standings[]
To be added upon completion of the regular season.
Postseason[]
The top four teams in each division at the end of the regular season advanced to the 2025 Kelly Cup playoffs and were seeded one through four based on their end-of-season division ranking. Each round was a best-of-7 series with the winner advancing to the next round. The first two rounds were played between teams in the same division, with the first seed facing the fourth seed and the second seed facing the third seed. The winners of each division then played off to determine winners of each conference.[12]
Bracket[]
To be determined
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Florida group that bought Charlotte Checkers appears to be behind Greensboro's new minor-league hockey team. Triad Business Journal.
- ↑ Expansion Membership approved for Greensboro (2024-10-18).
- ↑ Introducing the Greensboro Gargoyles (2025-01-14).
- ↑ Expansion Membership approved for New Mexico.
- ↑ ECHL Standings - Division.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Admirals Extend Affiliation With NHL's Winnipeg Jets And AHL's Manitoba Moose (June 19, 2024).
- ↑ Habs name Trois-Rivieres ECHL affiliate (January 19, 2021).
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 St. Louis Blues (July 10, 2024). Blues enter multi-year affiliation agreement with Florida Everblades. Press release.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Reporter, Lance Lysowski News Sports (July 13, 2013). Sources: Sabres complete affiliation agreement with ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Savannah Ghost Pirates | GHOST PIRATES ANNOUNCE AFFILIATION WITH FLORIDA PANTHERS AND CHARLOTTE CHECKERS.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Toronto Maple Leafs Announce New ECHL Affiliation (July 3, 2024).
- ↑ Preview of Division Semifinals - 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs (April 16, 2025).
External links[]
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