ECHL

ECHL
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	1988
No. of teams	28
Country(ies)	United States (27 teams) Canada (1 team)
Most recent champion(s)	Colorado Eagles (2018)
Most championship(s)	(tie) Alaska Aces, Hampton Roads Admirals and South Carolina Stingrays (3)
Official website	www.echl.com

The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is generally regarded as a tier below the American Hockey League. The ECHL's official website lists the league as "The Premier AA" league of hockey in North America, because most teams serve as feeder teams for American Hockey League teams. Hockey does not use letter-designations to define their league's levels, but the ECHL has tried for years to establish such a pecking order, with some success.

The ECHL, along with the AHL, are the only minor leagues recognized by the collective bargaining agreement between the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association, meaning any player signed to an entry-level NHL contract and designated for assignment must report to a club either in the AHL or the ECHL.

2017-18

The Worcester Railers being announced as an expansion team for 2017-18, the Owensboro, Kentucky team were scheduled to take to the ice for 2017-18 however the city of Owensboro objected to the cost of the new facility proposed and then the ownership of the team had the option to renovate the Owensboro Sportscenter but declined on that option and the future of the team is now uncertain, and an application from a group in Portland, Maine for a team also for 2017-18 being on file.  The league has stated that it would like to be in line with the NHL and the AHL in having the same number of teams.  The NHL will be having 31 teams for the 2017-18 season with the addition of an expansion team in Las Vegas. The ownership of the Las Vegas team has stated that it will probably share its AHL affiliate for the first season and work on an ECHL affiliate in due time at the team is starting from scratch in terms of players.  The league had previously announced its final decision on expansion teams for 2017-18 would be made in Septermber of 2016; but the IceMen situation has complicated the process as interest has also been received from Prescott Valley, Arizona for a team, that city previously had a team in the former Central Hockey League from 2006 to 2014 and had ceased operations in the months leading up to the ECHL/CHL merger.  Any decision on expansion franchises for the 2017-18 are expected to be made at the January 2017 owners' meeting. 

The proposed Portland team is trying to get a couple more investors on board before signing a lease with the city for use of the Cross Insurance Arena in time to get approval from the league in January to be able to play for the 2017-18 season.  The team would be formally announced on June 16, 2017.  The team will be called the Maine Mariners.

The Alaska Aces organization announced on February 23, 2017 that the team would be ceasing operations at the end of the 2016-17 season as the team was dealing with heavy losses financially due to a $600,000 reduction in sponsor ship revenue and $262,000 reduction in season ticket sales.  The state's economy has been in an extended downturn involving the los of thousands of jobs.  The team was subsidizing the travel expenses for visiting teams due to the expense of travel to the state.  The team had operated without local or state subsidies and the ownership had put additional investments into the team in an attempt to keep the team in operation.  Managing partner of the ownership group Terry Parks stated  “We worked through every possible solution that might have avoided this outcome but it became painfully obvious to us that, in this economy, a professional hockey team is not sustainable in Alaska.”

The Worcester expansion team may possibly have run into a minor hitch with playing at the DCU Center as the Holy Cross Crusaders are reported to be moving into the arena as part of a possible entry into the NCAA Division I Hockey East possibly as early as for the 2017-18 season (and subsequent elevation of their women's program to Division I as required by accepting Hockey East membership) as Hockey East has a minimum seating capacity requirement of 4,000 and the Hart Center is well below that figure and the DCU Center is the only hockey facility in the immediate area with that large of a capacity.  In February 2017, the Boston Bruins announced that they were extending their relationship with the Atlanta Gladiators which ended speculation that the team would possibly be affiliated with the Bruins organization.  The ownership of the Providence Bruins have made some noise about being unhappy with the team going into Worcester as they felt that the area was part of their drawing area to begin with as both Providence and Worcester are on the outskirts of the greater Boston area and an affiliation with the Bruins was speculated to be vital to the sucess of the ECHL in Worcester as the southeastern New England area has a history of not supporting minor league teams that are not affiliated with the Boston major league teams, such as the failure of the AHL in both Worcester and Lowell, but the support of the Providence Bruins, Pawtucket Red Sox and the Lowell Spinners baseball teams who are affiliated withe the Boston Red Sox.

The Evansville franchise was sold in early February 2017 to a group that was moving the team to the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida where they will become the Jacksonville IceMen.

In mid-June of 2017 the Alaska Aces were sold to the parent company of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and are to be relocated to the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine.  The team will be renamed and will take to the ice for the 2018-19 season as time did not allow for the league and  team be ready to be worked in to a schedule for 2017-18.

2018-19

The city of St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador is working on an expansion team to begin play at the Mile One Centre for the 2018-19 season to replace the AHL level St. John's IceCaps who moved to Laval, Quebec after the 2016-17 season.  The approval of the team was announced on March 13, 2018.

The Quad City Mallards announced on March 13, 2018 that the team would be ceasing operations at the end of the 2017-18 season.

2019-20

The Manchester Monarchs announced that they would be ceasing operations in May of 2019 and the league Board of Governors then voted to terminate the membership of the team .

History

The league, which combined teams from the defunct Atlantic Coast Hockey League and All-American Hockey League, began play as the East Coast Hockey League in 1988 with 5 teams, the Carolina Thunderbirds (now the Wheeling Nailers), the Erie Panthers (now the Victoria Salmon Kings), the Johnstown Chiefs, the Knoxville Cherokees (the franchise, as the Pee Dee Pride, is currently suspended, to resume play in Conway, South Carolina in 2009–10), and the Virginia Lancers (now the Utah Grizzlies).

Since that time, the ECHL has met with a mixture of failures and successes, reaching its largest size in 2003 of 31 teams before being reduced to 28 teams for the 2004 season. In September 2002, the West Coast Hockey League ceased operations, and the ECHL Board of Governors approved membership applications from the Anchorage (now 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 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.

The teams from the defunct lower-level WCHL, along with Las Vegas, joined as expansion teams for the ECHL’s 16th season in 2003–04. In a change reflective of the nationwide presence of the ECHL, the East Coast Hockey League changed its name to simply ECHL on May 19, 2003.

The league, because of geographical anomalies, continued to use unbalanced conferences and divisions, which has in the past made for some extremely varied playoff formats and limited interconference play. Due to travel costs, the league has attempted to placate owners in keeping those costs down, which has led to the sometimes-odd playoff structures. The league as of 2008; consisted of nine West Coast-based teams in the National Conference, and twelve eastern, midwestern and southern teams in the American Conference.

In the past several years, 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. In 2008, the league introduced the ECHL toolbar for internet browsers which gave users short cut access to statistics, scores, transactions, and news updates.

The annual ECHL Board of Governors Meeting was held on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 in Henderson, Nevada. The Board of Governors approved changes to the names of the conferences and divisions. The American Conference gets changed to the Eastern Conference and the National Conference gets changed to the Western Conference. The East Division gets changed to the Atlantic Division and the West Division gets changed to the Mountain Division.

Addition of Central Hockey League teams (for 2014-15 season)

The league held a Board of Governors Meeting on October 7, 2014 and at this meeting the league added the seven remaining members of the Central Hockey League as expansion teams for the 2014-15 ECHL season.  This gave the league a balanced, 28 team league with 2 conferences with 2-seven team divisions.  On October 9th, the league approved a new realignment and playoff format for the 2014-15 season.  The schedule was released on October 13th with the former CHL teams now playing a 72-game schedule.

Fallout from formation of AHL's Pacific Division

The ECHL lost and gained several cities when the AHL added a Pacific Division for the 2015-16 season.  The league lost teams in Bakersfield, Stockton, and Ontario, California. The league gained teams in Manchester, New Hampshire, Glens Falls, New York, and returned to Norfolk, Virginia.

On February 9th, 2016 the league annouced the addition of a team to be based out of the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.  The team will take to the ice for the 2017-18 season.

2016-17 to 2018-19 changes

The Evansville IceMen announced they would relocate to Owensboro, Kentucky for the 2016-17 season.  The team needed to put in extensive repairs to the arena that they will be playing in the Owensboro Sports Center.  The team later decided to take the 2016-17 season off in order to complete the renovations.  The ownership of the arena in Evansville immediately began working on obtaining an expansion franchise in the Southern Professional Hockey League which came to fruition on March 16th.  An article in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette of July 29, 2016 openly questioned if the team will ever take to the ice in Owensboro. The new facility that would cost between $20 and 25 million will not come to fruition (according to TV station WFIE) and the existing arena in Owensboro, the Sportscenter would require about $9 million in renovations to make it usable for the team.  This would require a plan to be in place by the end of September 2016 for the arena to be ready to be used for the 2017-18 season.

As part of the fall out from the Arizona Coyotes moving their AHL affiliate to Tucson, Arizona from Springfield, Massachusetts and then the Portland Pirates being sold to a group that is trying to move the team to Springfield for the 2016-17 season;  The soon to be former owner of the AHL's Pirates announced that he was planning on bringing an ECHL team to Portland, Maine for the 2017-18 season. No word on whether it would be an expansion team or a relocated team.

The Missouri Mavericks were rumored to be either moving up to the American Hockey League  or disbanding to make for a team that was proposed to be based out of the Sprint Center in nearby Kansas City, Missouri.  In mid-March 2017 the owner of the team announced that they would be changing their name to the Kansas City Mavericks once the 2016-17 season ends. It was further stated that the team will not be changing leagues or arenas.

The Colorado Eagles will relinquish their membership in the league after the conclusion of their 2017-18 season as they have been accepted as an expansion member of the American Hockey League for the 2018-19 season.

In December of 2017, the city of St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador had emerged as a candidate for an expansion team for the 2018-19 season.  The proposed ownership group is working on getting a team to play in Mile One Stadium.  The arena's current main tenant, the St. John's Edge of the National Basketball League of Canada has ownership that has a lease that gives them a 45-day window to obtain a hockey team to play out of the arena as well in the event another group wants to put a hockey team in the arena on top of an 18-month window that was already set to get another team into the arena.   The 45 day window expires on January 29, 2018.  The only mention from the group was the possibility of a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League expansion team and that enough progress was not made to bring a QMJHL team to the arena.  The ECHL team would be aligned with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL. St. John's was previously home to the St. John's Maple Leafs who were the American Hockey League affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1991 to 2005.  The most recent hockey team to call St. John's home was the St. John's IceCaps of the AHL from 2011 to 2017.

All-Time Listing of Teams

Team	Location	Arena	Tenure	Notes
Carolina Thunderbirds	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum	1988-1989	renamed Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
Erie Panthers	Erie, Pennsylvania	Erie Civic Center	1988-1996	relocated to Baton Rouge, Louisiana; renamed Baton Rouge Kingfish
Johnstown Chiefs	Johnstown, Pennsylvania	Cambria County War Memorial Arena	1988-2010	relocated to Greenville, South Carolina; renamed Greenville Road Warriors
Knoxville Cherokees	Knoxville, Tennessee	Knoxville Civic Coliseum	1988-1997	relocated to Florence, South Carolina; renamed Pee Dee Pride
Virginia Lancers	Vinton, Virginia	LancerLot	1988-1990	renamed Roanoke Valley Rebels
Greensboro Monarchs	Greensboro, North Carolina	Greensboro Coliseum	1989-1995	ceased operations when city gets American Hockey League team
Hampton Roads Admirals	Norfolk, Virginia	Norfolk Scope	1989-2000	relcoated to Columbus, Georgia; renamed Columbus Cottonmouths
Nashville Knights	Nashville, Tennessee	Nashville Municipal Auditorium	1989-1996	relocated to Pensacola, Florida and renamed Pensacola Ice Pilots when city is awarded National Hockey League team
Winston-Salem Thunderbirds	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	LJVM Coliseum Annex	1989-1992	relocated to Wheeling, West Virginia; renamed Wheeling Thunderbirds
Cincinnati Cyclones	Cincinnati, Ohio	Riverfront Coliseum	1990-1992	relocated to Birmingham, Alabama; renamed Birmingham Bulls (ECHL)
Louisville IceHawks	Louisville, Kentucky	Broadbent Arena	1990-1994	relocated to Jacksonville, Florida; renamed Jacksonville Lizard Kings
Richmond Renegades	Richmond, Virginia	Richmond Coliseum	1990-2003	folded
Roanoke Valley Rebels	Vinton, Virginia	LancerLot	1990-1992	renamed Roanoke Valley Rampage
Columbus Chill	Columbus, Ohio	Ohio Expo Center Coliseum	1991-1999	relocated to Reading, Pennsylvania; renamed Reading Royals
Dayton Bombers	Dayton, Ohio	Hara Arena (1991-1996), Nutter Center (1996-2009)	1991-2009	suspended operations then return membership to league
Raleigh IceCaps	Raleigh, North Carolina	Dorton Arena	1991-1998	relocated to Augusta, Georgia; renamed Augusta Lynx
Toledo Storm	Toledo, Ohio	Toledo Sports Arena	1991-2007	renamed Toledo Walleye
Birmingham Bulls (ECHL)	Birmingham, Alabama	Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center	1992-2001	relocated to Atlantic City, New Jersey; renamed Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
Roanoke Valley Rampage	Vinton, Virginia	LancerLot	1992-1993	relocated to Huntsville, Alabama; renamed Huntsville Blast
Wheeling Thunderbirds	Wheeling, West Virginia	Wheeling Civic Center	1992-1996	renamed Wheeling Nailers
Charlotte Checkers (1993-2010)	Charlotte, North Carolina	Cricket Arena (known as Independence Arena 1995-2001) (1993-2005), Time Warner Cable Arena (2005-2010)(known as Charlotte Bobcats Arena 2005-2008	1993-2010	franchise folded when team owner purchases American Hockey League's Albany River Rats and relocates team to city as Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
Huntington Blizzard	Huntington, West Virginia	Huntington Civic Arena	1993-2000	suspend operations 2000-2003; relocated to Beaumont, Texas; renamed Texas Wildcatters
Huntsville Blast	Huntsville, Alabama	Von Braun Center	1993-1994	relocated to Tallahassee, Florida; renamed Tallahassee Tiger Sharks
Roanoke Express	Roanoke, Virginia	Roanoke Civic Center	1993-2004	folded
South Carolina Stingrays	North Charleston, South Carolina	North Charleston Coliseum (primary), Carolina Ice Palace (backup)	1993-present
Tallahassee Tiger Sharks	Tallahassee, Florida	Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center	1994-2001	relocated to Macon, Georgia; renamed Macon Whoopee
Jacksonville Lizard Kings	Jacksonville, Florida	Jacksonville Coliseum	1995-2000	suspend operations when arena is closed to build Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena but do not return to play
Louisiana IceGators	Lafayette, Louisiana	Cajundome	1995-2005	suspend operations after 2005-06 season; do not return
Louisville River Frogs	Louisville, Kentucky	Broadbent Arena	1995-1998	relocated to Miami, Florida; renamed Miami Matadors
Mobile Mysticks	Mobile, Alabama	Mobile Civic Center	1995-2002	suspend operations for 2002-03; relocated to Duluth, Georgia and are renamed Gwinnett Gladiators
Baton Rouge Kingfish	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Riverside Centroplex	1996-2003	relocated to Victoria, British Columbia; renamed Victoria Salmon Kings
Mississippi SeaWolves	Biloxi, Mississippi	Mississippi Coast Coliseum	1996-2005	suspend operations duec to damage caused to arena by Hurricane Katrina; return for 2007-08 season
Pensacola Ice Pilots	Pensacola, Florida	Pensacola Civic Center	1996-2008	franchise revoked
Peoria Rivermen (ECHL)	Peoria, Illinois	Carver Arena	1996-2005	franchise folded when city gets American Hockey League team, Peoria Rivermen (AHL)
Wheeling Nailers	Wheeling, West Virginia	WesBanco Arena (known as Wheeling Civic Center until 2003), Cambria County War Memorial Arena (back-up 2010-2012)	1996-present
Chesapeake Icebreakers	Upper Marlboro, Maryland	The Show Place Arena	1997-1999	relocated to Jackson, Mississippi; renamed Jackson Bandits
New Orleans Brass	New Orleans, Louisiana	Municipal Auditorium (New Orleans) (1997-1999) and New Orleans Arena (1999-2002)	1997-2002	folded when New Orleans Arena gets National Basketball Association team due to expenses with having to pay to convert arena between sports
Pee Dee Pride	Florence, South Carolina	Florence Civic Center	1997-2005	suspended operations with plans to move to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina but arena was not built and membership was returned to league in June of 2009
Augusta Lynx	Augusta, Georgia	James Brown Arena	1998-2008	folded December 2, 2008
Florida Everblades	Estero, Florida	Germain Arena (known as Everblades Arena (1998-?, TECO Arena ?-2004)	1998-present
Greenville Grrrowl	Greenville, South Carolina	Bi-Lo Center	1998-2006	folded June 2, 2006
Miami Matadors	Miami, Florida	Miami Arena	1998-1999	suspend operations 1999-2001; relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio; renamed Cincinnati Cyclones
Arkansas RiverBlades	North Little Rock, Arkansas	Alltel Arena	1999-2003	folded
Greensboro Generals	Greensboro, North Carolina	Greensboro Coliseum	1999-2004	franchise revoked
Jackson Bandits	Jackson, Mississippi	Mississippi Coliseum	1999-2003	ceased operations after league denied a one year leave of absence
Trenton Titans	Trenton, New Jersey	Sovereign Bank Arena	1999-2007	renamed Trenton Devils
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies	Atlantic City, New Jersey	Boardwalk Hall	2001-2005	relocated to Stockton, California; renamed Stockton Thunder
Cincinnati Cyclones	Cincinnati, Ohio	Heritage Bank Center (known as U.S. Bank Arena 2002-2019)	2001-present
Columbia Inferno	Columbia, South Carolina	Carolina Coliseum	2001-2008	suspend operations in 2008 awaiting new arena being built; franchise removed in June 2014
Columbus Cottonmouths	Columbus, Georgia	Columbus Civic Center	2001-2004	suspend operations awaiting arena being bullt in Bradenton, Florida; were to be named Gulf Coast Swords; franchise revoked by league in 2006
Macon Whoopee	Macon, Georgia	Macon Coliseum	2001-2002	relocated to Lexington, Kentucky; renamed Lexington Men O' War
Reading Royals	Reading, Pennsylvania	Santander Arena (known as Sovereign Center 2001-2013)	2001-present
Lexington Men O' War	Lexington, Kentucky	Rupp Arena	2002-2003	suspend operations 2003-2005; then relocated to West Valley City, Utah; renamed Utah Grizzlies (ECHL)
Alaska Aces (ECHL)	Anchorage, Alaska	Sullivan Arena	2003-2017	suspend operations due to economic conditions in state; sold in June of 2017; relocated to Portland, Maine and renamed Maine Mariners (ECHL)
Bakersfield Condors (ECHL)	Bakersfield, California	Rabobank Arena (known as Bakersfield Centenial Garden 2003-2005)	2003-2015	franchise relocated to Norfolk, Virginia when Norfolk Admirals relocated to Bakersfield and become Bakersfield Condors (AHL)
Florence Pride	Florence, South Carolina	Florence Civic Center	1997-2005	planned to relcoate to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; be renamed Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz; however arena fell through franchise returned to league June 2009
Fresno Falcons	Fresno, California	Save Mart Center	2003-2008	ceased operations December 22, 2008
Gwinnett Gladiators	Duluth, Georgia	Infinite Energy Arena (known as Gwinnett Civic Center Arena (2003-04 and The Arena at Gwinnett 2004-2015)	2003-2015	renamed Atlanta Gladiators
Idaho Steelheads	Boise, Idaho	CenturyLink Arena Boise (known as Bank of America Centre 2003-2005 and Qwest Arena 2005-2011)	2003-present
Las Vegas Wranglers	Las Vegas, Nevada	Orleans Arena	2003-2014	suspend operations for 2014-15 season awaiting new arena to play in; suspend operations in 2015 after not being able to secure one
Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL)	Long Beach, California	Long Beach Sports Arena	2003-2007	suspended operations April 20, 2007; franchise terminated by ECHL on June 18, 2007
San Diego Gulls (1995-2006)	San Diego, California	IPayOne Center (known as San Diego Sports Arena 2003-2005)	2003-2006	folded on June 30, 2006
Texas Wildcatters	Beaumont, Texas	Ford Arena	2003-2005	team sits out 2005-06 season as arena is used during 2005-06 season as a relief center for victims of Hurricane Rita; returns for 2006-07 season
Victoria Salmon Kings	Victoria, British Columbia	Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre	2004-2011	folded after 2010-11 season; replaced by Western Hockey League franchise (Victoria Royals)
Phoenix Roadrunners	Phoenix, Arizona	US Airways Center (known as America West Arena 2005-2006)	2005-2009	ceased operations
Stockton Thunder	Stockton, California	Stockton Arena	2005-2015	relocated to Glens Falls, New York when city gets American Hockey League team, the Stockton Heat
Utah Grizzlies(ECHL)	West Valley City, Utah	Maverik Center (known as E Center 2005-2010)	2005-present
Cincinnati Cyclones	Cincinnati, OH	Heritage Bank Center (known as U.S. Bank Arena 2006-2019)	2006-Present
Texas Wildcatters	Beaumont, Texas	Ford Arena	2006-2008	relocated to Ontario, California; renamed Ontario Reign (ECHL)
Elmira Jackals	Elmira, New York	First Arena	2007-2017	fold when unable to find new ownership
Mississippi SeaWolves	Biloxi, Mississippi	Mississippi Coast Coliseum	2007-2009	suspend operations; team ownership acquires Southern Professional Hockey League team (Mississippi Surge) for 2009-10 season
Trenton Devils	Trenton, New Jersey	Sun National Bank Center (known as Sovereign Bank Arena 2007-2009)	2007-2011	revert to Trenton Titans name
Ontario Reign (ECHL)	Ontario, California	Citizens Business Bank Arena	2008-2015	swap franchises with Manchester, New Hampshire based Manchester Monarchs (AHL) and become Ontario Reign (AHL)
Kalamazoo Wings	Kalamazoo, Michigan	Wings Event Center (known as Wings Stadium 2009-2015)	2009-present
Toledo Walleye	Toledo, Ohio	Huntington Center (Toledo) (known as Lucas County Arena 2009-2010)	2009-present
Greenville Road Warriors	Greenville, South Carolina	BI-LO Center	2010-2015	renamed Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Chicago Express	Hoffman Estates, Illinois	Sears Centre	2011-2012	announced April 6, 2012 would be ceasing operations at end of 2011-12 season
Colorado Eagles	Loveland, Colorado	Budweiser Events Center	2011-2018	franchise moved to American Hockey League for 2018-19 season as an expansion team
Trenton Titans	Trenton, New Jersey	Sun National Bank Center	2011-2013	ceased operations April 23, 2013
Evansville Icemen	Evansville, Indiana	Ford Center (Evansville)	2012-2016	suspend operations pending a move to Owensboro, Kentucky; unable to get arena renovations financed; franchise rights revived in 2017 return as Jacksonville, Florida based Jacksonville IceMen
Fort Wayne Komets	Fort Wayne, Indiana	Allen County War Memorial Coliseum	2012-present
Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL)	Orlando, Florida	Amway Center	2012-present
San Francisco Bulls	Daly City, California	Cow Palace	2010-2014	folded January 20, 2014
Allen Americans	Allen, Texas	Allen Event Center	2014-present
Brampton Beast	Brampton, Ontario	CAA Centre (known as Powerade Centre 2014-2018)	2014-present
Indy Fuel	Indianapolis, Indiana	Indiana Farmers Coliseum	2014-present
Missouri Mavericks	Independence, Missouri	Silverstein Eye Centers Arena (known as Independence Events Center 2014-2015)	2014-2017	renamed Kansas City Mavericks
Quad City Mallards	Moline, Illinois	TaxSlayer Center (known as IWireless Center 2014-2017)	2014-2018	ceased operations at end of 2017-18 season; replaced by new Southern Professional Hockey League team, the Quad City Storm
Rapid City Rush	Rapid City, South Dakota	Rushmore Plaza Civic Center	2014-present
Tulsa Oilers	Tulsa, Oklahoma	BOK Center	2014-present
Wichita Thunder	Wichita, Kansas	Intrust Bank Arena	2014-present
Adirondack Thunder	Glens Falls, New York	Cool Insuring Arena (known as Glens Falls Civic Center 2015-2017)	2015-present
Atlanta Gladiators	Duluth, Georgia	Infinite Energy Arena	2015-present
Greenville Swamp Rabbits	Greenville, South Carolina	Bon Secours Wellness Arena	2015-present
Manchester Monarchs (ECHL)	Manchester, New Hampshire	SNHU Arena	2015-2019	folded
Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)	Norfolk, Virginia	Norfolk Scope	2015-present
Jacksonville IceMen	Jacksonville, Florida	VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (known as Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena 2017-2019)	2017-present
Kansas City Mavericks	Independence, Missouri	Silverstein Eye Centers Arena	2017-present
Worcester Railers	Worcester, Massachusetts	DCU Center	2017-presnt
Maine Mariners (ECHL)	Portland, Maine	Cross Insurance Arena	2018-present
Newfoundland Growlers	St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador	Mile One Centre	2018-present

2015 Kelly Cup playoff format

With the addition of the teams from the CHL the division alignment was changed to Eastern and Western Conferences (each containing two-seven team divisions (North and East in the Eastern Conference and Central and Pacific in the Western Conference). The top four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs.  The first two rounds of the playoffs would be within the division with the match ups being 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3. with the first round winners meeting in the diviosion final. The two division champions meet for the conference championship and the conference champions meeting for the Kelly Cup.  All four rounds of the playoffs are best-of-seven.

Future teams

• Reno, Nevada, start date unknown; no announcement of arena construction has been mad some reports have listed the teams name as being the Reno Raiders. The rights to the franchise were purchased by a man named Larry Leasure of Boise, ID in 2000.  He retained the rights to the franchise when the league was absorbed by the ECHL.  He was hoping to secure a lease at a suitable arena.  The previous team played at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, which functions more so as a convention/meeting facility than a sports venue. The University of Nevada, Reno has the Lawlor Events Center which seats over 11,000 for basketball but makes no mention of events with ice so and the facility would require major renovations for use as a hockey rink. No progress has been made on a new arena.  As of the 2014-15 season the franchise is still "inactive".  This city has become one of the candidates for the AHL affiliate of the Las Vegas expansion team

The league has also been having several teams move to replace relocated AHL teams over the past few years.  This trend is expected to continue as several western NHL teams still have their AHL affilates in the east and several other teams in the league are looking to move their AHL affiliate closer to the NHL team. .

• For the 2019–20 season, 25 of 31 National Hockey League teams have affiliations with an ECHL team with the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and San Jose Sharks having no official affiliations. The ECHL has one independent team in the Norfolk Admirals.  However, unaffiliated NHL teams do sometimes lend contracted players to ECHL teams for development and increased playing time.
• The ECHL will probably be expanded to up to 32 teams in the not too distant future to match the NHL and AHL in tems of one to one affiliations.

Defunct and relocated teams

Teams that no longer play within the ECHL are listed below. Many of the former teams which had not moved are considered to have suspended operations and the franchises placed for sale, but in reality are and were simply financial failures, similar to defunct teams in all other minor league sports histories.

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 2007–2008 season, while the Toledo Walleye resumed play in their new arena for the 2009–2010 season.

On March 30, 2009, the Dayton Bombers and Mississippi Sea Wolves announced that they would suspend operations for the 2009–10 season, while the Phoenix RoadRunners announced that they will cease operations at the end of the 2008–09 season. Dayton would receive a franchise in the International Hockey League and Biloxi, MS would receive a team in the Southern Professional Hockey League the following year.

On February 15, 2010, the Tribune-Democrat reported that the Johnstown Chiefs, the only remaining founding franchise of the East Coast Hockey League to remain in its original city, would be relocating to Greenville, South Carolina, the former home of the Greenville Grrrowl (1998-2006) following the completion of the 2009-10 season.

Six former ECHL franchises have moved up to the American Hockey League. The Hampton Roads Admirals were the first, becoming the Norfolk Admirals in 2000, the Peoria Rivermen were the second, assuming the Worcester IceCats history but maintaining the Rivermen identity for their first AHL season of 2005-06, and the Charlotte Checkers were the third, assuming the Albany River Rats history following the club's move to Charlotte following the 2009-10 season. The new Charlotte AHL team will retain the Checkers identity. The fomation of a west coast division in the AHL for the 2015-16 season added three more teams that were replacing former ECHL teams (Bakersfield Condors, Ontario Reign, Stockton Thunder (renamed Heat))

Alaska Aces (2003-2017; ceased operations due to Alaskan financial crisis) Arkansas RiverBlades (1999–2003) Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (2001–2005; moved to Stockton, CA) Augusta Lynx (1998–2008) Suspended operations and relinquished their membership back to the ECHL after their ownership group were unable to continue to operate in 2008–09. The first ECHL team to fold in mid season. Bakersfield Condors 2003-2015; city gets AHL team, ECHL franchise to Norfolk Baton Rouge Kingfish (1996–2003; moved to Victoria, BC) Birmingham Bulls (1992–2001; moved to Atlantic City, NJ; now the Stockton Thunder) Charlotte Checkers (1993–2010; replaced by the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL) Chesapeake Icebreakers (played in Upper Marlboro, MD, 1997–1999; moved to Jackson, MS) Chicago Express (2011-2012) withdrew Columbus (GA) Cottonmouths (2001–2004; team moved down to what is now the Southern Professional Hockey League; ECHL franchise moved to Bradenton-Sarasota, FL to play as Gulf Coast Swords, franchise revoked in summer 2006 after construction halted on proposed home arena) Columbus (OH) Chill (1991–1999; moved to Reading, PA) Dayton Bombers (1991–2009; relinquished their membership back to ECHL following failed drive for season tickets and managing partnership to resume play for the 2010-11 season) Elmira Jackals (2007-2017; ceased operations when arena was going dark when in need of renovations) Erie Panthers (1988–1996; moved to Baton Rouge, LA) Evansville IceMen (2010-2016) attempted to move to Owensboro, Kentucky; fell through; league rights to Jacksonville for 2017-18 season Fresno Falcons (2003–2008) Suspended operations and relinquished their membership back to the ECHL after their ownership group were unable to continue to operate in 2008–09. The second ECHL team to fold in mid season. Greensboro Generals (1999–2004; team franchise revoked) Greensboro Monarchs (1989–1995; replaced by the Carolina Monarchs of the AHL) Greenville Grrrowl (1998–2006) (franchise revoked) Gulf Coast Swords (2005)  to be based in Bradenton, Florida area, unable to get arena; franchise revoked September 2006 Hampton Roads Admirals (1989–2000; replaced by the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL) Huntington Blizzard (1993–2000; moved to Beaumont, TX, now the Ontario Reign) Huntsville Blast (1993–1994; moved to Tallahassee, FL) Jackson Bandits (1999–2003) Jacksonville Lizard Kings (1995–2000) Johnstown Chiefs (1988-2010; relocated to Greenville, SC)

Knoxville Cherokees (1988–1997; moved to Florence, SC) Lexington Men O' War (2002–2003; moved to West Valley City, UT, now the Utah Grizzlies) Long Beach Ice Dogs (1993–2007) (franchise revoked) Louisiana IceGators (1995–2005) (franchise revoked) Louisville IceHawks (1990–1994; moved to Jacksonville, FL) Louisville River Frogs (1995–1998; moved to Miami, FL) Macon Whoopee (2001–2002; moved to Lexington, KY, now the Utah Grizzlies) Manchester Monarchs (2015-2019) suspended operations; franchise revoked by league Miami Matadors (1998–1999; moved to Cincinnati, OH) Mississippi Sea Wolves (1996–2009; now the Mississippi Surge) Mobile Mysticks (1995–2002; moved to Duluth, GA) Ontario Reign (2008-2015); city gets AHL team, ECHL franchise to Manchester Nashville Knights (1989–1996; moved to Pensacola, FL when NHL arrived) New Orleans Brass (1997–2002; team suspended operations after the arrival of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets when arena lease was not given) Pee Dee Pride (1997–2005; team suspended operations after the 2004–05 season and planned to move to the Myrtle Beach, SC area, but relinquished their league membership after 2008-09 season.) Pensacola Ice Pilots (1996–2008) (franchise revoked.) Peoria Rivermen (1996–2005; replaced by the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL) Phoenix RoadRunners (2005–2009) Quad City Mallards (2009-2018) folded at end of 2017-18 season Raleigh IceCaps (1991–1998; moved to Augusta, GA when NHL arrived) Richmond Renegades (1990–2003) Roanoke Express (1993–2004; franchise revoked) San Diego Gulls (2003–2006) (franchise revoked) San Francisco Bulls (2012-2014) folded January 27, 2014 Stockton Thunder (2005-2015); city gets AHL team, ECHL franchise to Glens Falls Tallahassee Tiger Sharks (1994–2001; moved to Macon, GA) Texas Wildcatters (2003–2008; Ceased operations at the end 2007–08 season due to a failure in securing a new arena lease and moved to Ontario, CA) Trenton Devils (2007-2011) folded by ownership (New Jersey Devils) cty was granted new franchise for next season Trenton Titans (2011-2013) folded Virginia Lancers (1988–1993 in Vinton, VA; franchise later renamed the Roanoke Valley Rebels and Rampage; moved to Huntsville, AL) Victoria Salmon Kings (2004-2011) disband May 6, 2011 when owner purchases Chilliwack Bruins of the WHL, and relocates it to Victoria

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. Hall of Fame members are selected in four categories: Player, Developmental Player, Builder, and Referee/Linesman. Players must have concluded their career as an active player for a minimum of three playing seasons, though not continuous or full seasons. Development Players must have begun their career in the ECHL and went on to a distinguished career in the NHL, playing a minimum of 260 regular season games in the NHL, AHL and ECHL. Builders may be active or inactive whereas Referee/Linesman must have concluded their active officiating career for a minimum of three playing seasons.

No more than five candidates are elected to the Hall of Fame each year with no more than three Players, one Developmental Player, two Builders and one Referee/Linesman. The Builder and the Referee/Linesman categories are dependent upon the number of candidates in the Player category.

The nomination and subsequent selection of candidates is determined by the ECHL Hall of Fame Selection Committee which is appointed by the ECHL.

The ECHL Hall of Fame Inaugural Class was inducted during the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game festivities at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California and included ECHL founder Henry Brabham, the ECHL's first commissioner Patrick J. Kelly, and former players Nick Vitucci and Chris Valicevic

List of Hall of Famers

Year	Name	Position/role	ECHL Team(s)
2008	Henry Brabham	ECHL founder	League Executive
	Patrick J. Kelly	Commissioner (1988–96)	League Executive
	Chris Valicevic	Defenseman	Greensboro Monarchs, Louisiana IceGators
	Nick Vitucci	Goaltender	Greensboro Monarchs, Hampton Roads Admirals, Toledo Storm, Charlotte Checkers, Greenville Grrrowl
2009	John Brophy	Head coach	Hampton Roads Admirals, Wheeling Nailers
	Blake Cullen	Owner	Hampton Roads Admirals
	Tom Nemeth	Defenseman	Dayton Bombers, South Carolina Stingrays, Toledo Storm
	Rod Taylor	Left winger	Hampton Roads Admirals, Richmond Renegades, Roanoke Express, South Carolina Stingrays, Peoria Rivermen, Toledo Storm
2010	Cam Brown	Left winger	Columbus Chill, Erie Panthers, Baton Rouge Kingfish, Gwinnett Gladiators
	E.A. "Bud" Gingher	Owner; Chairman	Board of Governors Chairman (1992–95); Dayton Bombers owner
	Olaf Kolzig	Goaltender	Hampton Roads Admirals
	Darryl Noren	Center	Greensboro Monarchs, Charlotte Checkers
2011	Phil Berger	Right winger	Greensboro Monarchs, Charlotte Checkers, Raleigh IceCaps, Hampton Roads Admirals
	Richard Adams	President/CEO (1995–02)	League Executive
	Luke Curtin	Left winger	Baton Rouge Kingfish, Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, Fresno Falcons
	Joe Ernst	Referee	League Official
2012	Bob Woods	Defenseman	Johnstown Chiefs, Hampton Roads Admirals, Mobile Mysticks, Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, Mississippi Sea Wolves
	Bill Coffey	Founder	League Executive
	Sheldon Gorski	Right Winger	Louisville Icehawks, Louisville River Frogs, Miami Matadors, Pensacola Ice Pilots
	John Marks	Coach	Charlotte Checkers, Greenville Grrrowl, Pensacola Ice Pilots, Augusta Lynx
	Dave Seitz	Center	South Carolina Stingrays
2013	Dave Craievich	Defenseman	Cincinnati Cyclones, Birmingham Bulls, Mobile Mysticks
	Marc Magliarditi	Goaltender	Columbus Chill, Florida Everblades, Louisiana IceGators, Richmond Renegades, Las Vegas Wranglers
	Steve Poapst	Defenseman	Hampton Roads Admirals
	Darren Schwartz	Left Winger	Johnstown Chiefs, Winston-Salem Thunderbirds, Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, Wheeling Thunderbirds/Nailers
2014	James Edwards	President; Chairman	Johnstown Chiefs president, Chairman of the ECHL Board of Governors (1999–2003)
	Wes Goldie	Right Winger	Pee Dee Pride, Victoria Salmon Kings, and Alaska Aces
	Al MacIsaac	Defense; GM/Coach	Hampton Roads Admirals
	John Spoltore	Center	Louisiana IceGators
2015	Darren Colbourne	Right Winger	Dayton Bombers, Richmond Renegades, Raleigh IceCaps, Augusta Lynx
	Louis Dumont	Center	Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, Wheeling Thunderbirds, Louisiana IceGators, Augusta Lynx, Pensacola Ice Pilots, Mississippi Sea Wolves, and Utah Grizzlies
	Scott Sabatino	Executive Vice President; COO	League Executive
	Carl Scheer	Owner; Chairman	Charlotte Checkers owner, Chairman of the ECHL Board of Governors, Greenville Grrrowl owner
2016	Daniel Berthiaume	Goaltender	Wheeling Thunderbirds, Roanoke Express and Greensboro Generals
	Craig Brush	General Manager	Florida Everblades
	Allan Sirois	Left winger	Baton Rouge Kingfish, Jacksonville Lizard Kings, Pee Dee Pride, Pee Dee Pride, Greenville Grrrowl, Texas Wildcatters

See also

• Kelly Cup
• ECHL All-Star Game
• List of ECHL seasons

External links

• ECHL website
• PHPA website
• ECHL Wikia

This article is part of the North American Minor Professional leagues portal