ECHL Today - Feb. 3

• ECHL
• Press Releases

• Add This
• Tweet

Watch Games Live on America One, the “Official Broadband and Mobile Broadcaster” of the ECHL

Reading Royals (19-19-6) at Florida Everblades (21-20-4)                         7:30 p.m. ET  

·     Reading’s Olivier Labelle is tied for second with nine power-play goals.

·     Florida’s Scott Pitt is tied for seventh among rookies with 29 points (13g-16a).

·     Royals are league’s third-least penalized team with 14.14 penalty minutes per game.

·     Everblades are 14-4-2 when scoring first.  

Toledo Walleye (17-22-4) at Kalamazoo Wings (24-14-5)                                       7:30 p.m. ET  

·     Toledo’s Bryan Rufenach is third among defensemen with 11 goals.

·     Trent Daavettila leads Kalamazoo against the Walleye with eight points (1g-7a).

·     Walleye are 10-1-2 when leading after two periods.

·     K-Wings are first on the power play at 22. 3 percent (45-for-202).
 

South Carolina Stingrays (27-17-2) at Cincinnati Cyclones (19-14-6)                    7:35 p.m. ET  

·     South Carolina’s Philipp Grubauer is third with a 2.14 goals-against average.

·     Cincinnati’s Mathew Sisca is third among rookies with 39 points (14g-25a).

·     Stingrays are third on the penalty kill at 86.5 percent (173-for-200).

·     Cyclones are third with 28.08 shots-against per game.  

Greenville Road Warriors (26-16-2) at Gwinnett Gladiators (23-12-10)    7:35 p.m. ET  

·     Greenville’s Marc-Olivier Vallerand is fourth with 23 goals.

·     Gwinnett’s Nakita Kashirsky is on an eight-game point streak since Jan. 14 (3g-6a).

·     Road Warriors are first on the power play on the road at 24.0 percent (23-for-96).

·     Gladiators are fourth with 2.71 goals-against per game.  

Elmira Jackals (26-15-2) at Wheeling Nailers (24-16-3)                                         7:35 p.m. ET  

·     Elmira’s Dustin Gazley leads rookies with 31 assists and 43 points.

·     Chris Barton leads Wheeling against the Jackals with 10 points (4g-6a).

·     Jackals are 18-8-1 when outshot by their opponent.

·     Nailers have outscored their opponents 54-39 in the second period.  

Ontario Reign (24-14-4) at Utah Grizzlies (19-20-4)                                                7:05 p.m. ET  

·     Ontario’s Derek Couture leads the league with 10 power-play goals.

·     Utah’s Mitch Fadden is tied for second with 20 power-play points (4g-16a).

·     Grizzlies are fourth on the penalty kill at 85.3 percent (185-for-217).   

Colorado Eagles (22-16-5) at Bakersfield Condors (10-30-5)                                 7 p.m. PT  

·     Colorado’s Kevin Ulanski is tied for third with five game-winning goals.

·     Bakersfield’s Robby Dee is tied for third with three shorthanded goals.

·     Eagles are second with 3.51 goals per game.

·     Condors are 6-1-1 when leading after two periods.  

Alaska Aces (32-9-6) at Las Vegas Wranglers (28-14-4)                                        7:05 p.m. PT  

·     Alaska’s Bryan Miller is tied for second with 20 power-play points (6g-14a).

·     Las Vegas’ Joe Fallon leads the league with 23 wins.

·     Wranglers are second with 33.50 shots per game.  

Idaho Steelheads (20-19-5) at Stockton Thunder (22-18-4)                                    7:30 p.m. ET  

·     Idaho’s Jerry Kuhn leads the league with 1,190 saves.

·     Ian O’Connor leads Stockton against the Steelheads with seven points (3g-4a).

·     Steelheads are 10-0-4 when leading after two periods.

·     Thunder are 16-2-1 when scoring first.  

MOST CAREER COACHING WINS, REGULAR SEASON  

491 – John Marks (Charlotte, 1993-98; Greenville, 1998-06; Pensacola, 2007-08 and Augusta, 2008-09)

480 – John Brophy (Hampton Roads, 1989-2000 and Wheeling, 2001-03)

446 – Jeff Pyle (Mobile, 1998-02 and Gwinnett, 2003-11)

332 – Frank Anzalone (Nashville, 1991-92; Roanoke, 1993-98; Pee Dee, 1999-2000 and Johnstown, 2005-07)

331 – Jason Christie (Peoria, 2000-05; Utah, 2005-08 and Ontario, 2011-Present)

Watch Games Live on America One, the “Official Broadband and Mobile Broadcaster” of the ECHL

Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League Fast Facts 

• Watch games live on America One, the “Official Broadband & Mobile Broadcaster” of the ECHL.

• The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

• ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 20 teams in 16 states in 2011-12.

• The league officially changed its name from East Coast Hockey League to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

• 483 players have played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL including 23 in 2010-11.

• 16 ECHL players have made their NHL debut in 2011-12: former Florida Everblades center Mike Angelidis (Tampa Bay on Jan. 24), former Victoria Salmon Kings defenseman Jordie Benn (Dallas on Jan. 3), former Bakersfield Condors and Elmira Jackals defenseman Stu Bickel (New York Rangers on Dec. 20), former Greenville Road Warriors defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon (Philadelphia on Nov. 21), former South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Joe Finley (Buffalo on Dec. 2), former Victoria Salmon Kings defenseman Kris Fredheim (Minnesota on Nov. 17), former Elmira Jackals center Mike Hoffman (Ottawa on Dec. 23), former Victoria Salmon Kings goaltender Leland Irving (Calgary on Dec. 16), former Toledo Storm and Reading Royals center Bracken Kearns (Florida on Oct. 20), Stockton Thunder center Milan Kytnar (Edmonton on Jan. 11), former Bakersfield Condors center Maxime Macenauer (Anaheim on Oct. 7), former Idaho Steelheads center and two-time ECHL All-Star Greg Rallo (Florida on Dec. 18), former Cincinnati Cyclones center Ryan Russell (Columbus on Jan. 7), former Reading Royals goaltender Ben Scrivens (Toronto on Nov. 3), former Cincinnati Cyclones defenseman Frederic St. Denis (Montreal on Nov. 16) and former Ontario Reign defenseman Colten Teubert (Edmonton on Nov. 3).

• Three players have played in the ECHL and NHL in 2011-12: Milan Kytnar with Stockton and Edmonton, Peter Mannino with Chicago and Winnipeg and Allen York with Chicago and Columbus.

• The ECHL has had 291 players reach the NHL since 2002-03 when it changed its focus to become the primary developmental league for the NHL and the AHL. The ECHL had 97 players reach the NHL in its first 10 seasons and 215 in the first 15 years.

• 227 ECHL players have played their first game in the last seven seasons for an average of more than 32 per year.

• ECHL had a record 81 players on NHL opening-day rosters in 2011-12, surpassing the 79 from 2010-11 and marking the ninth year in a row that there have been over 50 former ECHL players on opening-day rosters.

• ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 NHL teams, marking the 15th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

• 30 coaches with an ECHL background are working behind the benches of teams in the NHL in 2011-12 including Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach and 2011 Jack Adams Award winner Dan Bylsma, New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano, Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan, Philadelphia Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette and Winnipeg Jets head coach Claude Noel. It is the seventh consecutive season that there have been 11 or more coaches with an ECHL background working in the NHL. Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999, was named NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach to receive the award.

• 22 former ECHL officials are scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2011-12 with referees David Banfield, Francis Charron, Ghislain Hebert, Jean Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O’Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre, Graham Skilliter and Ian Walsh, and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Matt MacPherson, Tim Nowak, Bryan Pancich and Jay Sharrers.

• ECHL was represented for the 11th year in a row on the Stanley Cup champion with Boston Bruins assistant coach Geoff Ward, players Rich Peverley, Michael Ryder and Tim Thomas, radio broadcaster Dave Goucher and scout Tom McVie. Thomas is the first former ECHL player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There were 34 former players and 19 coaches on the 16 teams competing in the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, marking the sixth year in a row that there have been at least 30 former ECHL players and the eighth consecutive season that over 25 players with ECHL experience have competed in the NHL postseason.

• Former Hampton Roads Admirals left wing Andrew Brunette became the first ECHL alum to play in 1,000 regular-season NHL games when he reached the milestone with the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 1, 2011.

• Former ECHL and current Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas was the recipient of the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the NHL in 2010-11, marking the second time he has won the award in the past three seasons. Thomas set a single-season NHL record with a .938 save percentage.  

• Former ECHL player and current Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma was the recipient of the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s Coach of the Year in 2010-11.  

• ECHL was represented in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game by Dan Girardi of the New York Rangers, Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings and Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins.  

• Former ECHL broadcasters working in the NHL include John Ahlers and Steve Carroll of the Anaheim Ducks, Tom Callahan of the Nashville Predators, Dave Goucher of the Boston Bruins, Chris Kerber of the St. Louis Blues, Jack Michaels of the Edmonton Oilers, Dave Mishkin of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Bob McElligott of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

• Ryan Stanzel and Jeremy Zager, who were both recipients of the ECHL Media Relations Director of the Year award, are working in the communications department for the Minnesota Wild and the Los Angeles Kings, respectively. Former ECHL assistant director of communications Joe Siville and Kelly Murray are now with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals, respectively, while former ECHL director of communications Jason Rothwell is the creative director for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

• ECHL has affiliations with 24 of the 30 teams in the American Hockey League in 2011-12 and for the past 22 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup Champion.

• In the last seven seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 3,000 call-ups involving more than 1,600 players and in 2010-11 there were 10 times as many call-ups from the ECHL to the AHL than all other professional leagues.

• The ECHL averaged 4,339 fans per game in 2010-11, marking the seventh consecutive season and the 19th time in the last 21 years that the ECHL has averaged over 4,000 fans.

• Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.