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Patrick J. Kelly Cup

2012 Recipient - Florida Everblades

Beginning with the 1996-97 season, the Patrick J. Kelly Cup is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the ECHL.

History: Named in recognition of Patrick J. Kelly, one of the founding fathers of the ECHL. Kelly served as Commissioner of the ECHL for the first eight seasons before being named Commissioner Emeritus in 1996, a title which he continues to hold. Kelly is celebrating his 60th season in hockey in 2012-13, having begun his career with the St. Catherine Teepees of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 1952. He played professionally for the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League, the Troy Bruins of the International Hockey League, and the Greensboro Generals of the Eastern Hockey League. Kelly coached in the Eastern Hockey League from 1965-73 and was head coach and general manager of Charlotte in the Southern Hockey League from 1973-76. He coached the Colorado Rockies in the NHL in 1977-78 and is the only coach to lead the Rockies to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Following coaching stops in the American Hockey League, he went to Peoria in the International Hockey League where he led the Rivermen to the Turner Cup in his first season in 1984-85. The ECHL is proud to recognize Patrick J. Kelly’s distinguished career by naming its most coveted trophy in his honor.

All-Time Winners

Henry Brabham Cup

2013 Recipient - Alaska Aces

Beginning with the inaugural season in 1988-89, the Henry Brabham Cup is awarded annually to the regular-season point champion of the ECHL.

History: Named in recognition of Henry Brabham, a founding member of the ECHL, who was the first owner of the Erie Panthers. A former mayor and businessman who was a major force in professional hockey in Virginia for more than 15 years, Brabham worked tirelessly to establish the ECHL during its early years. The ECHL is proud to recognize his hard work and dedication by naming its regular-season champion award in his honor.

The Alaska Aces won their ECHL record fourth Brabham Cup, and extended their own record by winning the regular-season championship for the third consecutive season.
 

All-Time Winners

E.A. "Bud" Gingher Memorial Trophy

2013 Recipient - Reading Royals

The club that advances to the Kelly Cup Finals as the winner of the Eastern Conference Championship is presented with the E.A. "Bud" Gingher Memorial Trophy.

History: Named in recognition of E.A. "Bud" Gingher, who was Chairman of the ECHL Board of Governors from 1992-95. Gingher, who passed away in 2002, co-founded the Dayton Bombers in 1991 and owned the team for seven seasons, serving as President and Governor until selling the team in 1998. Gingher was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2009.

Beginning in 1997-98, the trophy was awarded to the playoff champion of the Northern Conference in the ECHL. The first recipient of the trophy following its renaming was the Dayton Bombers in 2001-02. From the 2004-05 season through 2009-10, the trophy was designated for the playoff champion of the American Conference.

All-Time Winners

Bruce Taylor Trophy

2013 Recipient - Stockton Thunder

The club that advances to the Kelly Cup Finals as the winner of the Western Conference Championship is presented with the Bruce Taylor Trophy. The first recipient of the trophy following its renaming was the playoff champion of the Western Conference in 2003-04.

History: The trophy is named in recognition of Bruce Taylor, who was the founding father of the West Coast Hockey League. In the early 1990s, Taylor purchased teams in Fresno, Reno and Bakersfield and in 1995 joined them with teams in Anchorage, Fairbanks and San Diego to form the West Coast Hockey League. The Taylor Cup was presented to the playoff champion in the WCHL from the league’s inaugural season in 1995-96 until the league ceased operations following the 2002-03 season. Taylor’s ownership in hockey began in 1983 with the purchase of the Burnaby Bluehawks of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League and continued with the purchase of the Richmond Sockeyes in the BCJHL and the New Westminster Royals in the BCJHL.

All-Time Winners

Jack Riley Cup

Retired in 1996

History: Named in recognition of Jack Riley, the Jack Riley Cup was awarded to the playoff champion of the ECHL from the league’s inaugural season in 1988-89 until 1995-96 when it was retired and replaced with the Patrick J. Kelly Cup. Beginning in 1938, Jack Riley did it all in professional hockey as a player, coach, general manager and scout. One of the most respected names in hockey, Riley was President of the American Hockey League from 1964-67 and was then a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League until being named Commissioner of the Southern Hockey League in 1975.

All-Time Winners

John Brophy Award

2013 Recipient - Jarrod Skalde, Cincinnati Cyclones

An annual award “to the ECHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success”.

History: The Coach of the Year award was named in honor of legendary ECHL coach John Brophy prior to 2003-04. Brophy coached more seasons than any other coach in league history with Hampton Roads from 1989-2000 and Wheeling from 2001-03, compiling a career record of 480-323-79 in the regular season and 55-39 in the postseason. Hampton Roads reached the postseason in each of his 11 seasons behind the bench, winning back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992 and an ECHL record third title in 1998. His three ECHL titles are the most in league history and he is also the all-time leader among ECHL coaches in regular season games (878) and regular season wins (480) and postseason games (94) and wins (55). Brophy has 1,027 professional wins and ranks second all-time in professional hockey behind only the legendary Scotty Bowman (1,244 wins).

Jarrod Skalde of the Cincinnati Cyclones is the 2012-13 recipient of the John Brophy Award as the league’s Coach of the Year.

Jason Christie of Ontario finished second in the voting, followed by Alaska’s Rob Murray, Brad Ralph of Idaho and Reading’s Larry Courville.

Skalde led the Cyclones to their first North Division title since 2009 with a 42-22-8 record for 92 points, a 13-point improvement over the 2011-12 season. It is the third-most wins and second-most points for the Cyclones since the club returned to the ECHL for the 2006-07 season.

Skalde is in his third season as head coach/director of hockey operations for Cincinnati after spending two years behind the bench of the Bloomington Prairie Thunder (IHL).

Selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Skalde played in 115 games with eight different teams in the National Hockey League. In addition to the Devils, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers. He also played professionally in the IHL, AHL, Switzerland, Sweden and Japan during a career that spanned 1,071 games. A five-time team captain and seven-time assistant captain, Skalde was a member of championship teams in Oshawa (OHL, 1990) and Orlando (IHL, 2001). During his professional career, he scored 308 goals with 513 assists for 821 points. He was named the Utah Grizzlies “Community Man of the Year” while playing there in 2004. Skalde and his wife, Erin, have two children, 15-year-old daughter True and 9-year-old son Skate.

All-Time Winners

CCM Most Valuable Player

2013 Recipient - Ryan Zapolski, South Carolina Stingrays

An annual award “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team”.

Ryan Zapolski of the South Carolina Stingrays has been selected as the CCM ECHL Most Valuable Player for 2012-13.

Mathieu Roy of Florida finished second, followed by Gwinnett’s Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Nick Mazzolini of Alaska and Colton Yellow Horn of Ontario.

Zapolski joins Frederic Cloutier (Louisiana, 2001-02) as the only players in ECHL history to win Rookie of the Year, Goaltender of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season. He is the first rookie to win MVP honors since Cincinnati’s David Desharnais in 2007-08, and joins Cloutier and Scott Stirling (Atlantic City, 2003-04) as the only goaltenders to be named ECHL Most Valuable Player.

The 26-year-old led the ECHL with a 1.64 goals-against average, a .942 save percentage and eight shutouts, while finishing tied for second with 27 wins and fifth with 2,378 minutes played. He set a new ECHL single-season record for lowest goals-against average, while tying the mark for most shutouts in a season and tying the second best save percentage in league history. Zapolski also earned Most Valuable Player honors at the 2013 ECHL All-Star Game, stopping all 17 shots he faced in the second period of the ECHL All-Star 7-3 win against Colorado.

A native of Erie, Pa., Zapolski allowed two goals or less in 32 of his 38 appearances this season, and was at his best down the stretch going 12-3-2 over his last 17 games with five shutouts, a 1.22 goals-against average and a save percentage of .960. 

All-Time Winners

Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player

2012 Recipient - John Muse, Florida Everblades

An annual award “to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs” as selected by members of the media at the conclusion of the final game of the Kelly Cup Finals.

Florida Everblades goaltender John Muse is the 2012 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player.

Muse appeared in 13 postseason contests for the Everblades, going 11-2 with one shutout, a 1.78 goals-against average and a save percentage of .939. He allowed two goals or less in 10 of his 13 appearances.

All-Time Winners

Reebok Goaltender of the Year

2013 Recipient - Ryan Zapolski, South Carolina Stingrays

An annual award “to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position”.


Ryan Zapolski of the South Carolina Stingrays is the recipient of the Reebok Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Year award for 2012-13.

Mark Guggenberger of Alaska finished second, followed by Idaho’s Josh Robinson, Joel Martin of Kalamazoo and Gwinnett’s Mike Lee.

Zapolski, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team and All-ECHL First Team, as well as  being named the Rookie of the Year, is the first rookie to be named the Goaltender of the Year since Alaska’s Jean-Philippe Lamoureux in 2008-09. He joins Louisiana’s Frederic Cloutier (2001-02), Trenton’s Scott Stirling (2000-01), Hampton Roads’ Jan Lasak (1999-00) and Richmond’s Maxime Gingras (1998-99) as winners of both the Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year in the same season.

The 26-year-old led the ECHL with a 1.64 goals-against average, a .942 save percentage and eight shutouts, while finishing tied for second with 27 wins and fifth with 2,378 minutes played. He set a new ECHL single-season record for lowest goals-against average, while tying the mark for most shutouts in a season and tying the second best save percentage in league history. Zapolski also earned Most Valuable Player honors at the 2013 ECHL All-Star Game, stopping all 17 shots he faced in the second period of the ECHL All-Star 7-3 win against Colorado.

All-Time Winners

CCM Rookie of the Year (John A. Daley Memorial Trophy)

2013 Recipient - Ryan Zapolski, South Carolina Stingrays

An annual award “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the ECHL. The winner receives the John A. Daley Memorial Trophy.

History: The rookie of the year award was named in honor of John A. Daley in 1997. Daley, who passed away in 1996, was one of the founding fathers of the ECHL, serving as general manager and minority owner of the Johnstown Chiefs from the inception of the team in 1988 until 1994.

Ryan Zapolski of the South Carolina Stingrays has been named CCM Rookie of the Year and the recipient of the John A. Daley Memorial Trophy.

All-Time Winners

Defenseman of the Year

2013 Recipient - Sacha Guimond, Gwinnett Gladiators

An annual award “to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest ability at the position”.

Sacha Guimond of the Gwinnett Gladiators is the ECHL Defenseman of the Year for 2012-13 as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members.

Matt Case of Idaho finished second, followed by Reading’s Adam Comrie, Nick Tuzzolino of Utah and Toledo’s Wes O’Neill.

Guimond, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team and to the All-ECHL First Team, led all ECHL defensemen with 37 assists and 49 points, and was fourth with 12 goals. He finished first among blue-liners with nine power-play goals and 29 power-play points while his 20 power-play assists were second among defensemen. Guimond has also appeared in six American Hockey League games with Worcester and Norfolk.

Guimond is just the third rookie in ECHL history to be named Defenseman of the Year joining Dayton’s Brandon Smith (1994-95) and Erie’s Kelly Szautner (1988-89).

All-Time Winners

Leading Scorer

2013 Recipient - Mathieu Roy, Florida Everblades

An annual award presented “to the player who leads the league in scoring at the end of the regular season”.

Mathieu Roy of the Florida Everblades has won the league scoring championship with 89 points (38g-51a).

Colorado’s Michael Forney was second with 79 points (35g-44a) followed by Jacob Cepis of Trenton with 76 points (25g-51a), and Florida’s Matthew Pistilli (25g-50a) and Gwinnett’s Casey Pierro-Zabotel (22g-53a) who both finished with 75 points.

Roy, who also led the league with 38 goals, is the first player since Kevin Baker in 2008-09 to lead the ECHL in both goals and points. The 26-year-old was named to the All-ECHL First Team last week. He finished the season tied for fourth in the league with 51 assists, was tied for fourth with 21 power-play assists and was second with 32 power-play points.

A native of Amos, Quebec, Roy has 281 points (123g-158a) in 393 career ECHL games with Pensacola and Florida and he has added 17 points (9g-8a) in 31 Kelly Cup Playoffs games. Roy captained the Everblades to their first-ever Kelly Cup title in 2012.

All-Time Winners

Reebok Plus Performer Award

2013 Recipient - Matt Case, Idaho Steelheads
 

An annual award presented “to the player who leads the league in plus-minus rating at the end of the regular season”.

Matt Case of the Idaho Steelheads is the recipient of the Reebok Hockey Plus Performer of the Year award after finishing the season with a plus-minus rating of +32.

Mario Lamoureux of Ontario finished second with a plus-minus rating of +30 followed by Jordon Southorn of Elmira who was +28 and Ontario’s C.J. Stretch and Kyle Kraemer, who both finished at +27.

Case, who was named to the All-ECHL First Team, finished the season third among defensemen with 39 points (6g-33a) and was tied for third among blueliners in assists. He finished even or better in 46 of his 62 games this season. He was a season-best +5 on Feb. 6 against Utah, when he tallied four points (1g-3a), tying for the fourth-best rating in the league this season.

All-Time Winners

Sportsmanship Award

2013 Recipient - Randy Rowe, Toledo Walleye

An annual award “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability” as voted by the coaches of each of the ECHL teams.

Randy Rowe of the Toledo Walleye is the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award for 2012-13 as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members.

Casey Pierro-Zabotel of Gwinnett finished second, followed by Colorado's Trent Daavettila, Nick Mazzolini of Colorado and Florida’s Mathieu Roy.

All-Time Winners

Community Service Award

2013 Recipient - Andy Brandt, Gwinnett Gladiators

An annual award presented to a player who goes above and beyond in his efforts for community and charitable causes.

Beginning last season, after the Gladiators’ Teddy Bear Toss delivery to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Brandt spearheaded an initiative to keep the Gladiators involved at the hospital through volunteer work by organizing ongoing player visits each month. Brandt and other members of the organization assist with the hospital’s weekly bingo each Thursday night.

Brandt is also active in the local Atlanta Youth Hockey scene as the youth hockey coordinator at the Cooler in Alpharetta. Following Gladiators’ practice, he can be found at the Cooler helping to coordinate, organize and set-up the youth hockey practices and activities for the youth hockey program.

He also spearheaded the Gladiators’ Movember crusade to spread the word concerning men’s cancer awareness. Brandt helped the Gladiators institute the campaign and participated in promotional activities to further prevention and awareness to the cause.

Brandt has also been the Gladiators’ leading voice for environmental preservation. His efforts have helped to minimize waste and energy with the club’s hockey operations.

All-Time Winners

Executive of the Year

2012 Recipient - Justin Kemp, Ontario Reign

The Executive of the Year is determined in a vote of the ECHL Board of Governors.

All-Time Winners

Excellence in Media Relations

2012 Recipient - J.P. Puma, Colorado Eagles

The Award of Excellence for media relations is determined in a vote of league media members, media relations directors and broadcasters.

All-Time Winners

Excellence in Broadcasting

2012 Recipient - Bob Mills, Chicago Express

The Award of Excellence for Broadcasting is determined in a vote of league broadcasters and media relations directors.

All-Time Winners

Excellence in Marketing

2012 Recipient - Gwinnett Gladiators

The Excellence In Marketing Award is presented annually to the team marketing department "adjudged to be the best in the league” as determined by outside expert judges.

All-Time Winners

Outstanding Media

2013 Recipient - Andrew Miller, The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C.

The Outstanding Media Award is determined in a vote of the ECHL media members, broadcasters, and media relations directors.

All-Time Winners

Award of Excellence

2012 Recipient - Toledo Walleye

The Award of Excellence will be presented by the league office to teams that are first-rate, who excel in all categories of sales and marketing, and who distinguish themselves in their community, both on and off the ice.

All-Time Winners

Ticket Department of the Year

2012 Recipient - Florida Everblades

The ECHL Ticket Department of the Year is determined in a vote of ECHL teams.

All-Time Winners

Ticket Executive of the Year

2012 Recipients - Will Goldman, Utah Grizzlies and Brad Urbani, Bakersfield Condors

The Ticket Executive of the Year is determined in a vote of the ECHL general managers.

All-Time Winners

Website Excellence

2012 Recipient - Idaho Steelheads

The web site Award of Excellence is presented annually to the team whose web site is "adjudged to be the best in the league” as determined by outside expert judges.

All-Time Winners

Ryan Birmingham Memorial Award

2013 Recipient - Brad Phillips

The Ryan Birmingham Memorial Award honors an On-Ice Official for his contributions and dedication to the league officiating staff and is determined in voting of ECHL On-Ice Officials. It is named in honor of ECHL linesman Ryan Birmingham, who tragically lost his life in an automobile accident in May 2007.

All-Time Winners

Reebok Equipment Manager of the Year

2013 Recipient - Adam Dexter, Orlando Solar Bears

The Reebok Hockey Equipment Manager of the Year Award is determined in a vote of ECHL equipment managers.

All-Time Winners

Reebok Athletic Trainer of the Year

2013 Recipient - Bob Case, Cincinnati Cyclones

The Reebok Hockey Athletic Trainer of the Year Award is determined in a vote of ECHL athletic trainers.

All-Time Winners