ECHL Awards

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Patrick J. Kelly Cup

2011 Recipient - Alaska Aces

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 celebrated his 50th season in hockey in 2002-03, 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

2012 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 third Brabham Cup, and became the first team to win the regular-season title in back-to-back seasons.
 

All-Time Winners

E.A. "Bud" Gingher Memorial Trophy

2012 Recipient - Florida Everblades

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.

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

2012 Recipient - Las Vegas Wranglers

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

2012 Recipients - Rob Murray, Alaska Aces and John Wroblewski, Gwinnett Gladiators

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).

Rob Murray of the Alaska Aces and John Wroblewski of the Gwinnett Gladiators have been named co-recipients of the 2011-12 John Brophy Award as the league’s Coach of the Year.

Jason Christie of Ontario finished third in the voting, followed by Ryan Mougenel of Las Vegas and Elmira’s Pat Bingham.

Murray led the Aces to a 43-18-11 record, and the club’s sixth division championship in nine ECHL seasons. Alaska won its ECHL-record third Brabham Cup, becoming the first team in league history to win back-to-back regular-season championships. The Aces have earned a bye in the Western Conference Quarterfinals by virtue of finishing first in the Western Conference standings during the regular season.

Murray is in first season as head coach of Alaska after spending the previous eight seasons with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. He was the club’s assistant coach from 2004-08, working alongside former ECHL player and coach Scott Gordon. When Gordon was hired as head coach of the New York Islanders prior to the 2008-09 season, Murray was elevated to head coach in Providence. In his first season as head coach, Murray led the P-Bruins to a 43-29-8 record and a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals. He finished his three-year tenure with a 117-103-20 regular-season record. While in Providence, he coached seven players who went on to win the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011.

In his first season as head coach in Gwinnett, Wroblewski led the Gladiators to a 41-20-11 record and their first division championship since 2006. The Gladiators reached the 40-win mark for the sixth time in their nine seasons. Gwinnett earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and meets South Carolina in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Wroblewski joined Gwinnett after he served as an assistant coach with the Wheeling Nailers last year. He helped guide the Nailers to their best postseason finish since 1998 as Wheeling advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Before he joined the Nailers, Wroblewski began his coaching career with the USA Hockey Under 18 National Development Program from 2007 to 2010. In 2010, he helped the USA Under 18 National Development Team capture the Gold Medal in Minsk, Belarus. During his time with Team USA, Wroblewski served as an assistant to 2010-11 AHL Coach of the Year John Hynes and 2010-11 Calder Cup championship coach Kurt Kleinendorst.

All-Time Winners

CCM U+ Most Valuable Player

2012 Recipient - Chad Costello, Colorado Eagles

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

Chad Costello of the Colorado Eagles has been selected as the CCM ECHL Most Valuable Player for 2011-12.

Dustin Gazley of Elmira finished second, followed by Las Vegas’ Joe Fallon and Eric Lampe, and Justin Bowers of Greenville.

Costello, who was named First-Team All-ECHL, was fourth in the ECHL with 76 points (29g-47a) despite playing just 47 games. He was tied for fourth in the league in plus-minus at +21 and tied for sixth with 47 assists. He also appeared in 11 American Hockey League games this season with Springfield and Worcester tallying four assists.

A native of Johnston, Iowa, Costello was the ECHL’s Plus Performer of the Month for December after leading the league with a plus-minus rating of +19, and he was the league’s Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 11 after posting five points (3g-2a) and a +7 rating in three games.

All-Time Winners

Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player

2011 Recipient - Scott Howes, Alaska Aces

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.

Alaska Aces left wing Scott Howes is the 2011 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player.

Howes led the Aces in scoring during the postseason with seven goals, 19 points and a +11 rating in 11 games. He had an 11-game scoring streak come to an end on Saturday. He led the Kelly Cup Playoffs in plus-minus while he was tied for third in goals and tied for fourth in points.

All-Time Winners

Reebok Goaltender of the Year

2012 Recipient - Jeff Jakaitis, Gwinnett Gladiators

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


Jeff Jakaitis of the Gwinnett Gladiators is the recipient of the Reebok Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Year award for 2011-12.

Joe Fallon of Las Vegas finished second, followed by South Carolina’s Philipp Grubauer, Gerald Coleman of Alaska and Elmira’s Brian Stewart.

Jakaitis, who was named First-Team All-ECHL, led the ECHL with five shutouts and tied for the league lead with a .930 save percentage while ranking second with a 2.03 goals-against average. He tied the ECHL record with three consecutive shutouts from Dec. 17-28, and his shutout streak of 215:31 was within 20 minutes of the league record. His five shutouts set a new Gwinnett club record for shutouts in a season. Jakaitis twice earned ECHL Goaltender of the Week honors, and was named ECHL Goaltender of the Month for December.

All-Time Winners

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

2012 Recipient - Dustin Gazley, Elmira Jackals

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.

Dustin Gazley of the Elmira Jackals has been named CCM Rookie of the Year and the recipient of the John A. Daley Memorial Trophy.

Gazley, who was also named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team and the All-ECHL First Team, won the ECHL scoring title with 85 points (25g-60a) and led the league with 60 assists. He finished third among first-year players with 25 goals, and led rookies with 18 power-play assists and 23 power-play points, while finishing second with 231 shots on goal. Gazley is the second Jackal to capture Rookie of the Year honors in the last three seasons, joining Justin Donati who received the award in 2009-10.

All-Time Winners

Defenseman of the Year

2012 Recipient - Aaron Schneekloth, Colorado Eagles

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

Aaron Schneekloth of the Colorado Eagles is the ECHL Defenseman of the Year for 2011-12 as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members.

Bryan Miller of Alaska finished second, followed by Wheeling’s Andrew Hotham, Johann Kroll of South Carolina and Florida’s David Fischer.

Schneekloth, who was named to the All-ECHL First Team, led all ECHL defensemen this season in goals (20), points (62), power-play goals (9), power-play assists (21), power-play points (30) and shots (201), while tying for first among blue-liners in game-winning goals (6) and finishing second in assists (42).

All-Time Winners

Leading Scorer

2012 Recipient - Dustin Gazley, Elmira Jackals

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

Dustin Gazley of the Elmira Jackals led the ECHL with 85 points (25g-60a).

Las Vegas’ Adam Miller was second with 84 points (32g-52a) followed by Justin Bowers of Greenville with 78 points (19g-59a), Chad Costello of Colorado with 76 points (29g-47a) and Trent Daavettila of Kalamazoo with 74 points (18g-56a).

Gazley becomes the third consecutive Jackal to win the league’s scoring title, joining Justin Donati in 2010-11 and Tyler Donati in 2009-10. It marks the first time in ECHL history that the same team has had players win the scoring title in three consecutive seasons. Gazley is also just the fifth rookie in the league’s 24-history to win the scoring title, and just the third in the past 22 seasons. He joins David Desharnais (2007-08), Alex Leavitt (2005-06), Bill McDougall (1989-90) and Daryl Harpe (1988-89) as first-year players to lead the ECHL in scoring.

The 23-year-old was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team and the All-ECHL First Team. He led the ECHL with 60 assists, and led all rookies with 18 power-play assists and 23 power-play points.

All-Time Winners

Reebok Plus Performer Award

2012 Recipients - Mathieu Aubin, Cincinnati Cyclones
 

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

Mathieu Aubin of the Cincinnati Cyclones is the recipient of the Reebok Plus Performer of the Year award after finishing the season with a plus-minus rating of +25.

Darren Archibald of Kalamazoo finished second with a plus-minus rating of +22 followed by Judd Blackwater of Las Vegas, Chad Costello of Colorado, Eric Lampe of Las Vegas, Mike Little of Stockton and Pierre-Luc O’Brien of South Carolina who each finished at +21.

Aubin led the Cyclones, and was tied for seventh in the league, with 68 points (30g-38a) in 62 games. He went +12 in the final month of the season, including posting a +4 rating on March 3 against Wheeling and on March 16 at Gwinnett. The 25-year-old appeared in his 300th career professional game on Dec. 3 against Greenville, and has 252 points (107g-145a) in 276 career ECHL games with Cincinnati and Bakersfield. He was part of the Cyclones Kelly Cup championship teams in both 2008 and 2010.

All-Time Winners

Sportsmanship Award

2012 Recipient - Kevin Ulanski, Colorado Eagles

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.

Kevin Ulanski of the Colorado Eagles is the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award for 2011-12 as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members.

Trent Daavettila of Kalamazoo finished second, followed by Greenville’s Justin Bowers, Chad Costello of Colorado and Las Vegas’ Mike Madill.

All-Time Winners

Community Service Award

2012 Recipient - Jason Fredricks, Ontario Reign

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

Fredricks has taken a proactive approach to community appearances during his two seasons with the Reign. He has volunteered his time to help feed the homeless, appeared at an American Red Cross blood drive and helped to raise money at a Christmas tree loading and delivery event.

A native of Eagle River, Wisc., Fredricks has also worked with disabled children during school visits, participated in Read Across America and assisted in making phone calls to Reign season-ticket holders.

All-Time Winners

Executive of the Year

2011 Recipient - Dan Chapman, Stockton Thunder

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

All-Time Winners

Excellence in Media Relations

2011 Recipient - Will Hoenike, Idaho Steelheads

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

2011 Recipient - Josh Bogorad, Alaska Aces

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

All-Time Winners

Excellence in Marketing

2011 Recipient - Cincinnati Cyclones

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

2011 Recipient - Pam Shebest, Kalamazoo Gazette

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

2011 Recipient - Bakersfield Condors

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

2011 Recipient - Ontario Reign

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

All-Time Winners

Ticket Executive of the Year

2011 Recipient - Dave Piecuch, Stockton Thunder

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

All-Time Winners

Website Excellence

2011 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

2012 Recipient - Jason Rollins

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.

The 2011-12 recipient of the Ryan Birmingham Memorial Award is referee Jason Rollins.

All-Time Winners

Reebok Equipment Manager of the Year

2012 Recipient - Ryan Martin, Greenville Road Warriors

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

2012 Recipient - Mike Schroeder, Chicago Express

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

All-Time Winners