2019–20 NAHL season
Sports season
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The 2019–20 NAHL season was the 36th season of the North American Hockey League. The regular season was scheduled to run from September 2019 to April 2020 with a 60-game schedule for all teams. The Lone Star Brahmas won the regular season championship due to having the most points when the season was suspended.
| 2019–20 NAHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | North American Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | Regular season September 13, 2019 – March 12, 2020 Postseason Cancelled |
| Games | 60 |
| Teams | 23 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Lone Star Brahmas |
| Season MVP | Christian Gorscak (Johnstown Tomahawks) |
| Top scorer | Noah Kane (Maine Nordiques) |
| Robertson Cup Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | None |
COVID-19
On March 12, 2020, the NAHL announced that it was suspending play across the entire league pending future developments.[1] Less than a week later, the league cancelled the remainder of the schedule as well as the playoffs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[2]
Member changes
- On February 28, 2019, the New Mexico Ice Wolves and Maine Nordiques, were both accepted as expansion franchises for this season.[3][4]
- On June 3, 2019, the NAHL approved the relocation of the Brookings Blizzard to St. Cloud, Minnesota.[5] Because the move happened so late in the offseason, the team retained the 'Blizzard' nickname and would choose a new moniker in the near future.
Regular season
The standings at the end of the regular season were as follows:[6]
Note: x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched regular season title
Standings
Central Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Aberdeen Wings | 51 | 34 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 74 | 187 | 122 |
| Bismarck Bobcats | 52 | 32 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 72 | 178 | 130 |
| Austin Bruins | 51 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 63 | 158 | 149 |
| Minot Minotauros | 50 | 27 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 61 | 192 | 171 |
| Minnesota Wilderness | 52 | 26 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 56 | 160 | 165 |
| St. Cloud Blizzard | 52 | 10 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 130 | 240 |
East Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – New Jersey Titans | 52 | 38 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 77 | 240 | 172 |
| Johnstown Tomahawks | 54 | 34 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 72 | 185 | 140 |
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights | 53 | 26 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 57 | 165 | 181 |
| Maryland Black Bears | 52 | 20 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 47 | 157 | 166 |
| Jamestown Rebels | 54 | 21 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 127 | 163 |
| Northeast Generals | 50 | 20 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 157 | 191 |
| Maine Nordiques | 54 | 20 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 190 | 230 |
Midwest Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 52 | 38 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 79 | 197 | 111 |
| Chippewa Steel | 51 | 29 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 62 | 171 | 146 |
| Kenai River Brown Bears | 52 | 27 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 60 | 197 | 182 |
| Minnesota Magicians | 53 | 21 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 51 | 143 | 173 |
| Janesville Jets | 52 | 24 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 149 | 181 |
| Springfield Jr. Blues | 48 | 14 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 33 | 116 | 169 |
South Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yz – Lone Star Brahmas | 52 | 42 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 86 | 190 | 81 |
| Amarillo Bulls | 54 | 39 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 83 | 185 | 101 |
| Topeka Pilots | 52 | 33 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 71 | 151 | 129 |
| Shreveport Mudbugs | 52 | 34 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 164 | 107 |
| Corpus Christi IceRays | 53 | 16 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 39 | 102 | 156 |
| New Mexico Ice Wolves | 52 | 13 | 34 | 2 | 3 | 31 | 105 | 190 |
| Odessa Jackalopes | 50 | 9 | 39 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 73 | 203 |
Statistics
Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in regular season points at the completion of all regular season games.[7]
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Kane | Maine Nordiques | 54 | 20 | 44 | 64 | 66 |
| Christian Gorscak | Johnstown Tomahawks | 51 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 12 |
| Matt Guerra | Lone Star Brahmas | 51 | 18 | 45 | 63 | 103 |
| Mitch Machlitt | New Jersey Titans | 50 | 24 | 38 | 62 | 55 |
| Dante Sheriff | Austin Bruins | 47 | 17 | 45 | 62 | 97 |
| Lincoln Hatten | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights | 50 | 27 | 34 | 61 | 121 |
| Joey Baez | Lone Star Brahmas | 53 | 32 | 26 | 58 | 18 |
| Michael Outzen | New Jersey Titans | 52 | 19 | 38 | 57 | 16 |
| Kyle Jeffers | New Jersey Titans | 48 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 49 |
| Matt Allen | Amarillo Bulls | 54 | 25 | 32 | 57 | 33 |
Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | OTL | SOL | GA | SV | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cayden Bailey | Lone Star Brahmas | 30 | 1643:59 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 604 | .940 | 1.31 |
| Ludvig Persson | Lone Star Brahmas | 28 | 1547:49 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 585 | .932 | 1.55 |
| Charlie Glockner | Amarillo Bulls | 31 | 1790:16 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 51 | 720 | .929 | 1.71 |
| Max Gutjahr | Amarillo Bulls | 26 | 1378:47 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 491 | .917 | 1.78 |
| Maiszon Balboa | Shreveport Mudbugs | 28 | 1571:15 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 677 | .926 | 1.91 |
Robertson Cup playoffs
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic