2022–23 ECHL season
Ice hockey league season
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The 2022–23 ECHL season was the 35th season of the ECHL. The regular season began on October 21, 2022, and ended on April 16, 2023, with the 2023 Kelly Cup playoffs to follow. 28 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces played 72 games.[1]
| 2022–23 ECHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | ECHL |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 21, 2022 – April 16, 2023 |
| Regular season | |
| Brabham Cup | Idaho Steelheads |
| Season MVP | Hank Crone (Allen) |
| Top scorer | Hank Crone (Allen) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Cam Johnson (Florida) |
| Kelly Cup | |
| Champions | Florida Everblades |
| Runners-up | Idaho Steelheads |
Team changes
- The league added a new expansion team, the Savannah Ghost Pirates in Savannah, Georgia.[2] With the addition of Savannah to the South Division and the move of the Norfolk Admirals from the South Division to the North Division, it made all the divisions equal at 7 teams each for the first time since the 2014-15 ECHL season, not counting the 2020-21 ECHL season, where only 14 teams played in two seven-team divisions.
Affiliation changes
Annual Board of Governors meeting
Beginning the 2022–23 ECHL season, The Board of Governors approved utilizing a two-referee system for 25 percent of all League regular-season games during the 2022–23 Season. Each team will play nine home games where the two-referee system is used.[23]
All-star game
The 2023 All Star Game was held on January 16, 2023, in Norfolk Scope Arena, home arena of the Norfolk Admirals.[24]
Standings
Updated through games of April 16, 2023
Eastern Conference
| North Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Newfoundland Growlers (TOR) | 72 | 48 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 271 | 217 | 98 | 0.681 |
| x – Reading Royals (PHI) | 72 | 41 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 262 | 215 | 88 | 0.611 |
| x – Maine Mariners (BOS) | 72 | 42 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 267 | 210 | 87 | 0.604 |
| x – Adirondack Thunder (NJD) | 72 | 32 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 237 | 243 | 75 | 0.521 |
| Worcester Railers (NYI) | 72 | 34 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 227 | 242 | 72 | 0.500 |
| Trois-Rivières Lions (MTL) | 72 | 29 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 216 | 273 | 61 | 0.424 |
| Norfolk Admirals (CAR) | 72 | 21 | 46 | 2 | 3 | 203 | 318 | 47 | 0.326 |
| South Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – South Carolina Stingrays (WAS) | 72 | 45 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 263 | 194 | 95 | 0.660 |
| x – Jacksonville Icemen (NYR) | 72 | 44 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 235 | 209 | 93 | 0.646 |
| x – Greenville Swamp Rabbits (LAK) | 72 | 40 | 23 | 8 | 1 | 244 | 211 | 89 | 0.618 |
| x – Florida Everblades (FLA) | 72 | 38 | 25 | 4 | 5 | 225 | 213 | 85 | 0.590 |
| Atlanta Gladiators (ARI) | 72 | 35 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 226 | 240 | 77 | 0.535 |
| Orlando Solar Bears (TBL) | 72 | 30 | 33 | 8 | 1 | 221 | 264 | 69 | 0.479 |
| Savannah Ghost Pirates (VGK) | 72 | 28 | 34 | 9 | 1 | 207 | 258 | 66 | 0.458 |
Western Conference
| Central Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Cincinnati Cyclones (BUF) | 72 | 47 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 266 | 216 | 103 | 0.715 |
| x – Toledo Walleye (DET) | 72 | 45 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 254 | 182 | 98 | 0.681 |
| x – Indy Fuel (CHI) | 72 | 43 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 244 | 208 | 91 | 0.632 |
| x – Fort Wayne Komets (EDM) | 72 | 34 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 270 | 275 | 75 | 0.521 |
| Kalamazoo Wings (CBJ) | 72 | 29 | 37 | 5 | 1 | 178 | 226 | 64 | 0.444 |
| Wheeling Nailers (PIT) | 72 | 29 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 223 | 244 | 63 | 0.438 |
| Iowa Heartlanders (MIN) | 72 | 22 | 36 | 13 | 1 | 189 | 256 | 58 | 0.403 |
| Mountain Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z – Idaho Steelheads (DAL) | 72 | 58 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 290 | 153 | 119 | 0.826 |
| x – Allen Americans (OTT) | 72 | 37 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 260 | 263 | 77 | 0.535 |
| x – Kansas City Mavericks (SEA) | 72 | 34 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 222 | 224 | 76 | 0.528 |
| x – Utah Grizzlies (COL) | 72 | 35 | 33 | 4 | 0 | 225 | 259 | 74 | 0.514 |
| Wichita Thunder (SJS) | 72 | 33 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 227 | 238 | 73 | 0.507 |
| Rapid City Rush (CGY) | 72 | 33 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 242 | 272 | 71 | 0.493 |
| Tulsa Oilers (ANA) | 72 | 22 | 41 | 8 | 1 | 203 | 279 | 53 | 0.368 |
x – clinched playoff spot, y – clinched regular season division title, z – Brabham Cup (regular season) champion
Postseason
Playoffs format
At the end of the regular season, the top four teams in each division qualify for the 2023 Kelly Cup playoffs and are seeded one through four based on the highest points total earned in the season. Then the first two rounds of the playoffs are held within the division with the first seed facing the fourth seed and the second seed facing the third seed. The division champions then play each other in a conference championship. The Kelly Cup finals pit the Eastern Conference champion against the Western Conference champion. All four rounds are a best-of-seven format.
Bracket
| Division Semifinals[25][26] | Division Finals[27][28] | Conference Finals[29] | Kelly Cup Finals[30] | ||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Newfoundland[31] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Adirondack[32][33][34] | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Newfoundland[35] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| North Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Reading[36] | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Reading[37][38] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Maine[39][40] | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Newfoundland[41] | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Florida[42] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S1 | South Carolina[43] | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Florida[44] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Florida[45] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| South Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Jacksonville[46] | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Jacksonville[47] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S3 | Greenville[48] | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Florida[49][50] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Idaho[51] | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Cincinnati[52] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Fort Wayne[53] | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Cincinnati[54] | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Central Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Toledo[55] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Toledo[56] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C3 | Indy[57] | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Toledo[58] | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Idaho[59] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Idaho[60] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| M4 | Utah[61] | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Idaho[62] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Mountain Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| M2 | Allen[63] | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| M2 | Allen[64][65] | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| M3 | Kansas City[66] | 2 | |||||||||||||||||