2024–25 ECHL season
Ice hockey league season
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The 2024–25 ECHL season was the 37th season of the ECHL. The regular season began on October 18, 2024, and ended on April 13, 2025, with the 2025 Kelly Cup playoffs to follow. Twenty-nine teams affiliated with an NHL team in 22 states and one Canadian province played 72 games.[1]
| 2024–25 ECHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | ECHL |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 18, 2024 – April 13, 2025 |
| Regular season | |
| Brabham Cup | South Carolina Stingrays |
| Season MVP | Brandon Hawkins (Toledo) |
| Top scorer | Brandon Hawkins (Toledo) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Trois-Rivières Lions |
| Eastern runners-up | Florida Everblades |
| Western champions | Toledo Walleye |
| Western runners-up | Kansas City Mavericks |
| Playoffs MVP | Luke Cavallin (Trois-Rivières) |
| Kelly Cup | |
| Champions | Trois-Rivières Lions |
| Runners-up | Toledo Walleye |
On June 7, the Trois-Rivières Lions won their first Kelly Cup championship over the Toledo Walleye in five games.[2]
League changes
The league added two new teams this season: the Tahoe Knight Monsters and the Bloomington Bison.
Coaching changes
| Old Coach | New Coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Smotherman | Bob Deraney | Worcester Railers |
| Alex Loh | Jared Staal | Savannah Ghost Pirates |
| Brenden Kotyk | Jared Nightingale | South Carolina Stingrays |
| Chad Costello | B.J. Adams | Allen Americans |
| Nick Luukko | Brandon Mashinter | Jacksonville Icemen |
| Expansion team | Phillip Barski | Bloomington Bison |
| Expansion team | Alex Loh | Tahoe Knight Monsters |
Affiliation changes
| ECHL team | New affiliates | Former affiliates |
|---|---|---|
| Allen Americans | Utah Hockey Club (NHL) Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) |
Ottawa Senators (NHL) Belleville Senators (AHL) |
| Bloomington Bison | New York Rangers (NHL) Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) |
Expansion team |
| Cincinnati Cyclones | Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) Toronto Marlies (AHL) |
New York Rangers (NHL) Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) |
| Florida Everblades | St. Louis Blues (NHL) Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) |
Florida Panthers (NHL) Charlotte Checkers (AHL) |
| Savannah Ghost Pirates | Florida Panthers (NHL) Charlotte Checkers (AHL) |
Vegas Golden Knights (NHL) Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) |
| Tahoe Knight Monsters | Vegas Golden Knights (NHL) Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) |
Expansion team |
Standings
As of April 13, 2025[3]
Eastern Conference
x – clinched playoff spot, y – clinched regular season division title, z – Brabham Cup (regular season) champion
e – indicates team has been eliminated from playoff contention
| North Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Trois-Rivières Lions (MTL) | 72 | 45 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 251 | 186 | 98 | 0.681 |
| x – Wheeling Nailers (PIT) | 72 | 43 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 225 | 194 | 90 | 0.625 |
| x – Norfolk Admirals (WPG) | 72 | 40 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 251 | 210 | 87 | 0.604 |
| x – Reading Royals (PHI) | 72 | 33 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 203 | 223 | 77 | 0.535 |
| e – Worcester Railers (NYI) | 72 | 34 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 214 | 248 | 76 | 0.528 |
| e – Maine Mariners (BOS) | 72 | 33 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 196 | 237 | 70 | 0.486 |
| e – Adirondack Thunder (NJD) | 72 | 26 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 190 | 246 | 57 | 0.396 |
| South Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z – South Carolina Stingrays (WAS) | 72 | 52 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 279 | 161 | 109 | 0.757 |
| x – Florida Everblades (STL) | 72 | 49 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 241 | 165 | 106 | 0.736 |
| x – Jacksonville Icemen (BUF) | 72 | 42 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 232 | 190 | 92 | 0.639 |
| x – Orlando Solar Bears (TBL) | 72 | 37 | 25 | 10 | 0 | 196 | 200 | 84 | 0.583 |
| e – Savannah Ghost Pirates (FLA) | 72 | 31 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 226 | 248 | 69 | 0.479 |
| e – Atlanta Gladiators (NSH) | 72 | 28 | 35 | 7 | 2 | 188 | 248 | 65 | 0.451 |
| e – Greenville Swamp Rabbits (LAK) | 72 | 27 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 191 | 251 | 62 | 0.431 |
Western Conference
| Central Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Toledo Walleye (DET) | 72 | 44 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 234 | 194 | 99 | 0.688 |
| x – Fort Wayne Komets (EDM) | 72 | 41 | 22 | 7 | 2 | 229 | 193 | 91 | 0.632 |
| x – Iowa Heartlanders (MIN) | 72 | 36 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 201 | 206 | 83 | 0.576 |
| x – Indy Fuel (CHI) | 72 | 32 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 180 | 195 | 74 | 0.514 |
| e – Kalamazoo Wings (VAN) | 72 | 31 | 33 | 6 | 2 | 201 | 229 | 70 | 0.486 |
| e – Cincinnati Cyclones (TOR) | 72 | 29 | 32 | 11 | 0 | 184 | 207 | 69 | 0.479 |
| e – Bloomington Bison (NYR) | 72 | 31 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 187 | 210 | 68 | 0.472 |
| Mountain Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Kansas City Mavericks (SEA) | 72 | 49 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 256 | 178 | 103 | 0.715 |
| x – Wichita Thunder (SJS) | 72 | 41 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 248 | 214 | 89 | 0.618 |
| x – Tahoe Knight Monsters (VGK) | 72 | 41 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 255 | 228 | 88 | 0.611 |
| x – Tulsa Oilers (ANA) | 72 | 40 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 244 | 212 | 88 | 0.611 |
| e – Idaho Steelheads (DAL) | 72 | 37 | 25 | 9 | 1 | 251 | 231 | 84 | 0.583 |
| e – Rapid City Rush (CGY) | 72 | 31 | 32 | 6 | 3 | 218 | 265 | 71 | 0.493 |
| e – Utah Grizzlies (COL) | 72 | 25 | 39 | 6 | 2 | 226 | 292 | 58 | 0.403 |
| e – Allen Americans (UTA) | 72 | 16 | 45 | 8 | 3 | 175 | 311 | 43 | 0.299 |
Statistical leaders
Scoring leaders
The following players are sorted by points, then goals.
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Hawkins | Toledo Walleye | 71 | 37 | 52 | 89 | 40 |
| Sloan Stanick | Tahoe Knight Monsters | 70 | 29 | 50 | 79 | 24 |
| Ryan Wagner | Rapid City Rush | 72 | 29 | 50 | 79 | 47 |
| Peter Bates | Wichita Thunder | 72 | 28 | 50 | 78 | 10 |
| Brady Fleurent | Norfolk Admirals | 72 | 30 | 47 | 77 | 10 |
| Michal Stínil | Wichita Thunder | 63 | 25 | 52 | 77 | 57 |
| Jack Dugan | Fort Wayne Komets | 70 | 23 | 53 | 76 | 129 |
| Jay Dickman | Wichita Thunder | 72 | 30 | 43 | 73 | 40 |
| Cade Borchardt | Kansas City Mavericks | 58 | 40 | 31 | 71 | 24 |
| Anthony Beauregard | Trois-Rivières Lions | 69 | 25 | 42 | 67 | 32 |
Leading goaltenders
GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime/shootout loss
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | SA | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | W | L | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Milic | Norfolk Admirals | 18 | 1091 | 504 | 33 | 3 | 1.82 | .935 | 11 | 5 | 2 |
| Cam Johnson | Florida Everblades | 47 | 2848 | 1145 | 91 | 5 | 1.92 | .921 | 37 | 6 | 4 |
| Garin Bjorklund | South Carolina Stingrays | 29 | 1721 | 794 | 58 | 1 | 2.02 | .927 | 21 | 4 | 3 |
| Taylor Gauthier | Wheeling Nailers | 30 | 1750 | 836 | 60 | 2 | 2.06 | .928 | 18 | 10 | 2 |
| Luke Cavallin | Trois-Rivières Lions | 23 | 1863 | 927 | 66 | 3 | 2.13 | .929 | 19 | 10 | 2 |
| Mark Sinclair | Bloomington Bison | 21 | 1182 | 595 | 42 | 1 | 2.13 | .929 | 10 | 6 | 2 |
Postseason
The top four teams in each division at the end of the regular season advanced to the 2025 Kelly Cup playoffs and were seeded one through four based on their end-of-season division ranking. Each round was a best-of-7 series with the winner advancing to the next round. The first two rounds were played between teams in the same division, with the first seed facing the fourth seed and the second seed facing the third seed. The winners of each division then played off to determine winners of each conference.[4]
Bracket
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Conference Final | Kelly Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Trois-Rivières | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Reading | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Trois-Rivières | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| North Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Norfolk | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Wheeling | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Norfolk | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Trois-Rivières | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Florida | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| S1 | South Carolina | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Orlando | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Florida | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| South Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Orlando | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Florida | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S3 | Jacksonville | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Trois-Rivières | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Toledo | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Toledo | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Indy | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Toledo | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Central Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Fort Wayne | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Fort Wayne | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C3 | Iowa | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Toledo | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Kansas City | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Kansas City | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| M4 | Tulsa | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Kansas City | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Mountain Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| M3 | Tahoe | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| M2 | Wichita | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| M3 | Tahoe | 4 | |||||||||||||||||