ECHL Announces Ryan Crelin As Next Commissioner
The ECHL has announced that Ryan Crelin will succeed Brian McKenna as the league’s next commissioner. Crelin has been with the league since 2005, most recently as the Chief Operating Officer. Ray Harris, the Chariman of the ECHL Board of Governors, had this to say about Crelin’s appointment:
I am extremely happy to welcome Ryan as the Commissioner of the ECHL. It has been a distinct pleasure to work with Ryan for the past 13 years and witness his growth within our organization first hand. His effort and devotion to our League is inspiring and I am confident that he will continue the success and growth of the ECHL.
Beginning in 1988-89, the ECHL has developed into a third tier of development for many organizations around the NHL. Organizations like Toronto and Pittsburgh have invested plenty of resources into their respective teams, using them as a place to stash goaltending prospects and those who have certain weaknesses in their game. When the 2017-18 season began in the NHL, 66 players on opening night rosters had previously spent time in the ECHL, including Tom Kuhnhackl, Francois Beauchemin, Micheal Ferland, Jonathan Quick and Mike Hoffman.
Even the Stanley Cup final holds former ECHL players, including Ryan Reaves, Braden Holtby and Jay Beagle. Deryk Engelland, who has become the heart and soul of a Vegas Golden Knights team because of his connection with the community, formed that bond with the city of Las Vegas while playing for the Las Vegas Wranglers in the early part of his career. While the league isn’t known for producing high end talent, they do have an impact on teams around the league and will only continue to do so as organizations move to more thorough development models.
This announcement comes after Laurence Gilman was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite being believed by many to be a front-runner for the ECHL commissioner job. Gilman will instead join the Maple Leafs as an assistant GM, and help run the Toronto Marlies. His decision is Crelin’s gain, as the former COO will be promoted after just one year in his previous role.
New Jersey Devils Extend ECHL Affiliation With Adirondack Thunder
The New Jersey Devils will not be looking for a new ECHL affiliate next season, as the team announced a one-year extension to their agreement with the Adirondack Thunder. The two franchises will be partnered with the Binghamton Devils to create a three-tiered organization for player development.
The Thunder had a champion last season in Ken Appleby, the 23-year old goaltender who spent time in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. Appleby actually recorded a .945 save percentage in his three NHL appearances, a shining achievement for a player who has bounced around in his professional career. The ECHL is an especially perfect place for teams to develop goaltenders, as there often isn’t enough minutes to go around at the AHL level. Appleby went undrafted out of the OHL, but has seemed to find his game in the low-pressure situation of the ECHL and is a legitimate goaltending prospect now (if perhaps not as a starting goaltender in the NHL).
Other teams around the league are beginning to realize the value of their ECHL organizations, and over the coming years we’re sure to see more and more interesting NHL prospects spend time in the low minors. For those players who may need work on specific areas of their game, or don’t have the size or strength to compete yet in the AHL, Adirondack and the rest of the ECHL are an easy place to stay in your organization’s view, without being overwhelmed.
Edmonton Oilers Extend ECHL Affiliation
The Wichita Thunder have announced that they’ve extended their affiliation with the Edmonton Oilers and Bakersfield Condors for the 2018-19 season. Wichita is part of the ECHL, where more and more teams are building a legitimate tier of player development. The Thunder are coming off their first playoff appearance since joining the ECHL in 2014.
As sports science and analytics become more ingrained in organizations around the league, teams find themselves with a need for player development past just the AHL. Franchises like Toronto and Pittsburgh have built a tiered model that allows players who may have previously been considered too raw to be introduced to professional hockey a chance to work on their weaknesses in a lower risk situation. Players like Tom Kuhnhackl, Josh Archibald and Mike Condon have all spent time with the Wheeling Nailers (Pittsburgh) while Garret Sparks, Christopher Gibson and Darcy Kuemper have all spent time with the Orlando Solar Bears (Toronto, Minnesota).
That model is spreading, and the Oilers could try to take advantage of it with their Wichita affiliation. Goaltending prospect Dylan Wells was able to get into a game after his junior season ended, and he could start his professional career there next season. That position in particular is one that can be used heavily, as there are only so many starts to go around at the AHL level.
Pavel Padakin Garnering NHL Interest
The off-season has yet to officially begin, but there have already been a number of international signings in recent weeks and there are surely more to come. Among those potential imports on the way could be KHL forward Pavel Padakin. Agent Igor Larionov confirmed to Russian source Championat that the Ukranian right winger has received several offers to play in the NHL next season.
Padakin, 23, has more North American experience than the typical young international player. After coming over as a 17-year-old in 2011 to play in the U.S. Tier II junior-level North American Hockey League, Padakin was able to make the jump to major junior the next year, joining the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. After three seasons in the WHL, Padakin signed a minor league deal and split the 2015-16 season between the AHL and ECHL. Only after that did he return to Europe, signing with Sochi.
However, after leading his team in assists this season, as well as finishing third in points and second in plus/minus, Padakin in back in North America to train and meet with team executives. While his career statistics don’t indicate that Padakin could make a major impact on an NHL team right away, his familiarity with the North American game matched with a solid skill set could make him a nice AHL depth addition for the time being.
Winnipeg Jets Recall Jamie Phillips From AHL
In preparation for their first round playoff matchup against the Minnesota Wild, the Winnipeg Jets have recalled goaltender Jamie Phillips from the AHL. Teams often carry three goaltenders in the playoffs in order to avoid a Scott Foster situation, but it’s unlikely that Phillips ever sees the ice.
With Eric Comrie and Michael Hutchinson manning the crease for the Manitoba Moose as they head towards the playoffs, Phillips wasn’t going to see a ton of time even in the AHL. That’s not because he doesn’t deserve it though, as the 25-year old has played well in his limited opportunities this season.
Splitting between the ECHL and AHL, Phillips actually carries a .912 save percentage in the higher league. Though that’s not world-beating, it is an impressive performance for a seventh-round pick who is in just his second year of professional hockey. Phillips starred at Michigan Tech before that, and has been solid organizational depth for the Jets the past two seasons.
Snapshots: World Championships, Wild, Mariners
Jeff Blashill will once again be the head coach of Team USA at the upcoming World Championships, with Dan Bylsma, Don Granato and Seth Appert joining him behind the bench. Blashill coached last year’s squad to a fifth-place finish, but he’ll be getting some star power this time around.
Patrick Kane has announced that he will suit up for the tournament, and he will serve as captain of Team USA. Alex DeBrincat will also be joining Kane for the US squad, a nice reward after an outstanding rookie season that saw him lead the Blackhawks with 28 goals.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled Carson Soucy, and expect him to be in the lineup for Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets. They might get another huge boost on the blue line though, as Jared Spurgeon was back on the ice today at practice. Spurgeon hasn’t yet been cleared to return to game action, but was paired with Soucy at practice and will attempt to get into the lineup for Wednesday’s match.
- The New York Rangers have signed an affiliation with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL that will start in 2018-19. The Rangers had previously been affiliated with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, but will now have both of their minor league partners—their AHL affiliate is the Hartford Wolf Pack—located in the northeast.
ECHL Announces Changes For 2018-19 Season
The ECHL is slowly getting more of a reputation as a development league vital to NHL success. Teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins have put a lot of resources into creating a sort of “AA” squad, where players can work on specific skills before making the jump to the AHL. Next year, the league will make some changes to their alignment, while also introducing and saying goodbye to various clubs.
St. John’s, Newfoundland in Canada will welcome minor league hockey back, as the ECHL will expand to the maritime city. The Maple Leafs are expected to change their affiliation from the Orlando Solar Bears to St. John’s, where they previously housed their AHL team for many years.
The Quad City Mallards, affiliated with the Vegas Golden Knights this season, have withdrawn their membership from the ECHL and will cease operations. The Mallards actually signed a multi-year partnership with Vegas, who will now be left to find another affiliate for next season.
Alignment will change with the team changes, and the league will be as follows in 2018-19:
North Division
Adirondack Thunder
Brampton Beast
Maine Mariners
Manchester Monarchs
Reading Royals
St. John’s (TBA)
Worcester Railers
South Division
Atlanta Gladiators
Florida Everblades
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Jacksonville Icemen
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
South Carolina Stingrays
Central Division
Cincinnati Cyclones
Fort Wayne Komets
Indy Fuel
Kalamazoo Wings
Toledo Walleye
Wheeling Nailers
Mountain Division
Allen Americans
Idaho Steelheads
Kansas City Mavericks
Rapid City Rush
Tulsa Oilers
Utah Grizzlies
Wichita Thunder
Minor Transactions: 03/13/18
The entire hockey world was watching last night as the league’s top two goal scoring talents went up against each other in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy. Though Patrik Laine is quite the challenger, Alex Ovechkin showed once again why he is regarded as one of the greatest of all-time. Ovechkin scored two, including the 600th of his career, just the fourth player in history to do so in fewer than 1,000 games.
As the league sends out congratulations to Ovechkin for his impressive accomplishment, they’ll continue to try and make minor tweaks to their roster to take him down once again in the postseason. We’ll keep track of all the minor transactions right here.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Linus Ullmark from the minor leagues in time for today’s practice. Ullmark is the future in goal for the Sabres, as both Robin Lehner (RFA) and Chad Johnson (UFA) are free agents this summer. Lehner will bring quite an expensive price tag, and has struggled at times this season.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Andreas Johnsson to the NHL for the first time in his career. The young forward has been the best player on the Toronto Marlies for most of the season, and has earned a taste of the next level after the Marlies clinched a playoff spot on the weekend. Calle Rosen has also been recalled under emergency conditions, meaning the sickness Nikita Zaitsev has been suffering from could be more serious than expected.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned Anthony Stolarz to their ECHL team today, which could mean that the goaltender is ready to get into some games finally. Stolarz has been ravaged by injuries for the last year, but remains an interesting option for the Flyers going forward. His 6’6″ frame and relatively good performance at the AHL level shows some potential, but he’ll have to stay healthy and prove that he’s ready for a full workload.
- Interestingly, the Tampa Bay Lightning have assigned Louis Domingue to the minor leagues now that Peter Budaj is healthy enough to play again. Domingue played well in his short stint as the backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, but will now wait in Syracuse for another opportunity.
- Ville Husso is on his way back down after backing up Jake Allen for the St. Louis Blues yesterday, meaning Carter Hutton is likely ready to return. The Blues play again on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche, in a very important game if they have any hope of making a charge at the playoffs.
- The Washington Capitals have decided that Madison Bowey is better off playing for the Hershey Bears than sitting in the press box, and have assigned the defenseman to the AHL. Bowey had been sitting out since the team acquired Michal Kempny and Jakub Jerabek at the deadline, and needs to get back into game action. The 22-year old looks like a big part of the future of the Washington blue line, and will likely be back up if they face any injuries down the stretch.
- Ryan Sproul is on his way up to the New York Rangers, as the team deals with an injury to Anthony DeAngelo and a setback in Kevin Shattenkirk‘s recovery. Sproul has played just four games in the NHL this season, but once again has shown his offensive ability in the minor leagues with 29 points in 49 games.
Snapshots: Emergency Goalie, Lundqvist, Pettersson, College Free Agents
The Winnipeg Jets may have called up Michael Hutchinson on paper, but they weren’t actually able to get him on the roster in time for their game tonight against the New Jersey Devils. According to the team, Hutchison’s flight into New York was delayed and he was unable to arrive to the game in time. As a result, the Jets were forced to sign an emergency backup to a tryout deal. The man behind Connor Hellebuyck tonight will be Zane Kalemba, a New Jersey native and a friend of Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler. Kalemba played junior hockey with Wheeler for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and went on to star for Princeton University. Kalemba only retired from hockey in 2016, having spent time in the ECHL, CHL, and several European leagues. An experienced keeper who, most importantly, was nearby, will have to do for the Jets tonight.
- A goalie in the tri-state area with a little more experience than Kalemba is New York Rangers superstar Henrik Lundqvist. In fact, when Lundqvist takes the ice tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he will tie former Tampa goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for the most NHL starts by a foreign-born goalie. The Rangers report that Lundqvist’s appearance, his 799th, is enough to share the top mark. When the Swedish keeper makes his next start, which could be as early as Saturday, he will not only reach a benchmark 800th appearance, but will also become the most experienced foreign keeper in NHL history.
- Another Swede setting records is Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson. Pettersson, who was selected fifth overall last year by Vancouver, has been playing in the top Swedish pro league, the SHL, this season. After a four-point outburst today, the Canucks pointed out that Pettersson’s 55 points on the year set a new record for the most points by a player under 20 in SHL history. The Vaxjo Lakers forward snapped a 42-year-old record while also taking over the league scoring lead. That’s not too shabby for a young player who looks to be an absolute stud-in-the-making for the Canucks.
- Some other young players looking to make an impact in the pros is the 2018 crop of college free agents. While Zach Whitecloud‘s deal with Vegas today was the first NHL deal so far, a few other NCAA prospects have already hooked up with AHL teams for contracts and tryout agreements for the remainder of the season and could earn big-league deals if they impress. These transactions include Whitecloud’s Bemidji State teammate Kyle Bauman joining the Ontario Reign (LAK), the San Jose Barracuda (SJS) inking Alaska-Fairbanks’ Zach Frye, Yale’s Ryan Hitchcock going nearby to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI), the Chicago Wolves (VGK) adding Wisconsin’s Ryan Wagner, and both Derian Plouffe of Niagara and Josh Kestner of Alabama-Huntsville signing with the Toronto Marlies (TOR).
West Notes: Vancouver, Brodeur, Vegas
After originally leaking out last week, news is set to come down tomorrow about the host city for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. That would be Vancouver, if today’s additional report by Sportsnet is to be believed. It will be the third time Vancouver will play host to the league, after first holding the event in 1990.
Jack Hughes, and American-born center who grew up in Toronto, is the early favorite to go first-overall after finding incredible success this season with the US Development Program. Hughes is just 16 at the moment, but scored 159 points in 80 games last season in his final year of midget, and has 128 in 67 games at various development levels this year.
- A familiar NHL name will be suiting up for the San Jose Barracuda in the coming days, as Jeremy Brodeur has signed a PTO with the club. Brodeur has been playing for the Allen Americans of the ECHL, where he has a .919 save percentage through 35 games. The son of Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, and grandson of Olympic medalist Denis Brodeur, the 21-year old has quite the family history of goaltending to live up to.
- The Vegas Golden Knights were probably the closest team to acquiring Erik Karlsson at the trade deadline, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required). The Detroit Red Wings were sitting around waiting to see whether their deal for Tomas Tatar would go through, while the Golden Knights dealt with another “major transaction” until close to the deadline. Vegas was willing to take on Bobby Ryan‘s massive contract, which could play in their favor in the summer months if Karlsson’s name is brought up once again.