NHL Minor League Hockey Team Affiliates Breakdown

So what happens after an NHL team drafts a player?

Jun 10

ECHL Awards: Brandon Hawkins Named ECHL MVP For Second Straight Season

Brandon Hawkins is known as The Mayor around Toledo and odds are that if he really ever did run for office, he’d win in a landslide. That’s especially true after the Toledo Walleye’s veteran forward claimed the Warrior Hockey ECHL MVP Award for the second straight season.

Apr 18

ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs 2025 To Begin April 16: How To Watch, What To Know

The 2024-25 ECHL regular season has come to a close and it's time to get the second season underway. The Kelly Cup Playoffs will begin Wednesday, April 16 as the chase for the league's top prize is down to its 16 teams for the division semifinals.

Apr 14

ECHL Kelly Cup Playoff Chase Update: Spots Still Up For Grabs

The 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs field is getting closer to being set as we enter the final weeks of the regular season.

Apr 4

ECHL Holiday Break: Gifts Teams Could Really Use This Season

The ECHL’s holiday break is a tough time for coaches and a great time for players.

Dec 24, 2024

Surging Savannah Ghost Pirates Lead Five Key Storylines In ECHL So Far

ECHL teams have had four weekends of play, enough time for us to get a sense of interesting early storylines.

Nov 13, 2024

How To Succeed In The ECHL: Some Advice For Expansion Teams

The ECHL has two expansion teams this season – the Bloomington Bison and Tahoe Knight Monsters – with another on the way in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Oct 25, 2024

NHL Minor League Hockey Team Affiliate List 2024-2025

For the vast majority of players in the NHL, they're going to need a stop playing within the farm system of the club that either drafted or signed them. Some will get their start in the ECHL, the premier "AA" hockey circuit, while many will spends some time in the American Hockey League, the last step for most players before they realize their NHL dreams.

Sep 12, 2024

What We Learned During The First Week Of The 2024 ECHL Playoffs

I’d venture that almost every Florida Everblades fan would struggle to pick Matthew Wedman out of a lineup. But those same fans certainly adore him right now.

Apr 22, 2024

Indy Fuel Vs. Wheeling Nailers: ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs Matchup Preview

The Indy Fuel and the Wheeling Nailers will meet in the opening round of the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Veteran ECHL writer Justin Cohn breaks down the series and tells you what you should keep an eye on during the series.

Apr 16, 2024

ECHL 2024 Playoffs First Round Schedule And How To Watch The Kelly Cup

The 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs are here! After a grueling 72-game season, 16 teams remain in the hunt for the ECHL's top prize.

Apr 15, 2024

Race For ECHL Central Division Playoff Spots Is Must-See Hockey

The Indy Fuel’s Ross MacDougall, backtracking in front of his own net, coughed up the puck to the Wheeling Nailers’ Matt Koopman.

Apr 5, 2024

10 ECHL Shutdown Defensemen You Should Know

It’s only natural that we give a lot of love to the players who score highlight-reel goals and make snazzy 100-foot passes. We also love the goaltenders who make acrobatic saves. Fighters, we never stop talking about them, do we?

Mar 28, 2024

Walleye's Keenan, K-Wings' Vorva Among 10 Most Underrated ECHL Players

We all give a lot of love to the big scorers in the ECHL, the Brandon Hawkins and Wade Murphys of this world. And, of course, we love those big-shooting defensemen like Matt Register and Jalen Smereck. And the highlight-making goaltenders, such as Cam Johnson.

Feb 26, 2024

One Game To Win, Here Are The ECHL Goalies You Want

Any hockey team that hopes to have success in the postseason knows it must have a reliable goalie, someone who can steal a big game when the pressure is at its highest.

Jan 26, 2024