ECHL update

The East Coast Hockey League, the developmental, minor professional hockey league that, despite its name, includes the US and Canada coast to coast, has about two months remaining in its regular season. Let’s take a look around the league before we look ahead to the playoffs.

The Kansas City Mavericks lead the league with a .813 win percentage, winning 38 of their 48 games played so far, including their current nine-game win streak. They have outscored their opponents 167-103, and their +64 goal difference is the largest margin held by any team.

They are joined by the Idaho Steelheads and the Wheeling Nailers in second and third, with 33 and 30 wins, respectively. The Atlanta Gladiators and Florida Everblades round out the top five.

Although the Steelheads are currently second in the league by points, they have two games in hand and would be third out of the bunch based on win percentage.

Rounding out the top ten are the South Carolina Stingrays, Fort Wayne Komets, Toledo Walleye, Adirondack Thunder and Reading Royals, all sitting above or near a .600 win percentage.

The defending Kelly Cup Champion Trois-Rivières Lions have struggled this season, currently sitting at 19th in the league and just above .500. Although their win percentage is not bad, they're still almost in the bottom third of the league, as the truly bottom teams are seriously struggling, but boosting their competition’s stats.

Out of 30 teams in the league, the last seven have not yet breached 20 wins on the season. The Iowa Heartlanders, Greensboro Gargoyles, and Tulsa Oilers have win percentages in the .300s. Iowa is outshot by its competition by 40 goals, while Greensboro and Tulsa are outshot by nearly 50.

New to the league this season, the Carolina Hurricanes’ affiliate, the Gargoyles, have more to focus on and strive to achieve than a winning record. While their concept received generally positive reactions across the league andfanbases, they have struggled to fill seats. While winning games will certainly help attendance, they must become a more prevalent figure in the community to ensure their continued existence.

Despite the Gargoyle’s trouble, the ECHL has continued to see increasing viewership, sales and attendance over the past few years.

On the player leaderboards, Toledo’s Brandon Hawkins leads forwards with 56 points in 45 games played. Idaho’s Brendan Hoffman and South Carolina’s Simon Pinard follow with 51 each, although Pinard has played three more games than Hoffman.

Marcus Krawford of the Kansas City Mavericks leads the league in defenseman points with 60 in 48 games. The offensively dominant defenseman has helped propel the Mavericks to the top of the league.

Goaltender Connor Ungar from the Orlando Solar Bears leads goaltenders with more than one game played at a .944 SV% and a 1.54 GAA.

However, among goalies who have played more than 20 games this season, Savannah Ghost Pirates’ Vinnie Purpua leads with an impressive .930 SV% and 2.03 GAA average through his 22 games.

​​The ECHL has a relatively quiet night on Thursday, with just two games, before jumping into the weekend rush with 34 games total split among the league’s 30 teams through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Jenny Karamus is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email jrk6308@psu.edu.