| 2018–19 ECHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | ECHL |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 12, 2018 – April 7, 2019 |
| Regular season | |
| Brabham Cup | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| SeasonMVP | Jesse Schultz(Cincinnati) |
| Top scorer | Jesse Schultz(Cincinnati) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Zach O'Brien(Newfoundland) |
| Kelly Cup | |
| Champions | Newfoundland Growlers |
| Runners-up | Toledo Walleye |
| ECHL seasons | |
The2018–19 ECHL season was the31st season of theECHL. The regular season was scheduled to run from October 12, 2018, to April 7, 2019, with theKelly Cup playoffs to follow. Twenty-seven teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces each play a 72-game schedule. TheKelly Cup was won by theNewfoundland Growlers in their inaugural season over theToledo Walleye.
After serving as league commissioner for 16 seasons, Brian McKenna, stepped down from the position following the 2017–18 season.[1] He was replaced by Ryan Crelin, who had most recently been serving as the ECHL's chief operating officer.[2]
As the new ECHL teams in Portland, Maine, and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, were added to the North Division of the Eastern Conference, theWheeling Nailers were moved to the Western Conference and Central Division. With the Colorado Eagles joining theAmerican Hockey League, theKansas City Mavericks moved back to the Mountain Division from the Central.[7]
The annual ECHL Board of Governors meeting was held at theNew York-New York Hotel and Casino inLas Vegas,Nevada, from June 18 to 22, 2018.[17]
The 2019CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic was held on January 21, 2019, at theHuntington Center inToledo, Ohio.[18] The All-Star Classic retained the four team, 3-on-3 player tournament style used the previous season, but featured two teams made from theToledo Walleye (named Team Hooks and Team Fins) and one team for each conference's All-Star players. In the round-robin, the Western Conference and Team Fins each went 2–1, while the Eastern Conference and Team Hooks went 1–2. In the semifinal round, the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference 4–3 and Team Fins defeated the Team Hooks 3–1. The Eastern Conference All-Star team then defeated Team Fins 2–1 following ashootout. TheBrampton Beast's David Pacan was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.[19]
The skills competition took place in between rounds of the tournament. TheToledo Walleye's Bryan Moore won the fastest skater event, the Walleye's A.J. Jenks won the hardest shot event, and theBrampton Beast's David Pacan won the accuracy shooting event.[19]
Final standings:[20]
| North Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y –Newfoundland Growlers (TOR) | 72 | 43 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 258 | 207 | 94 |
| x –Adirondack Thunder (NJD) | 72 | 37 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 234 | 220 | 83 |
| x –Manchester Monarchs (LAK) | 72 | 39 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 233 | 232 | 82 |
| x –Brampton Beast (OTT) | 72 | 36 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 241 | 217 | 79 |
| Reading Royals (PHI) | 72 | 34 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 229 | 229 | 78 |
| Maine Mariners (NYR) | 72 | 37 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 221 | 247 | 77 |
| Worcester Railers (NYI) | 72 | 32 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 196 | 226 | 75 |
| South Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y –Florida Everblades (CAR) | 72 | 50 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 276 | 181 | 106 |
| x –Orlando Solar Bears (TBL) | 72 | 41 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 251 | 238 | 88 |
| x –South Carolina Stingrays (WSH) | 72 | 35 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 221 | 223 | 76 |
| x –Jacksonville Icemen (WPG) | 72 | 36 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 198 | 217 | 76 |
| Atlanta Gladiators (BOS) | 72 | 31 | 30 | 8 | 3 | 197 | 211 | 73 |
| Norfolk Admirals (ARI) | 72 | 27 | 36 | 6 | 3 | 218 | 278 | 63 |
| Greenville Swamp Rabbits (Ind.) | 72 | 25 | 41 | 3 | 3 | 192 | 254 | 56 |
| Central Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z –Cincinnati Cyclones (BUF) | 72 | 51 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 282 | 176 | 110 |
| x –Toledo Walleye (DET) | 72 | 40 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 237 | 221 | 89 |
| x –Fort Wayne Komets (VGK) | 72 | 36 | 26 | 4 | 6 | 233 | 248 | 82 |
| x –Kalamazoo Wings (VAN) | 72 | 36 | 31 | 2 | 3 | 229 | 254 | 77 |
| Indy Fuel (CHI) | 72 | 35 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 230 | 247 | 75 |
| Wheeling Nailers (PIT) | 72 | 31 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 239 | 240 | 72 |
| Mountain Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y –Tulsa Oilers (STL) | 72 | 42 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 236 | 198 | 90 |
| x –Idaho Steelheads (DAL) | 72 | 41 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 241 | 203 | 88 |
| x –Utah Grizzlies (COL) | 72 | 37 | 26 | 4 | 5 | 232 | 218 | 83 |
| x –Kansas City Mavericks (CGY) | 72 | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 234 | 228 | 78 |
| Wichita Thunder (EDM) | 72 | 29 | 31 | 9 | 3 | 224 | 251 | 70 |
| Rapid City Rush (Ind.) | 72 | 30 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 168 | 225 | 69 |
| Allen Americans (MIN) | 72 | 25 | 41 | 4 | 2 | 208 | 269 | 56 |
x - clinched playoff spot, y - clinched regular season division title, z -Brabham Cup (regular season) champion
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Schultz | Cincinnati Cyclones | 71 | 22 | 58 | 80 | 20 |
| Adam Pleskach | Tulsa Oilers | 72 | 38 | 37 | 75 | 74 |
| Chris McCarthy | Reading Royals | 72 | 20 | 54 | 74 | 23 |
| Caleb Herbert | Utah Grizzlies | 60 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 88 |
| David Pacan | Brampton Beast | 72 | 28 | 41 | 70 | 42 |
| James Henry | Adirondack Thunder | 72 | 15 | 54 | 69 | 63 |
| Zach O'Brien | Newfoundland Growlers | 53 | 28 | 40 | 68 | 6 |
| Andrew Cherniwchan | South Carolina Stingrays | 72 | 29 | 38 | 67 | 129 |
| Zac Lynch | Wheeling Nailers | 67 | 17 | 50 | 67 | 100 |
| Myles Powell | Cincinnati Cyclones | 57 | 31 | 35 | 66 | 24 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Williams | Tulsa Oilers | 34 | 1950 | 826 | 69 | 2 | 2.12 | .916 | 20 | 9 | 4 |
| Michael Houser | Cincinnati Cyclones | 41 | 2394 | 1085 | 85 | 2 | 2.13 | .922 | 29 | 7 | 5 |
| Tomas Sholl | Idaho Steelheads | 39 | 2324 | 1212 | 87 | 3 | 2.25 | .928 | 26 | 12 | 1 |
| Jeremy Helvig | Florida Everblades | 39 | 2304 | 1064 | 87 | 3 | 2.27 | .918 | 27 | 6 | 4 |
| Evan Buitenhuis | Worcester Railers | 28 | 1518 | 828 | 60 | 1 | 2.37 | .928 | 10 | 9 | 4 |
At the end of the regular season, the top four teams in each division qualifies for the2019 Kelly Cup playoffs and be seeded one through four based on highest point 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. The division champions then play each other in a conference championship. The Kelly Cup finals pits the Eastern Conference champion against the Western Conference champion. All four rounds are a best-of-seven format.[21]
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Conference Finals | Kelly Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Newfoundland Growlers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Brampton Beast | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Newfoundland Growlers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| North Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Manchester Monarchs | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Adirondack Thunder | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Manchester Monarchs | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Newfoundland Growlers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Florida Everblades | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Florida Everblades | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Jacksonville Icemen | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Florida Everblades | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| South Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Orlando Solar Bears | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Orlando Solar Bears | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S3 | South Carolina Stingrays | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Newfoundland Growlers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Toledo Walleye | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Cincinnati Cyclones | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Kalamazoo Wings | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Cincinnati Cyclones | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Central Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Toledo Walleye | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Toledo Walleye | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C3 | Fort Wayne Komets | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Toledo Walleye | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Tulsa Oilers | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Tulsa Oilers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| M4 | Kansas City Mavericks | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| M1 | Tulsa Oilers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Mountain Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| M2 | Idaho Steelheads | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| M2 | Idaho Steelheads | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| M3 | Utah Grizzlies | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Patrick Kelly Cup: | Newfoundland Growlers |
| Henry Brabham Cup: | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| Gingher Memorial Trophy: | Newfoundland Growlers |
| Bruce Taylor Trophy: | Toledo Walleye |
| John Brophy Award: | Matt Thomas, Cincinnati |
| CCM Most Valuable Player: | Jesse Schultz, Cincinnati |
| Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player: | Zach O'Brien, Newfoundland |
| Warrior Hockey Goaltender of the Year: | Michael Houser, Cincinnati |
| CCM Rookie of the Year: | Chris Collins, Kalamazoo |
| CCM Defenseman of the Year: | Eric Knodel, Cincinnati |
| Leading Scorer: | Jesse Schultz, Cincinnati |
| AMI Graphics Plus Performer Award: | Joe Cox, Florida |
| Sportsmanship Award: | Zach O'Brien, Newfoundland |
| Community Service Award: | James Henry, Adirondack |
| Birmingham Memorial Award: | Patrick Richardson |
First Team[22]
Second Team[22]
Rookie Team[23]