ECHL announces 2018-19 All-Rookie Team

The ECHL on Wednesday announced its All-Rookie Team for 2018-19 as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media, who were asked to select a goaltender, two defensemen and three forwards. 

A rookie is defined as a player who has played in less than 25 professional games at the “AA” level or higher prior to the start of the current season. 

2018-19 ECHL All-Rookie Team

G – Tomas Sholl, Idaho Steelheads (37 gp, 25-12-0, 2.26 GAA, .928 save pct.)D – Alex Breton, Allen Americans (53 gp, 14g, 25a, 39 pts.)D – Derek Sheppard, Florida Everblades (57 gp, 14g, 26a, 40 pts.)F – Chris Collins, Kalamazoo Wings (57 gp, 28g, 36a, 64 pts.)F – Steven Iacobellis, Wichita Thunder (54 gp, 20g, 40a, 60 pts.)F – Myles Powell, Cincinnati Cyclones (55 gp, 30g, 34a, 64 pts.) 

Since the ECHL began naming the All-Rookie Team in 2000-01, 19 players selected have gone on to play in the National Hockey League: Simon Gamache (2001-02); Mike Glumac, Vern Fiddler, Adam Hauser, Jason Jaffray and Zenon Konopka (2002-03); Kevin Doell and Brian Fahey (2003-04); Joey Tenute (2004-05); Cedrick Desjardins (2006-07); David Desharnais and Anton Khudobin (2007-08); Richard Bachman (2009-10); Kael Mouillierat and Ben Street (2010-11); Philipp Grubauer (2011-12); Laurent Brossoit (2013-14); Roman Will (2014-15) and Landon Bow (2016-17).

The ECHL will announce its First-Team All-ECHL and Second-Team All-ECHL teams on Thursday.

Tomas Sholl of the Idaho Steelheads is 25-12-0 with three shutouts in 37 appearances this season. He is tied for the ECHL lead with a .928 save percentage and ranks third in the league with a 2.26 goals-against average.

Alex Breton of the Allen Americans is tied for fourth among rookie defensemen with 39 points while his 14 goals are tied for first among all ECHL blueliners and are tied for fifth overall among defensemen.

Derek Sheppard of the Florida Everblades is tied for first among rookie blueliners with 14 goals and is third among first-year defensemen with 40 points. His six power-play goals are tied for first among rookie defensemen, and are tied for second among all defensemen.

Chris Collins of the Kalamazoo Wings is tied for first among rookies with 64 points, which is tied for eighth overall in the league. He ranks fifth among rookies with 28 goals and 36 assists, while leading first-year players with 218 shots on goal. Collins leads the ECHL with 10 shorthanded points, while his six shorthanded goals are tied for the league lead.

Steven Iacobellis of the Wichita Thunder is tied for first among rookies with 40 assists and is third with 60 points. He is second among first-year players with 18 power-play assists and 25 power-play points and is tied for fourth with seven power-play goals.

Myles Powell of the Cincinnati Cyclones leads ECHL rookies, and is tied for sixth overall in the league, with 30 goals, and he is tied for first among rookies with 64 points. Powell’s +45 is also tops among rookies and is second overall in the league. He ranks second among first-year players with nine power-play goals and is fifth with 19 power-play points.

About the ECHLBegan in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 27 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces for its 31st season in 2018-19. There have been 659 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 18 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2018-19 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 25 of the 31 NHL teams in 2018-19, marking the 22nd consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available at ECHL.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.