All-ECHL First and Second Teams announced

The ECHL on Thursday announced its All-ECHL First and Second Teams for 2021-22 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.

2021-22 All-ECHL First TeamG – Francois Brassard, Jacksonville Icemen (30 gp, 18-9-3, 2.23 GAA, .911 save pct.)D – Charle-Edouard D'Astous, Utah Grizzlies (51 gp, 26g, 31a, 58 pts.)D – Ben Finkelstein, Newfoundland Growlers (34 gp, 11g, 48a, 59 pts.)F – Will Graber, Fort Wayne Komets (57 gp, 26g, 57a, 83 pts.)F – TJ Hensick, Toledo Walleye (64 gp, 21g, 55a, 76 pts.)F – Patrick Watling, Wheeling Nailers (54 gp, 31g, 46a, 77 pts.)The ECHL will announce the Community Service Award and Sportsmanship Award winners on Friday.Francois Brassard of the Jacksonville Icemen leads the ECHL with a 2.23 goals-against average, is tied for seventh with 18 wins and ranks ninth with a .911 save percentage.   Charle-Edouard D'Astous of the Utah Grizzlies leads all defensemen with 26 goals, nine power-play goals and seven game-winning goals, while ranking second with 59 points. He is tied for second among blueliners with 23 power-play points and is fifth with a +23 rating. Ben Finkelstein of the Newfoundland Growlers earns ECHL honors for the second consecutive season after earning a spot on the ECHL All-Rookie Team last season. He leads defensemen with 48 assists and 59 points, while ranking fifth with 21 power-play points and tied for sixth with a +22 rating. Will Graber of the Fort Wayne Komets leads the ECHL with 57 assists, 83 points and a +36 rating. He is tied for seventh with 17 power-play assists and ranks sixth with 23 power-play points. TJ Hensick of the Toledo Walleye ranks second in the league with 55 assists and is fourth with 76 points while ranking seventh with a +26 rating and tied for 12th with 16 power-play assists and 14th with 213 shots on goal. Patrick Watling of the Wheeling Nailers is third in the ECHL with 77 points, tied for fifth with 31 goals and seventh with 46 assists. 

2021-22 All-ECHL Second TeamG – Keith Petruzzelli, Newfoundland Growlers (22 gp, 15-6-1, 2.10 GAA, .924 save pct.)D – Randy Gazzola, Toledo Walleye (59 gp, 12g, 40a, 52 pts.)D – Josh Maniscalco, Wheeling Nailers (63 gp, 17g, 36a, 53 pts.)F – Kris Bennett, Iowa Heartlanders (48 gp, 35g, 38a, 73 pts.)F – Chad Costello, Allen Americans (64 gp, 26g, 42a, 68 pts.)F – Zach O’Brien, Newfoundland Growlers (52 gp, 28g, 50a, 78 pts.) Keith Petruzzelli of the Newfoundland Growlers, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team yesterday, is 15-6-1 with a 2.10 goals-against average and a save percentage of .924. His four shutouts are tied for second in the league and he has allowed two goals of less in 13 of his 22 appearances. Randy Gazzola of the Toledo Walleye is second among defensemen with 40 assists and is fourth with 51 points. His four game-winning goals are tied for second among blueliners while his 16 power-play assists are tied for sixth. Josh Maniscalco of the Wheeling Nailers, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team yesterday, is tops among first-year defensemen with 53 points, which third among all blueliners, while his 17 goals are second among rookie blueliners and third overall. His 237 shots on goal lead all defensemen, and are fourth overall in the league. Kris Bennett of the Iowa Heartlanders, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team yesterday, leads all ECHL players with 35 goals while his 73 points lead all rookies and ranks fifth overall. He leads first-year players with 25 power-play points, which is tied for second in the league, and his 17 power-play assists are tied for first among rookies. Chad Costello of the Allen Americans earns All-ECHL honors for the fifth time in his career after previously being named to the All-ECHL First Team in 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17. He is tied for 10th in the league with 68 points and is 11th with 42 assists. Zach O'Brien of the Newfoundland Growlers earns All-ECHL Second Team honors for the second time after previously earning the honor in 2018-19. He ranks second in the league with 78 points and third with 50 points while he leads the ECHL with 28 power-play points, is tied for the league lead with eight game-winning goals and is second with 20 power-play assists. 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 34th season in 2021-22. There have been 724 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 26 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2021-22 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 27 of the 32 NHL teams in 2021-22, marking the 25th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.