ECHL announces 2021-22 All-Rookie Team

The ECHL on Wednesday announced its All-Rookie Team 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.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.2021-22 ECHL All-Rookie TeamG – Keith Petruzzelli, Newfoundland Growlers (22 gp, 15-6-1, 2.10 GAA, .924 save pct.)D – Josh Maniscalco, Wheeling Nailers (62 gp, 17g, 34a, 51 pts.)D – Luke Martin, Utah Grizzlies (57 gp, 10g, 32a, 42 pts.)F – Kris Bennett, Iowa Heartlanders (47 gp, 35g, 36a, 71 pts.)F – Jack Doremus, Tulsa Oilers (60 gp, 28g, 29a, 57 pts.)F – Benjamin Tardif, Utah Grizzlies (52 gp, 20g, 39a, 59 pts.)Since the ECHL began naming the All-Rookie Team in 2000-01, 22 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); Jacob MacDonald and Vitek Vanecek (2015-16); Landon Bow (2016-17) and Justin Danforth (2017-18). The ECHL will announce its First-Team All-ECHL and Second-Team All-ECHL teams on Thursday. Keith Petruzzelli of the Newfoundland Growlers 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. Josh Maniscalco of the Wheeling Nailers is tops among first-year defensemen with 51 points, which is tied for third among all blueliners, while his 17 goals are second among rookie blueliners and third overall. His 234 shots on goal lead all defensemen, and are fourth overall in the league. Luke Martin of the Utah Grizzlies ranks second among rookie defensemen with 32 assists and 42 points and is tied for seventh with 10 goals. He ranks fifth among first-year blueliners in plus-minus with a +21 rating. Kris Bennett of the Iowa Heartlanders leads all ECHL players with 35 goals while his 71 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. Jack Doremus of the Tulsa Oilers is tied for second among rookies with 28 goals and is third with 57 points. His 258 shots on goal are the most overall in the league. Benjamin Tardif of the Utah Grizzlies paces rookies with 39 assists and is second with 59 points. He is sixth among first-year players with 13 power-play assists and he ranks eighth with 181 shots on goal. 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.