All-ECHL First Team announced

The ECHL on Thursday announced its All-ECHL First Team for 2017-18 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.

2017-18 All-ECHL First Team

G – Parker Milner, South Carolina Stingrays (36 gp, 26-7-3, 1.88 GAA, .929 save pct.) D – David Makowski, Allen Americans (56 gp, 10g, 43a, 53 pts.) D – Matt Register, Colorado Eagles (70 gp, 16g, 48a, 64 pts.) F – Michael Joly, Colorado Eagles (50 gp, 39g, 23a, 62 pts.) F – Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman, Manchester Monarchs (67 gp, 34g, 37a, 71 pts.) F – Shawn Szydlowski, Fort Wayne Komets (62 gp, 30g, 47a, 77 pts.)

The ECHL will announce the Community Service Award and Sportsmanship Award winners on Friday.

Parker Milner of the South Carolina Stingrays leads the ECHL with a 1.88 goals-against average, ranks third with a .929 save percentage, is tied for third with 26 wins and is tied for fifth with three shutouts.

David Makowski of the Allen Americans earns All-ECHL First Team honors for the second consecutive season. He is second among blueliners with 43 assists and 53 points while his 19 power-play assists are tied for second among defensemen and his 22 power-play points rank second.

Matt Register of the Colorado Eagles is on the All-ECHL First Team for the fourth time in his career after also receiving the honor in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17. Register leads all ECHL defensemen with 64 points, is tied for second with 16 goals and is tied for third with 22 power-play points.

Michael Joly of the Colorado Eagles leads the ECHL with 39 goals and 11 game-winning goals, is tied for fourth with 11 power-play goals and is tied for 11th with 62 points despite playing in just 50 games.

Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman of the Manchester Monarchs ranks second in the league with 34 goals and is tied for third with 71 points while ranking seventh with 247 shots on goal.

Shawn Szydlowski of the Fort Wayne Komets earns All-ECHL honors for the third time in his career after previously being named to the First Team in 2014-15 and the Second Team in 2015-16. He leads the league with 77 points and a +40 rating, is tied for fourth with six game-winning goals and is tied for eighth with 30 goals.

About the ECHL

Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 27 teams in 21 states and one Canadian province for its 30th season in 2017-18. There have been  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 2017-18 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 31 NHL teams in 2017-18, marking the 21st consecutive season that the league had 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.