ECHL announces 2023-24 All-Rookie Team

The ECHL on Wednesday announced its All-Rookie Team for 2023-24 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.

2023-24 ECHL All-Rookie Team
G – Matt Vernon, Jacksonville Icemen (37 gp, 25-8-4, 2.48 GAA, .916 save pct.)
D – Kyle Mayhew, Utah Grizzlies (69 gp, 15g, 41a, 56 pts.)
D – Jonny Tychonick, Newfoundland Growlers (51 gp, 6g, 37a, 38 pts.)
F – Max Andreev, Kansas City Mavericks (61 gp, 19g, 53a, 72 pts.)
F – Cade Borchardt, Kansas City Mavericks (69 gp, 24g, 50a, 74 pts.)
F – Austin Magera, South Carolina Stingrays (68 gp, 29g, 45a, 74 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.
 
Matt Vernon of the Jacksonville Icemen is tied for the ECHL lead with 25 wins, is tied for third with a 2.48 goals-against average and is sixth with a .916 save percentage, while ranking eighth with 938 saves and ninth with 2,048 minutes played.
 
Kyle Mayhew of the Utah Grizzlies leads rookie defensemen with 15 goals, 41 assists and 56 points. His 15 goals are tied for second among all blueliners while his 56 points are tied for fourth.
 
Jonny Tychonick of the Newfoundland Growlers is second among rookie defensemen with 43 points (6g-37a) while his 26 power-play points (3g-23a) are third among all blueliners.
 
Max Andreev of the Kansas City Mavericks leads all rookies with 53 assists and is third with 72 points. He is tied for third overall in the ECHL in assists and is 10th in points. Additionally, he leads the league in plus-minus at +35 and is fourth among rookies with 15 power-play assists.
 
Cade Borchardt of the Kansas City Mavericks is tied for first among rookies with 74 points and ranks second among first-year players with 50 assists and is tied for ninth with 24 goals. His nine power-play goals are tied for third among rookies while his +25 rating is third among rookies.
 
Austin Magera of the South Carolina Stingrays is tied with Borchardt for the rookie lead with 74 points, is tied for second with 29 goals and third with 45 assists. Magera’s 74 points are tied for seventh overall in the league while his 14 power-play assists are fifth among first-year players and his 21 power-play points are tied for fifth.
 
About the ECHL

Formed 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 one Canadian province for its 36th season in 2023-24. There have been 751 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 11 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2023-24 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 28 of the 32 NHL teams in 2023-24, marking the 27th 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.