For the 35th season in a row the ECHL is represented on the American Hockey League champion as seven of the 25 players who played for the Toronto Marlies in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs played in the ECHL.

There have been 164 former ECHL players on the last 20 AHL champions. 

The ECHL has had affiliations with 20 or more teams in the AHL each of the last 25 years. The Cincinnati Cyclones served as the ECHL affiliate for Toronto during the 2025-26 season.

Former ECHL players who captured the 2026 Calder Cup title are Marc Johnstone (South Carolina, 2020-21 and Newfoundland, 2021-22); Dakota Mermis (Rapid City, 2015-16); Cedric Pare (Utah, 2020-21 and Wheeling, 2022-23); Michael Pezzetta (Maine, 2018-19); Chas Sharpe (Cincinnati, 2024-25); Logan Shaw (Cincinnati, 2013-14) and Landon Sim (Cincinnati, 2025-26).

Toronto’s Goaltending Coach Hannu Toivonen appeared in 51 career ECHL games with Orlando (2012-13), Toledo (2013-14) and Maine (2018-19).

Other Marlies’ staff with ECHL ties include Assistant Athletic Therapist Brie Donelson, who was Head Athletic Therapist for Newfoundland in 2022-23 and Assistant Equipment Manager Nick Hornby, who was Newfoundland’s Equipment Manager from 2021-24

Six of the 24 players on the runner-up Chicago Wolves had ECHL experience with Domenick Fensore (Norfolk, 2023-24), Amir Miftakhov (Orlando, 2021-22), Nikita Pavlychev (Orlando, 2020-21 and Greenville, 2021-24), Justin Robidas (Norfolk, 2023-24), Ronan Seeley (Norfolk, 2023-24) and Yannick Turcotte (Worcester, 2017-20; South Carolina, 2020-21; Adirondack 2022-24 and Fort Wayne, 2024-25).

Chicago Head Coach Spiros Anastas was previously a head coach in the ECHL with Brampton and South Carolina.

During the 2025-26 season, 336 ECHL players were recalled to the American Hockey League for a total of 628 recalls. The South Carolina Stingrays led the ECHL with 24 players recalled while the Wheeling Nailers led the League with 39 overall recalls. 

Twelve times in the last 26 years the winner of the AHL Coach of the Year award has been a former ECHL coach including former Las Vegas Wranglers’ head coach Ryan Mougenel, who won the award in 2025-26. Former South Carolina Stingrays’ head coach Spencer Carbery won the award in 2020-21, while former Reading Royals and Ontario Reign head coach Karl Taylor won the award in 2019-20. Former Roanoke Valley Rebels’ and Richmond Renegades’ head coach Roy Sommer, won the award in 2016-17 while former Trenton Devils’ coach Rick Kowalsky, a 2017 inductee into the ECHL Hall of Fame, won the award in 2015-16. Former ECHL coaches Scott Gordon and Mike Haviland won the award in back-to-back years in 2006 and 2007. Former ECHL coaches won the award four consecutive years from 2001-04 with Don Granato, Bruce Cassidy, Geoff Ward and Claude Noel. The first former ECHL coach to win the award was Peter Laviolette in 1999. 

For the 19th season in a row at least five former ECHL players were named AHL Player of the Week with former Toledo Walleye goaltender Sebastian Cossa, former Wheeling Nailers forward Avery Hayes, former Rapid City Rush forward Rory Kerins, former Wheeling Nailers’ goaltender Sergei Murashov and former Idaho Steelheads’ goaltender Remi Poirier.

Twelve of the 32 head coaches in the American Hockey League during the 2025-26 season previously served as coaches in the ECHL with Bakersfield’s Colin Chaulk, Chicago’s Spiros Anastas, Coachella Valley’s Derek Laxdal, Grand Rapids’ Dan Watson, Manitoba’s Mark Morrison, Milwaukee’s Karl Taylor, Ontario’s Andrew Lord, Providence’s Ryan Mougenel, Rochester’s Mike Leone, San Diego’s Matt McIlvane, Texas’ Neil Graham and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Kirk MacDonald.

Former ECHL broadcasters working in the American Hockey League during the 2025-26 season included Ryan Holt of the Bakersfield Condors, Jason Shaya of the Bridgeport Islanders, Cristiano Simonetta of the Charlote Checkers, Jason Shaver of the Chicago Wolves, Tony Brown of the Cleveland Monsters, Evan Pivnick of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Kevin McGlue of the Colorado Eagles, Brian McCormack of the Henderson Silver Knights, Zack Fisch of the Hershey Bears, Bob Rotruck of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Cam McGuire of the Ontario Reign, Dana Grey of the Rockford IceHogs, Lukas Favale of the Syracuse Crunch, John Peterson of the Texas Stars.

Forty-eight of the 83 referees working in the American Hockey League in 2025-26, came from the ECHL, while 85 of the 154 linespeople in the AHL have worked games in the ECHL.

About the ECHL

Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 30 teams in 23 states and one Canadian province for its 38th season in 2025-26. There have been 782 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 14 who made their NHL debuts in the 2025-26 season. The ECHL had affiliations with 30 of the 32 NHL teams in 2025-26, marking the 28th 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.