The ECHL (formerly East Coast Hockey League ) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and is considered a lower tier than the American Hockey League .
The ECHL and the American Hockey League are the only ice hockey leagues that receive recognition by the collective bargaining agreement between the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association which means that any player that is signed to an entry-level NHL contract and is designated for assignment must report to a club either in the AHL or the ECHL.
The major championship in the ECHL that the two winning team of their conferences play for is the Kelly Cup . There are currently 27 teams in the ECHL.
Division
Team
City
Arena
Founded
Joined
Head Coach
NHL Affiliate
AHL Affiliate
Eastern Conference
North
Adirondack Thunder Glens Falls, New York
Cool Insuring Arena
1990*
Alex Loh
New Jersey
Binghamton
Brampton Beast Brampton, Ontario
CAA Centre
2013
2014
Colin Chaulk
Ottawa
Belleville
Maine Mariners Portland, Maine
Cross Insurance Arena
1989*
2003
Riley Armstrong
NY Rangers
Hartford
Manchester Monarchs Manchester, New Hampshire
SNHU Arena
1993*
Doug Christiansen
Los Angeles
Ontario
Newfoundland Growlers St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Mile One Centre
2018
Ryane Clowe
Toronto
Toronto
Reading Royals Reading, Pennsylvania
Santander Arena
1991*
Kirk MacDonald
Philadelphia
Lehigh Valley
Worcester Railers Worcester, Massachusetts
DCU Center
2017
Jamie Russell
NY Islanders
Bridgeport
South
Atlanta Gladiators Duluth, Georgia
Infinite Energy Arena
1995*
Jeff Pyle
Boston
Providence
Florida Everblades Estero, Florida
Hertz Arena
1998
Brad Ralph
Carolina
Charlotte
Greenville Swamp Rabbits Greenville, South Carolina
Bon Secours Wellness Arena
1987*
1988
Kevin Kerr
Independent
Jacksonville Icemen Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
1992*
2012
Jason Christie
Winnipeg
Manitoba
Norfolk Admirals Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk Scope
1995*
2003
Robbie Ftorek
Arizona
Tucson
Orlando Solar Bears Orlando, Florida
Amway Center
2012
Drake Berehowsky
Tampa Bay
Syracuse
South Carolina Stingrays North Charleston, South Carolina
North Charleston Coliseum
1993
Spiros Anastas
Washington
Hershey
Western Conference
Central
Cincinnati Cyclones Cincinnati, Ohio
U.S. Bank Arena
1995*
Matt Thomas
Buffalo
Rochester
Fort Wayne Komets Fort Wayne, Indiana
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
1985*
2012
Gary Graham
Vegas
Chicago
Indy Fuel Indianapolis, Indiana
Indiana Farmers Coliseum
2014
Bernie John
Chicago
Rockford
Kalamazoo Wings Kalamazoo, Michigan
Wings Event Center
1999*
2009
Nick Bootland
Vancouver
Utica
Toledo Walleye Toledo, Ohio
Huntington Center
1991
Dan Watson
Detroit
Grand Rapids
Wheeling Nailers Wheeling, West Virginia
WesBanco Arena
1981*
1988
Mike Bavis
Pittsburgh
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Mountain
Allen Americans Allen, Texas
Allen Event Center
2009
2014
Steve Martinson
Minnesota
Iowa
Idaho Steelheads Boise, Idaho
CenturyLink Arena Boise
1997
2003
Neil Graham
Dallas
Texas
Kansas City Mavericks Independence, Missouri
Silverstein Eye Centers Arena
2009
2014
John-Scott Dickson
Calgary
Stockton
Rapid City Rush Rapid City, South Dakota
Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
2008
2014
Daniel Tetrault
Independent
Tulsa Oilers Tulsa, Oklahoma
BOK Center
1992
2014
Rob Murray
St. Louis
San Antonio
Utah Grizzlies West Valley City, Utah
Maverik Center
1981*
1988
Tim Branham
Colorado
Colorado
Wichita Thunder Wichita, Kansas
Intrust Bank Arena
1992
2014
Malcolm Cameron
Edmonton
Bakersfield
Notes
A star (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
2018–19 ECHL season