ECHL

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 (AHL).

## Overview

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 29 teams in the ECHL.

## Teams in the ECHL

|style="background:white; width:5%"|Division|style="background:white; width:16%"|Team|style="background:white; width:20%"|City|style="background:white; width:22%"|Arena|style="background:white; width:2%"|Founded|style="background:white; width:2%"|Joined|style="background:white; width:13%"|Head Coach|style="background:white; width:10%"|NHL Affiliate|style="background:white; width:10%"|AHL Affiliate|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|**Adirondack Thunder**|Glens Falls, New York|Cool Insuring Arena|colspan=2 align=center|1990*|Pete MacArthur|New Jersey Devils|Utica Comets|||||||||||
|**Maine Mariners**|Portland, Maine|Cross Insurance Arena|align=center|1989*|align=center|2003|Terrence Wallin|Boston Bruins|Providence Bruins|||||||||
|**Norfolk Admirals**|Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk Scope|align=center|1995*|align=center|2003|Jeff Carr|Winnipeg Jets (official) Carolina Hurricanes (working agreement)|Manitoba Moose|||||||||
|**Reading Royals**|Reading, Pennsylvania|Santander Arena|colspan=2 align=center|1991*|James Henry|Philadelphia Flyers|Lehigh Valley Phantoms|||||||||||
|**Trois-Rivières Lions**|Trois-Rivières, Quebec|Colisée Vidéotron|colspan=2 align=center|2021|Ron Choules|Montreal Canadiens|Laval Rocket|||||||||||
|**Wheeling Nailers**|Wheeling, West Virginia|WesBanco Arena|align=center|1981*|align=center|1988|Derek Army|Pittsburgh Penguins|Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins|||||||||
|**Worcester Railers**|Worcester, Massachusetts|DCU Center|align="center" colspan="2"|2017|David Cunniff|New York Islanders|Bridgeport Islanders|||||||||||
|**Atlanta Gladiators**|Duluth, Georgia|Gas South Arena|colspan=2 align=center|1995*|Jeff Pyle|Nashville Predators|Milwaukee Admirals|||||||||||
|**Florida Everblades**|Estero, Florida|Hertz Arena|colspan=2 align=center|1998|Brad Ralph|Florida Panthers|Charlotte Checkers|||||||||||
|**Greenville Swamp Rabbits**|Greenville, South Carolina|Bon Secours Wellness Arena|align=center|1987*|align=center|1988|Andrew Lord|Los Angeles Kings|Ontario Reign|||||||||
|**Jacksonville Icemen**|Jacksonville, Florida|VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena|align=center|1992*|align=center|2012|Nick Luukko|Buffalo Sabres|Rochester Americans|||||||||
|**Orlando Solar Bears**|Orlando, Florida|Kia Center|colspan=2 align=center|2012|Matt Carkner|Tampa Bay Lightning|Syracuse Crunch|||||||||||
|**Savannah Ghost Pirates**|Savannah, Georgia|Enmarket Arena|colspan=2 align=center|2022|Rick Bennett|Vegas Golden Knights|Henderson Silver Knights|||||||||||
|**South Carolina Stingrays**|North Charleston, South Carolina|North Charleston Coliseum|colspan=2 align=center|1993|Ryan Blair|Washington Capitals|Hershey Bears|||||||||||
|**Bloomington Bison**|Bloomington, Illinois|Grossinger Motors Arena|colspan="2;" align="center"|2024|Phillip Barski|New York Rangers, (Official Affiliate) Carolina Hurricanes, (working agreement)|Hartford Wolf Pack|||||||||||
|**Cincinnati Cyclones**|Cincinnati, Ohio|Heritage Bank Center|colspan=2 align=center|1995*|Jason Payne|New York Rangers|Hartford Wolf Pack|||||||||||
|**Fort Wayne Komets**|Fort Wayne, Indiana|Allen County War Memorial Coliseum|align=center|1985*|align=center|2012|Jesse Kallechy|Edmonton Oilers|Bakersfield Condors|||||||||
|**Indy Fuel**|Indianapolis, Indiana|Indiana Farmers Coliseum|colspan=2 align=center|2014|Duncan Dalmao|Chicago Blackhawks|Rockford IceHogs|||||||||||
|**Iowa Heartlanders**|Coralville, Iowa|Xtream Arena|colspan=2 align=center|2021|Derek Damon|Minnesota Wild|Iowa Wild|||||||||||
|**Kalamazoo Wings**|Kalamazoo, Michigan|Wings Event Center|align=center|1999*|align=center|2009|Joel Martin|Vancouver Canucks|Abbotsford Canucks|||||||||
|**Toledo Walleye**|Toledo, Ohio|Huntington Center|colspan=2 align=center|1991|Dan Watson|Detroit Red Wings|Grand Rapids Griffins|||||||||||
|**Allen Americans**|Allen, Texas|Credit Union of Texas Event Center|align=center|2009|align=center|2014|Chad Costello|Ottawa Senators|Belleville Senators|||||||||
|**Idaho Steelheads**|Boise, Idaho|Idaho Central Arena|align=center|1997|align=center|2003|Everett Sheen|Dallas Stars|Texas Stars|||||||||
|**Kansas City Mavericks**|Independence, Missouri|Cable Dahmer Arena|align=center|2009|align=center|2014|Tad O'Had|Seattle Kraken|Coachella Valley Firebirds|||||||||
|**Rapid City Rush**|Rapid City, South Dakota|The Monument|align=center|2008|align=center|2014|Scott Burt|Calgary Flames|Calgary Wranglers|||||||||
|**Tahoe Knight Monsters**|Stateline, Nevada|Tahoe Blue Event Center|colspan="2;" align="center"|2024|Alex Loh|Vegas Golden Knights|Henderson Silver Knights|||||||||||
|**Tulsa Oilers**|Tulsa, Oklahoma|BOK Center|align=center|1992|align=center|2014|Rob Murray|Anaheim Ducks|San Diego Gulls|||||||||
|**Utah Grizzlies**|West Valley City, Utah|Maverik Center|align=center|1981*|align=center|1988|Ryan Kinasewich|Colorado Avalanche|Colorado Eagles|||||||||
|**Wichita Thunder**|Wichita, Kansas|Intrust Bank Arena|align=center|1992|align=center|2014|Bruce Ramsay|San Jose Sharks|San Jose Barracuda|||||||||

- Notes

1. _A star (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information._

## Infobox (sports league)

- **current season**: 2024–25 ECHL season
- **sport**: Ice hockey
- **founded**: 1988
- **teams**: 29 (30 in 2025)
- **country**: United States and Canada
- **champion**: Florida Everblades (4th title)
- **website**: [http://www.echl.com/ Official website]