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2023-24 ECHL Season Thread

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Norfolk Scope is still a great place to watch a game.
 

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From: FloHockey.TV > Articles
Races To Watch, Playoff And Otherwise, As 2024 ECHL Playoffs Near

Justin Cohn takes a look at the races, for playoff spots or otherwise, that are piquing his interest heading into the final six weeks of the ECHL season.

Mar 1, 2024 by Justin Cohn

... Yep, it’s that time of year.

Every team in the ECHL has only 19-22 games remaining in the regular season. Only a handful of them – the Atlanta Gladiators, Rapid City Rush, Savannah Ghost Pirates and Iowa Heartlanders – are out of playoff contention.

So, let’s take a look at some of the races, for playoff spots or otherwise, that are piquing my interest as we head into the final six weeks of the season. ...

Read more at: Races To Watch, Playoff And Otherwise, As 2024 ECHL Playoffs Near - FloHockey | March 1st, 2024
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A peek into the on-going ECHL season, in the form of FloHockey.tv's latest "Power Rankings" feature ...
2023-24 ECHL Power Rankings
(Mar 25, 2024) by Justin Cohn

ECHL Power Rankings: Kansas City Continues To Dominate

Writer Justin A. Cohn delivers his ECHL Power Rankings every other week throughout the season.


1. Kansas City Mavericks/Last Ranking: 1
Record: 46-11-6

It would have been easy for the Mavericks to take their foot off the gas once they became the ECHL’s first team to clinch a playoff berth back on March 3, but they’ve kept chugging along with a 5-1-2 record since then.

They’ve got the best record in the ECHL, a 10-point lead over the Idaho Steelheads in the Mountain Division and the most complete lineup from top to bottom.

I’ve had some modest concerns about their goaltending, and those certainly weren’t alleviated when Jack LaFontaine was called up to Coachella Valley of the AHL on Friday, leaving Cale Morris to allow six goals on 27 shots in that night’s 6-4 loss at the Allen Americans.

Morris atoned, however – as did the whole lineup – on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over the Americans that saw Morris stop 26 shots, while goals came from Patrick Curry, Jacob Hayhurst and Cade Borchardt.

The Mavericks’ power play was 0 for 6 in that game, though, which is the other nitpick about the Mavericks – their special teams. Their power play ranks ninth (20.9%) and their penalty kill ranks 11th (80%).

Curry has four goals and 10 points in the last five games, Borchardt has six goals and nine points, and Cale Coskey has three goals and five points.

Defenseman Theo Calvas, meanwhile, has four assists and a plus-8 rating over the last five games, while defenseman Jakob Brahaney is plus-5.

The list of playmakers for the Mavericks just goes on and on.

Our win tonight ties the ECHL record for 26 road wins in a single-season! pic.twitter.com/3BryVMMgMt

— x-Kansas City Mavericks (@kc_mavericks) March 24, 2024​


2. Toledo Walleye/Last Ranking: 7
Record: 40-14-9

The concerns I’d had about Toledo have been addressed in recent weeks, as the team has improved its defensive play and gotten improved goaltending from John Lethemon and Jan Bednar.

The Walleye have won six straight games, allowing only 1.66 goals per game and winning both meetings with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, including a 3-0 victory March 16 that saw Bednar turn in a 25-save shutout.

Toledo’s third-ranked offense (4.11 goals per game) is paced by Brandon Hawkins, who leads the ECHL in goals (37) and points (84), but it goes three lines deep and then some.

Riley Sawchuk, who has eight goals and 15 points in the last 10 games, is one of the league’s best players and one no one seems to really talk about.

Riley McCourt has turned into a real heavyweight of a two-way defenseman with eight assists over the last 10 games, giving him eight goals and 48 points in 61 games this season, and their role players, such as Alexandre Doucet, Michael Prapavessis and Matt Anderson really have come into their own.

I still think the way to solve Toledo is to get physical, but that’s easier said than done because the squad is fast, it’s small and it added some grit by acquiring defenseman Jacob Graves from the Atlanta Gladiators for defenseman Jake Willets and forward Carson Denomie on March 11.


3. Norfolk Admirals/Last Ranking: 3
Record: 37-21-6

The Admirals had a big three-game series last weekend at the Mountain North Division-leading Adirondack Thunder and took two of the games.

Yaniv Perets was in net for those victories, stopping 55 of 58 shots.

What a statement series it was for Norfolk, which is four points behind the Thunder with eight games left in the regular season.

Norfolk has gone an impressive 18-4-2 since Jan. 26, and the effort has been led by Stepan Timofeyev’s 10 goals and 25 points and Danny Katic’s 14 goals and 21 points.

Keaton Jameson, who stood out last season in the playoffs with the Utah Grizzlies, has turned into one of the ECHL’s best faceoff men; he’s won 60% of his 467 faceoffs over that 24-game span, while also contributing nine goals and 22 points.

The Norfolk defense is prone to some hiccups – it ranks ninth in the league with 3.00 goals against this season – but the Admirals have some grit and are dangerous in transition, so they are able to make up for those lapses.

For a team that joined the ECHL in 2015 and has never qualified for the postseason – in fact, hasn’t finished above sixth place in a division since 2015-2016 – it has been a tremendous upswing for the Admirals, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down. Much the opposite. ...

Read more at: ECHL Power Rankings | Mar 25, 2024 - FloHockey
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An overdue look at the ECHL divisional standings & stats, as the League's 2023-24 regular season heads toward its end - without the Growlers - on April 14th.

Glossary
POS: Position GP: Games Played W: Wins L: Losses OTL: Overtime Losses SOL: Shootout Losses
PTS: Points PCT: Percentage GF: Goals For GA: Goals Against
STK: Streak P10: Past 10 games PIM: Penalty Minutes
X: Clinched Playoff Position Y: Clinched Division Z: Regular Season Champion

Eastern Conference

North Division ... Adirondack & Norfolk will maneuver over the next couple of weeks to see who ends up 1st & 2nd. The playoff fates of the 4 teams remaining solvent in the division will be decided by matters of win percentages; though Reading is a MIGHTY long shot from their last place position, and they might not even catch terminated member NFLD ... :oops:

North Division Standings (3 Apr 2024).jpg


South Division ... Greenville & Jacksonville (both surprise performers to me this season) are a point apart, and pretty likely to fend off any surges by the 3rd thru 5th ranked teams while the Top 2 dance for the #1 spot. Savannah & Atlanta are all but eliminated from the division race ... :surrender:surrender

South Division Standings (3 Apr 2024).jpg



Western Conference

Central Division ... Division powerhouse Toledo have already clinched the poll position for the playoff start, and their current 95 points puts them second in the League behind Missouri. The next 4 Central teams are separated over a total of just 7 points, so that's where the hard skating will be done in the next two weeks. Cincinnati & Iowa are simply waiting for their tee times :golfnana: ...

Central Division Standings (3 Apr 2024).jpg


Mountain Division ... Kings of the Hill here - and for the whole League - are Missouri with 104 points, which puts them within striking distance of the #5 (or maybe #4) highest regular season team points total according to the ECHL Record Book. After that, Idaho has a stranglehold on the 2nd spot while the rest of the pack will cast lots for the final two playoff positions (Wichita having the weakest throw) ... 🎲🎲

Mountain Division Standings (3 Apr 2024).jpg
 
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Orlando vs Greenville had over 230 PIMS tonight. I can’t find footage anywhere.Does anyone know where I can find it ?
 
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The final weekend of the season is going to be interesting as Wheeling has to move to the Penguins practice facility due to all the flooding in the Ohio Valley and the positioning between them, Kalamazoo and Fort Wayne determines who gets to play Toledo or Indy next week. Aka, who gets murdered or who gets to face the worst postseason team of all time?
 
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NORTH Division 1st round set (after the switch to point %);

T-R draws Norfolk (odd series setup due to Virginia International Tattoo booking Scope from the 18th to the 21st);

Adirondack plays Maine in the other series
 
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