A look at the docuseries that followed the Idaho Steelheads during their 2023-24 season.

When he first heard that a docuseries was being planned about his team’s upcoming season, Idaho Steelheads forward and captain A.J. White’s first reaction was shock.

Somebody actually wants to film the daily grind of an NHL farm team? White thought to himself.

It was certainly an intriguing concept, born out of a desire to change the public perception of minor hockey in general and showcase the quality of a league like the ECHL in particular.

The inaugural season of ECHL Unfiltered, produced by GameAbove Entertainment, premiered on NHL Network in September and followed the Steelheads’ day-to-day journey of their 2023-24 season.

With unfiltered access to the raw reality of the club’s players and coaches, the docuseries offers fans a front-row seat to locker room pep talks, pranks and the roller coaster ride of a hockey season. It also covers the league’s significant growth and explores the factors contributing to its expansion. The first season consisted of five 30-minute episodes, which can be viewed on demand.

“With the ECHL, hometown people know their names, know their players, they love their players,” explained Tyler Nimmons, the film’s director and executive producer who discovered the Steelheads after moving to Boise eight years ago. “There’s something so fascinating to me about this level, this league and these players playing pro (hockey). The experience I got as a fan watching this and being this close, it really is intimate.”

Nimmons, who grew up a Los Angeles Kings fan, didn’t play hockey until a couple of years ago. After watching his son, now a Jr Steelhead, enjoy the sport, Nimmons was hooked.

“I spent so much time in the stands watching him at practices and games, I was like, ‘I’m gonna start’,” Nimmons said. “I definitely have such an appreciation for what these guys are able to do, what they put themselves through.”

For his part, White believes the docuseries does a great job of breaking down the events that make up a long season.

“Personally, it’s kind of funny seeing yourself on TV and taking it all in,” said White, who is in his seventh season with the Steelheads and tied for the team lead with 66 points (27-39-66) last season. “Overall, it was a great experience and I think we all enjoyed the appreciation the film crew did to do their best and make us all look good.”

While the film doesn’t shy away from the gritty side of the sport, it explains the emotions and reasons for fights. Players don’t just drop the gloves during a game for the purpose of fighting, and are often amicable off the ice.

“Back in the day, you think of minor league hockey as this fighting or goon squad league,” said Steelheads director of broadcasting and media Cam McGuire, whose voice is heard on the play-by-play clips shown during each episode. “There’s a lot of players that are just really good hockey players. Being able to see the difference in the game… The game has evolved and it’s changed. It’s only gotten better, and I think we’re gonna continue to see that trend down the road.”

Players spend a lot of time together during the course of a season, so it’s only natural to bond as a family unit. When the Steelheads traded forward Zane Franklin to Cincinnati in December 2023, the loss of one of their own was captured in vivid detail. There was plenty of good-natured fun, like the scene showing players dousing each other with water after a shutout.

Although the season ended when the Steelheads lost to Kansas City in the Mountain Division Finals, White was particularly moved by how the final episode ended.

“They were showing each guy talking about how much (the team) means to them and how much they appreciate being able to play the game, and all of a sudden it’s (the Mavericks) scoring in overtime to end our season,” White said. “It was those raw emotions where you get to see how everybody is vulnerable, how much they love and appreciate being able to play the game with the guys we had in that locker room and seeing it crush us in real time, that was emotional.”

Nimmons says two more seasons are being planned, although specific details have yet to be finalized. The second season will focus more on the history of the ECHL that wasn’t touched on in Season 1.

“Hopefully, in this binge-watching era of streaming, if somebody finds it for the first time after Season 3, they can go back to Season 1 and have this journey of ‘oh, I’m in the league, I understand it’,” Nimmons explained. “For me, that’s the biggest thing, to make somebody care about the players and the team, even if it’s not their home team. This next season will take more of a personal dive into a few players and follow their journey.”