News and notes of interest around the ECHL.
News and notes of interest around the ECHL.
Now that two weeks of the ECHL season have wrapped up, we're starting to get a feel for who's hot (Kansas City Mavericks, Florida Everblades) and who's not (Trois-Rivieres Lions, Allen Americans).
There's a long way to go, of course. Teams who are unbeaten one week could find themselves in the middle of the pack before you can blink, and vice versa.
This past weekend saw the son of a former NHL-er achieve a milestone, another player make the most of being sent down and two rookie goalies flashing some impressive glove work. All this and more in this week's edition of ECHL Notebook.
Vaive Sets Record For Cyclones
The Cincinnati Cyclones lost a tough 5-4 decision to the Fort Wayne Komets on Friday, but the evening wasn’t a total disappointment.
Cyclones forward Justin Vaive became the organization’s all-time goal-scoring leader with 148. Vaive surpasses Don Biggs, who played parts of seven seasons with Cincy and finished his career with 147 goals.
Early in the second period, Vaive took a pass from behind the net and didn’t miss, setting the new club record.
Vaive re-signed with the ‘Clones earlier this month after his 2023-24 season ended early following an injury. He’s beginning his sixth season wearing the C for the club.
Vaive’s father, Rick, captained the Toronto Maple Leafs for four of his eight seasons with the club, with whom the Cyclones are affiliated.
Butcher Hits 200
Tulsa Oilers veteran center Alec Butcher scored two goals Friday night at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita against the Thunder, achieving his own milestone in the process.
Butcher’s first goal tied the game 1-1 at the 8:48 mark on a tip-in from Olivier Dame-Malka’s shot that got past Thunder goalie Gabriel Carriere.
The goal gave Butcher 200 points in his professional career, spanning 305 games. It marked the second time in as many games Butcher tallied two goals.
The accomplishment was bittersweet, as the Oilers fell 4-3 in overtime and subsequently lost 6-2 to the Thunder the following night at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
The 30-year-old Butcher is in his sixth ECHL season. His pro career started with the Wheeling Nailers in 2018-19, and he’s also seen time with Rapid City, Reading and Tulsa.
The Anchorage, Alaska native played NCAA hockey at both Sacred Heart and the University of Alaska - Anchorage. In 96 collegiate games, Butcher totaled 52 points (16-36-52), including 13 points (8-5-13) in 16 games with the Seawolves during his senior campaign.
No Practice, No Problem
Forward Alex Swetlikoff was reassigned to the Fort Wayne Komets from AHL Bakersfield on Friday. He didn’t have much time to practice with the team before that night’s game against Cincinnati, and hadn’t seen game action in a couple of weeks.
No matter. Swetlikoff scored a goal and three assists for four points Friday against Cincinnati, including the game-winner at 13:27 of the third period to give the Komets a 5-4 victory.
Swetlikoff struck again on Saturday with a goal and an assist in the Komets’ 9-2 loss to Kalamazoo. He totaled six points in two games over the weekend.
Being sent down is never pleasant, regardless of the reason, but Swetlikoff did what any player aspiring to be in the NHL would do: he made the most of the moment.
Rush Acquire Smedsrud From Americans
The Rapid City Rush announced on Monday they have acquired forward Chaz Smedsrud from the Allen Americans in exchange for future considerations.
Smedsrud, 26, joined Allen on March 29th. In nine regular season games last spring, he scored three goals and totaled seven points.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward also played in all four of the Americans’ playoff games and scored once. He has skated in all three of Allen’s games this season.
The native of Luverne, Minnesota, located just five hours east of Rapid City, played four seasons of college hockey at Union College in New York. In his final season, Smedsrud scored 14 goals and served as alternate captain.
Young Excels In Debut For K-Wings
One of the hottest teams in the early going of the ECHL season is the Kalamazoo Wings, who are 3-0-0 after the first two weekends.
On Sunday, the K-Wings downed the Cincinnati Cyclones 3-1 at Wings Event Center on Orange Ice Sunday, and Ty Young was a major factor in the win.
Young made his professional debut in net for Kalamazoo. If he had any pre-game jitters, they quickly disappeared, as he stopped 38 of Cincy’s 39 shots to earn his first win as a pro.
Young was assigned to the Wings earlier this month by the Vancouver Canucks, who drafted him 144th overall in 2022. He spent his entire WHL career with the Prince George Cougars, posting a 44-35-8 record,.896 save percentage and 3.36 goals-against average. Young signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks on September 25, 2023.
It’s only one game, and the Canucks have a plethora of goalies. If Young continues to capitalize on opportunities, however, he’ll quickly turn some heads.
Goalie Of The Week: Seth Eisele, South Carolina Stingrays
Seth Eisele’s professional hockey career couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
The South Carolina Stingrays goalie made his debut Saturday against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and stopped all 24 shots he faced, helping the Rays to a 5-0 shutout.
For his efforts, Eisele was named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Oct. 21-26.
The 6-foot-5, 201-pound netminder is beginning his professional career after spending the last five seasons playing NCAA Division I hockey. He appeared in 42 career collegiate games at Lake Superior State University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha, compiling an overall record of 18-17-1 with a 2.67 goals-against average and a save percentage of .913.
Last season, the native of Lake Elmo, Minnesota spent the final year of his collegiate career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, helping the Mavericks reach the 16-team NCAA hockey tournament. Eisele’s goalie coach, Peter Aubry, worked alongside Stingrays Head Coach Jared Nightingale with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) before he worked with Eisele at Omaha last season.