The undefeated Gladiators, and thriving Lions, are two of the hottest clubs in the ECHL, showing massive maturation after struggling last season.
The 2023-24 season is still young, but we're already seeing early signs of strong levels of growth for several clubs across the ECHL.
Perhaps surprisingly, the Atlanta Gladiators and Trois-Rivières Lions are two of the hottest teams in the E.
Northland Hockey Gretzky SeriesThe Gladiators, with a 6-0 start, are the only remaining undefeated team to start the season, outscoring their opponents 32-14 in that span, with a lean combined 67 penalty minutes, ensuring a lack of unnecessary scoring chances against.
The trio of Mitchell Fossier, Reece Vitelli, and Alex Whelan lead the team in scoring with 11, 10, and nine points respectively, while the goaltending tandem of Gustavs Grigals (1.98 GAA, .948 save percentage with one shutout) and Tyler Harmon (3.06 GAA and .910 save percentage) have been one of the league's best.
The Gladiators missed the post-season four of their last six eligible seasons, finishing eighth in the Eastern Conference with a sub-500 winning percentage in 2022-23.
For the Lions, the investment of the overall rebuilding Canadiens organization has paid dividends early in the 2023-24 ECHL season.
The second-year club, who struggled with a 13th place conference finish and .406 win percentage in their inaugural season, are off to a scorching start this year, blanking the perennial playoff-contending Growlers this past weekend.
Through eight games the Lions are 7-1, outscoring their opponents 35 to 21 in that span with a healthy 75 percent penalty kill.
Matthew Boucher, with 12 points and seven goals, and Anthony Beauregard (11 points in seven games), lead the team in scoring, while netminder Zachary Bouthillier has made up from the so-so numbers from partner Joe Vrbetic by being one of the hottest goalies in the league with a sparkling 0.96 GAA and .968 save percentage.
The Hockey News