Record saves, Hall of Fames, and calls for league-wide protection highlight our latest ECHL Roundup

League to Take Long Look at Neck Guard Protection

In the wake of the tragic loss of Adam Johnson, the ECHL is taking steps to assess the use of neck guard protection across the league

In a new interview with The Hockey News, ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin has shared that the league plans on taking a hard look at the implementation of neck-based cut-resistant gear. Full details here.

Tikkanen's Record Night

The Railers bowed to the Adirondack Thunder 4-3 yesterday in a shootout, but not before making a little league history along the way. 

Goaltender Henrik Tikkanen made 52 saves in the contest, a career-high for the goalie and a franchise record for most saves in a home game. 

The 23-year-old seventh-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2010 from Lohja, Finland is back for his second season in Worcester. He suited up for 38 games with the club in 2022-23, owning 18 wins with a 3.02 GAA, .914 save percentage, and two shutouts. 

In four games on the season so far Tikkanen has one win with a 2.94 GAA and .914 save percentage.

ECHL Unveils Hall of Fame Class of 2024

The ECHL announced yesterday that the 2024 inductees for the ECHL Hall of Fame are Scott Burfoot, Brad Dexter, Jason Fitzsimmons, June M. Kelly and Shawn Wheeler.

The 2024 ECHL Hall of Fame ceremony, presented by BFL CANADA and Sutton Special Risk, will take place at 12 p.m. on Monday, January 15, 2024 at the Savannah Convention Center.

The five will be formally inducted as the 16th class of the ECHL Hall of Fame at a luncheon that will be held in conjunction with the 2024 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Gulfstream.

More on the inductees here.

League Names Weekly, Monthly Awards Winners

The ECHL named Cédric Desruisseaux of the Wheeling Nailers the Warrior Hockey ECHL Player of the Month for October. More on his strong start here.

The ECHL named Trois-Rivières Lions’ defenseman Noah Laaouan the AMI Graphics ECHL Plus Performer of the Month for October after leading the league with a plus-minus rating of +8 in the opening month of the ECHL season, further naming Newfoundland Growlers’ forward Jackson Berezowski the Howies Hockey Tape ECHL Rookie of the Month. More on both here.

Cale Morris of the Kansas City Mavericks has been named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for October. More on his impressive run here.

Finally, the ECHL has named Joe Vrbetic of the Trois-Rivières Lions as the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week, and Mark Rassell of the Idaho Steelheads is the Inglasco ECHL Player of the Week for Oct. 30-Nov. 5. More here.

Mavericks Name Captains and Leadership Squad

The Kansas City Mavericks announced the team’s captains and leadership group for the 2023-24 season. Players, coaches and hockey operations staff appointed the following:

In his second season in Kansas City, forward Jake Jaremko was named the team’s captain. Forward Cole Coskey and defensemen Ryan Jones and Jake McLaughlin were voted as the team’s alternate captains. 

Additionally, forward Patrick Curry and defenseman Marc-Olivier Duquette were named to the leadership committee. 

Jaremko, 27, is in his second season with Kansas City. Jaremko was an alternate captain for the Chicago Steel of the USHL in the 2016-17 season. Additionally, Jaremko is a 2022 Kelly Cup Champion with the Florida Everblades.

Coskey, 24, a former seventh-round draft pick of the New York Islanders also is back for his second season with the Mavericks. Coskey’s five goals in 2023-24 current leads all Kansas City skaters.

Jones, 27, is in his first season on the Mavericks roster. A 2016 fourth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jones was also an alternate captain as a senior at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Jones comes to Kansas City after three seasons in the AHL with Syracuse and Rochester. 

McLaughlin, 27, is in his second season with the Mavericks. McLaughlin has three seasons of AHL experience with Henderson, Milwaukee and Coachella Valley. McLaughlin was a teammate of Jake Jaremko, winning the 2022 Kelly Cup with Florida. 

Curry and Duquette are both playing in their first season with the Mavericks and were named to the team’s leadership committee in tandem with the four captains.

Curry, 27, was the captain at Boston University as a senior in 2019-20. Curry is in his fourth professional season, with experience in the AHL, ECHL and Slovakian League. 

Duquette, 25, is a member of the leadership team after being an alternate captain for two seasons with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. The Quebec native is in his fifth professional campaign. 

The following players have been signed, re-signed, or traded to the listed club in the past week. *Signing list may be incomplete as of press time

Allen Americans

• undefined

Newfoundland Growlers

• undefined

Orlando Solar Bears

• undefined

Rapid City Rush

• undefined

Reading Royals

• undefined

Savannah Ghost Pirates

• undefined

Tulsa Oilers

• undefined

Wheeling Nailers

• undefined