Each Wednesday over the next several weeks, we look back at some of the top moments, teams and players that defined the ECHL’s 2024-25 season. This week, we look at the two expansion teams that played their first season in 2024-25. One reached the second round of the playoffs, while the other was eliminated from qualifying late in the season. KNIGHT MONSTERS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS Two expansion teams entered the ECHL prior to the season: the Tahoe Knight Monsters [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/knight-monsters-stanick-named-echl-rookie-of-the-year]and Bloomington Bison [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/bloomington-bison-making-an-impact-in-their-community-during-inaugural-season]. The Bison just missed the playoffs, but the Knight Monsters got in, making it to the second round before exiting. After being named the Knight Monsters' first head coach, the biggest quality Alex Loh began looking for in recruiting players was character. “That’s something I learned a long time ago, that you need to have good people,” Loh told The Hockey News [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/knight-monsters-confident-they-can-make-big-splash-in-inaugural-season]prior to the start of the season. “That was always the first thing, to make sure the guys you’re bringing in are top quality people. In terms of hockey, you’re looking for the best players you can get your hands on. You can generally mold guys to what you’re expecting, but it’s hard to teach talent.” The Knight Monsters finished third in the Mountain Division with a mark of 41-25-4-2 for 88 points. They qualified for the playoffs in the final week of the regular season, finishing fifth in the Western Conference and 10th overall in the standings. Tahoe swept the Wichita Thunder before getting the same treatment [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/game-day/knight-monsters-inaugural-season-ends-mavericks-clinch-western-conference-finals-berth]from the Kansas City Mavericks. The club was hoping to follow in the footsteps of their NHL parent club, the Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights], who went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural campaign. Even though they fell short of that goal, they have certainly built a winning culture and set themselves up for similar success for the 2025-26 season and beyond. BLOOMINGTON BARELY MISSES OUT Until the arrival of the Bison, the Bloomington community had gone without professional hockey for five years. In a city that catered to everyone of all ages, it made sense that hockey could once again be the heartbeat of Bloomington. That enthusiasm was the first thing Phillip Barski noticed when he arrived as head coach in May 2024. “We had 250 people at our initial press conference,” Barski told The Hockey News [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/excitement-builds-as-bison-approach-inaugural-season]last October. “My wife and I moved here the beginning of August. Everywhere I go, or any team event that I do, the first thing that stands out to me is how welcoming everybody is here and how excited they are for our level of hockey to be here… The response has been honestly overwhelming.” The Bison stayed in playoff contention until Apr. 9, when they fell 5-1 at Indy against the Fuel to end hopes of making the post-season in their first year. However, the Bison ended the regular season on a high note Apr. 13, outdueling the Fort Wayne Komets 4-3 on the road in a shootout. Bloomington fought back from a two-goal deficit in the third period to collect its first shootout victory of the season. A 31-35-4-2 record (68 points) put the Bison seventh in the Central Division. While they may have failed to achieve a playoff berth in their inaugural season, they have room to grow. In a community that was starving for hockey, the fans will certainly continue to embrace their team as their trajectory rises. (Photo Courtesy of the Tahoe Knight Monsters)
