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Alaska's Payne Receives John Brophy Award

April 9, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Monday that Davis Payne of the Alaska Aces is the 2006-07 recipient of the John Brophy Award.

The John Brophy Award is the trophy presented annually to the ECHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success as selected in a vote of league coaches. The trophy is named for John Brophy, who won a record three ECHL titles with Hampton Roads in 1991, 1992 and 1998.

For the second consecutive season Alaska was the first team to clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs and finished first in the division with a 49-16-7 record. The Aces battled for the regular season point title until the final day of the season, finishing one point behind Las Vegas. Payne has led Alaska to three straight division titles and to the Kelly Cup Playoffs in each of its first four seasons. In 2005-06 he became only the second coach ever to win the Brabham Cup and the Kelly Cup in the same season. He is one of only two coaches in league history to lead his team to back-to-back 100-point seasons having won the Brabham Cup in 2005-06 with 113 points and finishing second in 2006-07 with 105 points. Alaska is 102-28-14 the last two seasons and Payne is 185-75-28 overall in the regular season and 29-15 in the Kelly Cup Playoffs with the Aces. He has never missed the Kelly Cup Playoffs in seven seasons as an ECHL coach and has a career regular season record of 289-142-45 and a postseason record of 41-29.

Chuck Weber of Cincinnati finished second in the voting of ECHL coaches followed by Don MacAdam of Dayton. In his first season as head coach and with Cincinnati returning to the ice for the first time since 2003-04, Weber led the Cyclones to a 37-29-6 record and a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. MacAdam helped Dayton experience 37-point improvement from a year ago as the Bombers finished 37-26-9 and won the North Division with 83 points. It is the most points that the Bombers have had since their last Kelly Cup Playoffs appearance in 2001-02 when they finished first in the division with 92 points (40-20-12) and reached the Kelly Cup Finals.

The John Brophy Award is named in honor of John Brophy. Brophy coached more seasons than any other coach in ECHL history with Hampton Roads from 1989-2000 and Wheeling from 2001-03, compiling a career record of 480-323-79 in the regular season and 55-39 in the postseason. Hampton Roads reached the postseason in each of his 11 seasons behind the bench, winning back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992 and an ECHL record third title in 1998. His three ECHL titles are the most in league history and he is also the all-time leader among ECHL coaches in regular season games (878) and regular season wins (480) and postseason games (94) and wins (55). Brophy ranks second all-time in professional hockey to only the legendary Scotty Bowman. After a 20-year playing career with several different minor league teams, Brophy began his coaching career with the Long Island Cougars (NAHL) in 1973-74. The following season he moved to Hampton Roads to coach the Hampton Gulls (SHL). He guided the Gulls from 1974-77 and in 1977-78 he was behind the bench when the Gulls moved to the American Hockey League. When the Gulls ceased operations, Brophy moved to the Birmingham Bulls where he garnered WHA Coach of the Year honors. Brophy led the Montreal Canadiens affiliate, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs from 1981-84. Brophy served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1984-85 and was named head coach of the Maple Leafs minor league club, the St. Catherines Saints the next season. The next year, Brophy took over as head coach of the Maple Leafs until 1988-89.

ECHL John Brophy Award Winners
2006-07 Davis Payne, Alaska Aces
2005-06 Glen Gulutzan, Las Vegas Wranglers
2004-05 Nick Vitucci, Toledo Storm
2003-04 Pat Bingham, Wheeling Nailers
2002-03 Claude Noel, Toledo Storm
2001-02 Dave Farrish, Louisiana IceGators
2000-01 Troy Ward, Trenton Titans
1999-00 Bob Ferguson, Florida Everblades
1998-99 Bob Ferguson, Florida Everblades
1997-98 Chris Nilan, Chesapeake IceBreakers
1996-97 Brian McCutcheon, Columbus Chill
1995-96 Roy Sommer, Richmond Renegades
1994-95 Jim Playfair, Dayton Bombers
1993-94 Barry Smith, Knoxville Cherokees
1992-93 Kurt Kleinendorst, Raleigh IceCaps
1991-92 Doug Sauter, Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
1990-91 Don Jackson, Knoxville Cherokees
1989-90 Dave Allison, Virginia Lancers
1988-89 Ron Hansis, Erie Panthers

ECHL

The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League, the ECHL has affiliations with 25 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League in 2006-07, marking 10th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

There have been 329 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including a record 47 in 2005-06 and 26 in 2006-07. There have been 184 former ECHL players who have played their first game in the NHL in the past five seasons and 107 former ECHL players have skated in the NHL this season. More than 100 players under contract to NHL teams have played in the ECHL this season.

The ECHL was represented for the sixth consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team, including Carolina Hurricanes head coach Peter Laviolette, who is the first ECHL coach to win the Stanley Cup.

The ECHL has affiliations with 24 of the 27 teams in the American Hockey League in 2006-07 and for the past 17 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup champion. The ECHL has had more players called up to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined each of the past four seasons with 1,646 call ups involving almost 1,000 players.

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