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Collins Becomes 375th Player To Play In NHL After ECHL

December 6, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - Former South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Sean Collins became the 375th player to play in the National Hockey League after playing in the ECHL when he made his NHL debut on Saturday with the Washington Capitals in their 2-1 win at Toronto.

South Carolina is the ECHL affiliate of the Capitals. The head coach of Washington is Bruce Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999. Boudreau was named NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach to receive the award.

Collins becomes the seventh former ECHL player in the last 10 days to make his NHL debut joining former Florida Everblades forward Kenndal McArdle and former Johnstown Chiefs and Mississippi Sea Wolves forward Radek Smolenak, who played their first game on Tuesday; former Las Vegas Wranglers and Wheeling Nailers goaltender John Curry and former Greenville Grrrowl and Stockton Thunder center Tim Sestito, who played their first game on Nov. 27; and former Bakersfield Condors center Alexandre Bolduc and former Johnstown Chiefs center Andre Deveaux, who played their first game on Nov. 28.

The Premier ‘AA' Hockey League, the ECHL has affiliations with 24 of the 30 teams in the NHL, marking the 12th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams.

There have been 119 former ECHL players who have played their first NHL game in the last four seasons and a record 47 players made their debut in 2005-06. Seventy-two former ECHL players were on NHL opening-day rosters this season and 333 ECHL players attended NHL training camps, including 139 who played in the league last season.

The 25 year old played in the ECHL as a rookie in 2007-08 and had 14 points (1g-13a) and 16 penalty minutes in 31 regular season games and nine points (1g-8a) and 24 penalty minutes in 20 Kelly Cup Playoff games for South Carolina.

Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Boudreau and Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders. Peter Laviolette, who began his coaching career with the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006.

Twenty former ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season: former Wheeling Nailers and ECHL All-Star defenseman Paul Bissonnette (Pittsburgh on Oct. 4) , former Bakersfield Condors center Alexandre Bolduc (Vancouver on Nov. 27), former South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Sean Collins (Washington on Dec. 6), former Las Vegas Wranglers and Wheeling Nailers goaltender John Curry (Pittsburgh on Nov. 26), former Greenville Grrrowl goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (Edmonton on Oct. 17) , former Johnstown Chiefs center Andre Deveaux (Toronto on Nov. 27), former Gwinnett Gladiators right wing Pat Dwyer former Columbus Cottonmouths and Tallahassee Tiger Sharks left wing Mitch Fritz (New York Islanders on Oct. 30), former Charlotte Checkers center Dwight Helminen (Carolina on Oct. 28), former Trenton Devils right wing Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (New Jersey on Oct. 22), former Charlotte Checkers defenseman Steve MacIntyre (Edmonton on Oct. 15), former Florida Everblades left wing Kenndal McArdle (Florida on Dec. 2), former Phoenix RoadRunners and Wheeling Nailers center Cam Paddock (St. Louis on Nov. 14), former Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Adam Pardy (Calgary on Oct. 9), former Gwinnett Gladiators center Jared Ross (Philadelphia on Oct. 11) , former Alaska Aces goaltender Marek Schwarz (St. Louis on Oct. 25), former Greenville Grrrowl and Stockton Thunder center Tim Sestito (Edmonton on Nov. 26), former Dayton Bombers and Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Tyler Sloan (Washington on Oct. 21), former Johnstown Chiefs and Mississippi Sea Wolves forward Radek Smolenak and former Augusta Lynx defenseman Brett Skinner (New York Islanders on Oct. 27).

The ECHL is represented for the eighth consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2008 by Aaron Downey of the Detroit Red Wings.

There are 18 former ECHL officials scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2008-09 with referees David Banfield, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Joannette, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock, Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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