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ECHL Announces Composite Preseason Schedule

September 18, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL on Thursday announced its composite preseason schedule consisting of 24 games beginning Oct. 8 when South Carolina visits Alaska and continuing until Oct. 13 when Reading hosts Elmira.

Teams report for training camp on Oct. 2 and on-ice workouts may begin on Oct. 3.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League will open its 21st season on Oct. 17 with seven games being played in seven states from Alaska to Florida and continues on Oct. 18 with 11 games in 10 states.

The third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the ECHL has welcomed more than four million fans each of the last five seasons and 11 times in the last 12 years. The league celebrated its 20th season in 2007-08 by averaging over 4,000 fans in the regular season for the fourth straight year and the 16th time in the last 18 seasons.

Eleven ECHL teams raised their attendance in 2007-08 and the league had 51 sellouts, the most capacity crowds in the last five years and the fourth time in the last five seasons that the league has had at least 40 sellouts. Cincinnati and Victoria led all of professional hockey in attendance increase with 36.8 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively, while Augusta was third in the ECHL and ninth overall with 10.9 percent. Seven teams set the record for their largest crowd: Bakersfield (8,895 on Nov. 24, 2007), Charlotte (12,256 on Feb. 23), Cincinnati (9,615 on Mar. 28, 2008), Elmira (4,187 on Nov. 9, 2007), Idaho (5,631 on Jan. 19), Johnstown (4,238 on Nov. 30, 2007) and South Carolina (10,565 on Jan. 19).

Over 70.6 million fans have attended more than 16,000 games since the ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states. The league has grown to become a coast-to-coast league that will have 24 teams in 16 states and British Columbia playing in 2008-09. The league's newest member is the Ontario Reign, who will play in the new state-of-the-art Citizens Business Bank Arena, a $130 million multi-purpose facility in Ontario, Calif.

Eighteen of the 23 teams have played at least five years in their current city. The Johnstown Chiefs have been a member of the league for all 21 seasons while the Dayton Bombers and Wheeling Nailers return for their 18th and 17th seasons, respectively. Charlotte and South Carolina both return for their 16th season while Augusta, Florida and Mississippi each return for their 11th campaign.

2008 ECHL Preseason Schedule (Start Times are Local)

Wednesday, Oct. 8
South Carolina at Alaska, 7:15 p.m. at Sullivan Arena

Thursday, Oct. 9
South Carolina at Alaska, 7:15 p.m. at Sullivan Arena
Reading at Elmira, 7:05 p.m. at First Arena
Fresno at Stockton at 7 p.m. at Stockton Arena
Bakersfield at Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m. at Orleans Arena

Friday, Oct. 10
Mississippi at Charlotte, 7 p.m. at Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, N.C.
Gwinnett at Augusta, 7:30 p.m. at James Brown Arena
Dayton at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. at Sports Plus
Trenton at Elmira, 7:35 p.m. at First Arena
Phoenix at Florida, 7:30 p.m. at Germain Arena
Victoria at Idaho, 7 p.m. at Manchester Ice and Event Centre in McCall, Idaho
Johnstown at Wheeling, 7:35 p.m. at WesBanco Arena
Bakersfield at Ontario, 7 p.m. at Center Ice Arena

Saturday, Oct. 11
Mississippi at Augusta, 7 p.m. at James Brown Arena
Las Vegas at Bakersfield, 7 p.m. at Rabobank Arena
Cincinnati at Dayton, 2 p.m. at Kettering Ice Arena in Kettering, Ohio
Trenton at Elmira, 7:35 p.m. at First Arena
Phoenix at Florida, 7:30 p.m. at Germain Arena
Stockton at Fresno, 7 p.m. at Gateway Ice Center
Victoria at Idaho, 7 p.m. at Manchester Ice and Event Centre in McCall, Idaho
Wheeling at Johnstown, 7:05 p.m. at Cambria County War Memorial

Sunday, Oct. 12
Las Vegas at Ontario, 5 p.m. at Center Ice Arena

Monday, Oct. 13
Elmira at Reading, 7:05 p.m. at Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex in Wyomissing, Pa.

ECHL

Watch ECHL games live on B2 Networks, the "Official Broadband Broadcast Provider" of the ECHL.

The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 23 teams playing 828 games in 16 states and British Columbia in 2008-09.

The Reading Royals, the City of Reading and the Sovereign Center will host the 17th Annual ECHL All-Star Game on Jan. 21, 2009 and the 12th Annual All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 20, 2009.

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

The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the NHL, marking the 12th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

There have been 355 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 and 2007-08.

Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals, Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders and Peter Laviolette of the Carolina Hurricanes. Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999, was named NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach to receive the award. Laviolette, who began his coaching career with the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006. There are 15 assistant coaches in the NHL who were players or coaches in the ECHL.

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, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre, Ian Walsh and Dean Warren and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock, Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The ECHL has affiliations with 25 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League and for the past 19 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup champion.

In the last six seasons the ECHL has had more call ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,300 call ups involving more than 1,200 players. In each of the last three seasons there have been more than 225 players who have played in both the ECHL and the AHL in the same season.

Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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