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ECHL Preseason Schedule Announced

September 3, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced its preseason schedule of 21 games beginning Oct. 7 and continuing through Oct. 11.

Teams report for training camp on Oct. 1 and on-ice workouts may begin on Oct. 2.

The preseason opens Oct. 7 with the Johnstown Chiefs, who have been a member of the league for all 22 seasons, visiting the Wheeling Nailers and the defending National Conference champion Alaska Aces hosting the Kalamazoo Wings, who are the league's newest member.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League will open its 22nd season on Oct. 15 when the Reading Royals host the Kalamazoo Wings. There will be seven games from South Carolina to Alaska on Oct. 16 and nine games on Oct. 17 before the opening weekend concludes with four games on Oct. 18.

The third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the ECHL is the only minor professional hockey league to increase average attendance each of the last two seasons. The ECHL averaged more than 4,000 fans the last five seasons and 17 times in the last 19 years and has drawn more than 3 million fans each of the last 16 seasons. Stockton led the league with 6,218 per game and 223,854 fans in 2008-09 becoming the first team to lead the ECHL in attendance four years in a row since Florida led the league for a record five straight years from 2000-05.

The Ontario Reign, the City of Ontario and Citizens Business Bank Arena will host the 18th Annual ECHL All-Star Game presented by Reebok on Jan. 20, 2010 and the 13th Annual All-Star Skills Competition presented by Reebok on Jan. 19, 2010. Ontario, which drew more than 27,000 for its final three home games including a team record 9,659 on Mar. 7, finished second in the league in its first season with 5,856 per game.

2009 ECHL Preseason Schedule (Start Times are Local)

Wednesday, Oct. 7
Kalamazoo at Alaska, 7:15 p.m.
Johnstown at Wheeling, 7:05 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 8
Kalamazoo at Alaska, 7:15 p.m.
Toledo at Dayton (IHL), 7:35 p.m.
Ontario at Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m.
Bakersfield at Stockton, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 9
Toledo at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Trenton at Elmira, 7:35 p.m.
Gwinnett at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Las Vegas at Ontario, 7 p.m.
Charlotte vs. South Carolina (Carolina Ice Palace), 7 p.m.
Idaho vs. Utah (Eccles Ice Center in Logan, Utah), 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10
Stockton at Bakersfield, 7:30 p.m.
South Carolina vs. Charlotte (Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, N.C.), 1:30 p.m.
Reading at Elmira, 7:35 p.m.
Gwinnett at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Utah vs. Idaho (Manchester Ice Center in McCall, Idaho), 7 p.m.
Wheeling at Johnstown, 6:05 p.m.
Cincinnati vs. Toledo (Tam-O-Shanter in Sylvania, Ohio), 7 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 11
Trenton at Reading, 5 p.m.
Port Huron at Toledo (Team Toledo Ice House), 4 p.m.

Premier 'AA' Hockey League Fast Facts
- 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 20 teams in 15 states and British Columbia in 2009-10.
- The league officially changed its name from East Coast Hockey League to ECHL on May 19, 2003.
- ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League marking the 13th consecutive year for affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.
- 407 former ECHL players have played in NHL.
- 151 former ECHL players have played their first NHL game in the last four seasons.
- Record 52 former ECHL players made their NHL debut in 2008-09 and nine players played in both the ECHL and the NHL: goaltenders Matt Climie (Idaho and Dallas), Riku Helenius (Elmira, Mississippi and Tampa Bay), Chris Holt (Alaska and St. Louis), Michal Neuvirth (South Carolina and Washington) and Marek Schwarz (Alaska and St. Louis), defensemen Wes O'Neill (Johnstown and Colorado), Raymond Macias (Johnstown and Colorado) and Kevin Quick (Augusta, Elmira and Tampa Bay) and right wing Joel Rechlicz (Utah and New York Islanders).
- There were 72 former ECHL players on NHL opening-day rosters.
- ECHL has been represented on last nine Stanley Cup champions including 2009 with Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma, player Ruslan Fedotenko, equipment managers Dana Heinze and Dave Zeigler, athletic trainers Chris Stewart and Scott Adams and scout Derek Clancey.
- Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals and Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders while former ECHL player Dan Bylsma is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. 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. Peter 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.
- Twenty former ECHL officials scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2009-10 with David Banfield, Francis Charron, 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, Brian Pancich and Jay Sharrers
- ECHL has affiliations with 25 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League and for the past 20 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 2,500 call-ups involving more than 1,300 players and in 2008-09 there were 10 times as many call-ups from the ECHL to the AHL than all other professional leagues.
- Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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