ECHL Remains Top Player Source For AHL
Published on April 28, 2005 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. â The ECHL continued to be the leader in developmental
leagues in 2004-05 as evidenced by the league providing over 78 percent of
the roster additions to the 28 teams in the American Hockey League.
The Premier "AA" Hockey League, the ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 28
teams in the AHL in 2004-05 and there were five
head coaches and 10 assistant coaches with ECHL experience and 16 of
the teams had a coach that ECHL background.
The ECHL accounted for 355 of the 450 roster additions involving players
from the four professional minor leagues in North America. The 28 teams in
the ECHL provided 219 of the 267 players listed by the AHL as being added
to rosters in 2004-05, the remaining 48 players coming from the remaining
39 minor professional teams.
Reading and Wheeling led the ECHL with 31 AHL roster additions each
followed by Trenton (29), Charlotte (26), Peoria (25) and Texas (22). Every
team in the league had an AHL roster addition and 17 teams had more than
10. Reading had the most players involved in AHL transactions with 19
followed by Trenton (17), Peoria (15), Wheeling (15), Johnstown (13),
Dayton (12), Pensacola (12), Texas (12) and Charlotte (11).
During the regular season in 2003-04, the ECHL had more AHL roster
additions (425) and players involved in AHL roster additions (234) than the
combined totals of all other minor professional leagues. The ECHL had 450
AHL roster additions in 2002-03, exceeding the combined total of the other
minor professional leagues, and the most since 1999-2000 when the league
had a record 453 roster additions to the 19 teams in the AHL and the 13
teams of the International Hockey League.
For the 16th consecutive season, an ECHL player will be a member of the AHL
champion in 2005. The 2004 champion Milwaukee had eight players, including
Most Valuable Player Wade
Flaherty, and head coach Claude Noel as well as radio announcer Kyle
Schultz. Noel, who was named ECHL
Coach of the Year in 2002-03, was named outstanding
coach of the AHL after his first season in 2003-04. Noel was the
fourth ECHL coach in a row and the fifth ever to be named outstanding coach
in the AHL, but the first to win the coach of the year award in both the
ECHL and the AHL.
Former Charlotte goaltender Jason
LaBarbera was named as the AHL MVP in 2003-04, becoming the fourth ECHL
player to earn the honor. In addition to LaBarbera, former ECHL players
named MVP of the AHL are Eric Boguniecki in 2001-02, Martin Brochu in
1999-2000 and Brad Smyth in 1995-96.
ECHL Stories from April 28, 2005
- Checkers advance to American Conference finals - Charlotte Checkers
- Gladiators season ends in 3-0 loss to Checkers in Game Four - Atlanta Gladiators
- Kaufman Wellness Center Donates $1,000 to Children's Hospital of Illinois - Peoria Rivermen
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- Titans fans can attend playoff festivities prior to this Friday's game - Trenton Devils
- ECHL Remains Top Player Source For AHL - ECHL
- Kelly Cup Playoffs Update - Augusta Lynx
- Texas Wildcatters Announce Plans For 2005-2006 Season - Texas Wildcatters
- Friday's Game Four of North Division Finals to be Televised Locally - Reading Royals
- 'Blades Announce Conference Final Schedule - Florida Everblades
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Blades announce dates for games one and two - Florida Everblades
- Titans Top Royals In OT, 3-2 - Trenton Devils
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
