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ECHL Represented on AHL Calder Cup Champion for 22nd Straight Season

Published on June 8, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - For the 22nd year in a row the ECHL is represented on the American Hockey League champion as six of the 28 players who played for Binghamton in the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs played in the Premier ‚¬ËœAA' Hockey League. The head coach of the Senators is former ECHL coach Kurt Kleinendorst, who was ECHL Coach of the Year with Raleigh in 1993.

There have been 64 former ECHL players on the last five AHL winners and 82 former ECHL players on the last seven champions.

The ECHL has had affiliations with 20 or more teams in the AHL the last 10 years and in the past nine seasons there have been more ECHL players called up to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined.

The Elmira Jackals are the ECHL affiliate for Binghamton and Patrick Coulombe, Mike Hoffman, David Sloane and Brennan Turner all played for Elmira this season. Coulombe played with Victoria the previous four seasons while Sloane has also seen ECHL time with Kalamazoo (2009-10) and Cincinnati (2001-11). Turner also played in the ECHL with Fresno (2008-09) and Gwinnett (2008-09 and 2010-11).

The other former ECHL players on the Senators are Barry Brust (Reading, 2004-05 and Florida, 2009-10) and Bobby Raymond (Florida, 2010-11).

Kleinendorst is the seventh former ECHL coach to win the Calder Cup championship joining Peter Laviolette (Providence, 1999), Jim Playfair (Saint John, 2001), Claude Noel (Milwaukee, 2004), Bruce Boudreau (Hershey, 2006), Bob Woods (Hershey, 2009) and Mark French (Hershey, 2010).

Other former ECHL personnel with the Senators are equipment manager Tom Severance and broadcaster Grady Whittenburg.

Seven of the 24 players on runner-up Houston had ECHL experience with Drew Bagnall (Reading, 2007-08), Jean-Michel Daoust (Cincinnati, 2006-08), Matt Kassian (Texas, 2007-08), Pascal Morency (Wheeling, 2004-06 and Bakersfield, 20101-11), Maxim Noreau (Texas, 2007-08), Warren Peters (Idaho, 2003-05) and Josh Tordjman (Phoenix, 2006-07 and Bakersfield, 2010-11)

Former ECHL player and executive Jim Mill is the Aeros' general manager. Other former ECHL personnel with the Aeros are head athletic trainer Jody Green and broadcaster Joe O'Donnell.

Seven times in the last 11 years the winner of the AHL Coach of the Year award has been a former ECHL coach including Scott Gordon and Mike Haviland in 2006 and 2007. Former ECHL coaches won the award four consecutive years from 2001-04 with Don Granato, Bruce Cassidy, Geoff Ward and Claude Noel. The first former ECHL coach to win the award was Peter Laviolette in 1999.

For the fourth season in a row at least nine former ECHL players were named Reebok/AHL Player of the Week with former Idaho Steelheads goaltender Richard Bachman, former Cincinnati Cyclones center and 2008 ECHL Most Valuable Player David Desharnais, former Greenville Grrrowl goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, former Stockton Thunder right wing Colin McDonald, former Richmond Renegades right wing Graham Mink, former Dayton Bombers and Florida Everblades goaltender Tyler Plante, former Cincinnati Cyclones left wing Pat Rissmiller, Greenville Road Warriors and Bakersfield Condors goaltender Brian Stewart, former Wheeling Nailers goaltender Brad Thiessen and former Hampton Roads Admirals center Trent Whitfield.

Former Wheeling Nailers goaltender Brad Thiessen was named AHL Goaltender of the Year.

There were 12 former ECHL players and three former ECHL coaches in the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic.

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