ECHL ECHL

Elmira, Idaho, Kalamazoo Still Unbeaten

Published on October 26, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Through the first two weeks of play in the ECHL three undefeated teams remain with the Elmira Jackals, the Idaho Steelheads and the Kalamazoo Wings tied for the league lead with 10 points and 5-0-0 records.

The longest winning streak to begin the season is eight games by Dayton from Oct. 19-Nov. 4, 1994 and Trenton from Oct. 12-26, 2001. Trenton was 8-2-0 after 10 games and went on to finish 46-16-10 and second in the league with 102 points while Dayton finished 42-17-9 and second in the league with 93 points. Wheeling was 6-0-4 to begin 2008-09 and did not lose in regulation until its 11th game on Nov. 6, 2008 at Dayton. The Nailers start was the best in the ECHL since 2001-02 when Louisiana was 9-0-1 after the first 10 games.

The newest member of the ECHL, Kalamazoo leads the North Division and is 3-0-0 on the road and 2-0-0 at home. The K-Wings travel to Wheeling (1-5-0) on Friday before returning home to host Toledo, which is tied for second place in the North Division with six points (3-2-0), on Saturday.

Idaho leads the West Division and is 3-0-0 at home and 2-0-0 on the road. The Steelheads travel to Alaska, which is in second place in the West Division with eight points (4-0-2) for games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Idaho is 22-21-5 all-time in the regular season against the Aces.

Elmira leads the East Division and is 3-0-0 on the road and 2-0-0 at home. The Jackals host Cincinnati, which is tied for second place in the North Division with six points (3-1-0) on Friday and Trenton, which is in third place in the East Division with three points (1-2-1), on Saturday. Elmira beat Cincinnati 5-2 on Oct. 16 to improve to 8-7-3 all-time in the regular season against the Cyclones.

The Jackals lead the league with 4.80 goals per game while Kalamazoo is second with 4.40 goals per game and Idaho is third with 3.40 goals per game. The K-Wings lead the ECHL with a goals-against average of 1.20 while Idaho is tied for second with a goals-against average of 2.00 and Elmira is tied for ninth with a goals-against average of 3.00.

Kalamazoo is fourth in the league on the penalty kill with 93.8 percent (30-for-32) while Elmira is 10th at 82.8 percent (24-for-29) and Idaho is 11th at 82.6 percent (19-for-23). The Jackals are second in the ECHL on the power play at 30.8 percent (8-for-26) while Kalamazoo is ninth at 16.7 percent (4-for-24) and Idaho is 11th at 14.8 percent (4-for-27).

Elmira rookie Justin Donati and his brother and teammate, Tyler Donati, are tied for the league lead with 10 points. Tyler Donati leads the league with six power-play assists and seven power-play points while his eight assists tie him for the league lead. Justin Donati is tied for the league lead with three power-play goals and tied for second with six power-play points while his seven assists rank third

Mathieu Curadeau of Kalamazoo is tied for the league lead with two game-winning goals while teammate Rick Cleaver is tied for third with nine points and tied for fourth with six assists and Darryl Lloyd is tied for fourth with four goals and tied for 10th with seven points.

Tyler Spurgeon of Idaho is tied for fourth in the ECHL with six assists and tied for seventh with eight points while teammate Ashton Rome is tied for the league lead with two game-winning goals. Idaho's Rejean Beauchemin is 3-0-0 and tied for the league lead in wins while ranking sixth in goals-against average with 1.67.

Kalamazoo's Jeremy Duchesne is 1-0-0 and leads the league with one shutout, a save percentage of 1.000 and a goals-against average of 0.00 while teammate Ryan Nie is 3-0-0 and tied for the league lead in wins while ranking second in the league with a save percentage of .957 and third with a goals-against average of 1.32.

Michael-Lee Teslak of Elmira is 3-0-0 and tied for the league lead in wins while teammate Chris Holt is 2-0-0 and seventh in the league with a goals-against average of 1.97.



American Conference - East Division

Elmira Jackals

* Elmira is 5-0 to start a season for the first time since joining the ECHL.
* Rookie Justin Donati (3g-7a) and his brother Tyler Donati (2g-8a) are tied for the league lead with 10 points.
* Jackals host Cincinnati on Friday and Trenton on Sunday.

Johnstown Chiefs

* Johnstown plays next five games on the road, which is the longest road trip of the season.
* Right wing Mike Bartlett has a three-game point streak (1g-3a) and leads the Chiefs with four points.
* Chiefs play at Trenton on Friday before playing in Reading on Saturday and Sunday.

Reading Royals

* Reading's 7-3 win over Toledo on Oct. 23 marked the 17th time that the Royals have scored seven or more goals in a game.

* Stefano Giliati has a league-best four-game goal streak (4g) and leads the Royals with four goals and eight points.

* Royals host Toledo on Thursday and Johnstown on Saturday and Sunday.

Trenton Devils

* Trenton killed off eight of nine power plays Saturday at Toledo to improve to 85.2 percent (23-for-27) on the season.

* Dave Caruso stopped 43 of 44 shots Saturday at Toledo, the most saves by an ECHL goalie this year.

* Devils host Wheeling on Wednesday and Johnstown on Friday before playing at Elmira on Saturday.

American Conference - North Division

Cincinnati Cyclones

* The only team in the ECHL yet to yield a power play goal, Cincinnati is a perfect 16-for-16 mark on the penalty kill.
* Rookie goaltender Jeremy Smith is tied for league lead with three victories.
* Cyclones play at Elmira on Friday and at Wheeling on Saturday.

Kalamazoo Wings
* Kalamazoo won 3-2 in overtime against Reading on Oct. 24 in the first-ever ECHL contest in the state of Michigan.
* Rick Cleaver has a five-game point streak (3g-6a) and a five-game assist streak (6a).
* K-Wings travel to Wheeling on Friday before hosting Toledo on Saturday.

Toledo Walleye
* Toledo leads the league in attendance with 32,062 and 6,412 per game through five games.
* Jean-Claude Sawyer leads ECHL defensemen with two game-winning goals.
* Walleye play at Reading on Thursday and at Kalamazoo on Saturday.

Wheeling Nailers

* Home opener against Cincinnati on Oct 23 drew 4,001 to WesBanco Arena, the largest opening night crowd for the Nailers since 2005.
* Rookie Pierce Norton scored a goal in his second professional shift against Elmira on Oct. 25.
* Nailers play at Trenton on Wednesday before home games against Kalamazoo on Friday and Cincinnati on Saturday.

National Conference - West Division

Alaska Aces
* Alaska is eighth in the league in both goals per game (3.33) and goals against average (2.83).
* John Lammers and Colin Hemingway are tied for the league lead with three shorthand points.
* Aces host Idaho on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Idaho Steelheads

* Idaho went 2-0-0 this week to improve to 5-0-0 on the season.
* Ashton Rome has scored the game-winning goal in each of the last two games.
* Steelheads play at Alaska on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Utah Grizzlies
* Utah is fourth in the league with an average attendance of 5,491.
* Ryan Kinasewich leads the Grizzlies and is tied for second in the league with five goals.
* Grizzlies play road games in Las Vegas on Thursday and Bakersfield on Friday.

Victoria Salmon Kings
* Victoria is 1-5-0 yet has only yielded four more goals than it has scored.
* Glenn Fisher is 1-1-0 with a 1.01 goals against average and a .970 save percentage in his last two starts.
* Salmon Kings host Stockton on Friday and Sunday.

American Conference - South Division

Charlotte Checkers
* Charlotte is second in the league on the penalty kill with 95.7 percent (22-for-23).
* Michel Leveille has three consecutive multi-point games and leads the team with six points (4g-2a).
* Checkers play at Gwinnett on Friday and host the Gladiators for their home opener on Sunday.

Florida Everblades

* Florida's first two home games against Charlotte averaged 5,969 fans which is third in the league.
* Malcolm Cameron will coach his 500th professional regular season game on Wednesday against South Carolina.
* Everblades host South Carolina on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Gwinnett Gladiators
* Gwinnett is fourth in the league on the power play with 24.2 percent (8-for-33).
* Center Brad Schell is tied for the league lead with five assists.
* Gladiators host Charlotte on Friday before playing at Charlotte on Sunday.

South Carolina Stingrays

* South Carolina is tied for third in the league with 3.80 goals per game.
* Rookies Joe Finley, Dain Prewitt and Jake Hauswirth all scored their first professional goal in 4-3 win over Gwinnett on Oct. 24.
* Stingrays play at Florida on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

National Conference - Pacific Division

Bakersfield Condors

* Bakersfield is 3-0 when scoring first this season.
* Dan Sexton is second in rookie scoring with seven points (3g-4a).
* Condors host Ontario on Wednesday and Utah on Friday before playing at Ontario on Saturday.

Las Vegas Wranglers
* Las Vegas has scored first in all four games this year.
* Robbie Bina leads ECHL defensemen with four power-play assists.
* Wranglers host Utah on Thursday before games in Ontario on Friday and Sunday.

Ontario Reign
* Ontario leads the league on the power play with 44.4 percent (8-for18).
* Greg Hogeboom leads the league in shooting percentage with 57.1 percent (4-for-7).
* Reign play at Bakersfield on Wednesday before home games against Las Vegas on Friday and Sunday and Bakersfield on Saturday.

Stockton Thunder
* Stockton ranks second in the league in attendance with an average of 6,007.
* Judd Blackwater is tied for the ECHL lead with three power-play goals.
* Thunder play at Victoria on Friday and Sunday.

Premier 'AA' Hockey League Fast Facts
- Watch games live on B2 Networks, the "Official Broadband Broadcast Provider" of the ECHL.
- Watch ECHL games around the clock on ECHL TV on B2CableTV.com.
- 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.
- 412 players have played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL including a record 52 in 2008-09.
- Five ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season: Gwinnett Gladiators and 2006 ECHL All-Star right wing Guillaume Desbiens (Vancouver on Oct. 11), former Idaho Steelheads center Aaron Gagnon (Dallas on Oct. 16), former Reading Royals right wing Scott Parse (Los Angeles on Oct. 24), former Johnstown Chiefs defenseman Jay Rosehill (Toronto on Oct. 1) and former Idaho Steelheads left wing Francis Wathier (Dallas on Oct. 21).
- The ECHL has had 220 players reach the NHL since 2002-03 when it changed its focus to become the primary developmental league for the NHL and the AHL. The ECHL had 97 players reach the NHL in its first 10 seasons and 215 in the first 15 years.
- 156 ECHL players who have played their first game in the last five seasons for an average of more than 31 per year.
- ECHL had a record 78 players on NHL opening-day rosters, surpassing the 71 from a year ago and marking the seventh year in a row that there have been over 50 former ECHL players on opening-day rosters.
- ECHL has affiliations with 27 of the 30 teams in the NHL, marking the 13th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.
- ECHL had 78 players on National Hockey League opening-day rosters, surpassing the record 71 players in 2008, and marking the seventh season in a row there have been more than 50 former ECHL players on opening-day rosters.
- 26 coaches with an ECHL background are working behind the benches of teams in the NHL including Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau and New York Islanders head coach Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders while former ECHL player Dan Bylsma is head coach of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. It is the fifth consecutive season that there have been 11 or more coaches with an ECHL background working in the NHL. 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.
- 20 former ECHL officials are working as part of the NHL officiating team in 2009-10 with referees David Banfield, Francis Charron, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Herbert, 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, Bryan Pancich, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers.
- ECHL was represented for the ninth year in a row on the Stanley Cup champion 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. There were 43 former players and 14 former coaches on 15 of the 16 teams competing in the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Playoffs, marking the fourth year in a row that there have been at least 30 former ECHL players and the sixth consecutive season that over 25 players with ECHL experience have competed in the NHL postseason.
- Former ECHL and current Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas was the recipient of the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the NHL and was also presented the William Jennings Trophy with teammate Manny Fernandez as the goaltenders finishing the season having surrendered the fewest goals. Thomas was also named First Team All-NHL after registering a career-high 36 wins while leading the NHL with a goals-against average of 2.10 and a save percentage of .933 to help the Bruins finish with the most wins (53) and points (116) since 1971-72.
- ECHL was represented in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game by Mark Streit of the New York Islanders and Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins while former ECHL players Dan Ellis, Jonathan Quick and Tomas Vokoun were all selected as recipients of the NHL's "Three Stars" award in 2008-09.
- Former ECHL broadcasters working in the National Hockey League include John Ahlers and Steve Carroll of the Anaheim Ducks, Tom Callahan of the Nashville Predators, Dave Goucher of the Boston Bruins, Chris Kerber of the St. Louis Blues, Dave Mishkin of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bob McElligott and John Michael of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Rob Simpson, who is a producer/host for The NHL Network.
- Ryan Stanzel and Jeremy Zager, who were both recipients of the ECHL Media Relations Director of the Year award, are working in the communications department for the Minnesota Wild and the Los Angeles Kings, respectively. Former ECHL assistant director of communications Joe Siville and Kelly Murray are now with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals, respectively, while former ECHL director of communications Jason Rothwell is the creative director for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- 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.
- The ECHL averaged 4,258 fans per game in 2008-09 and is the only minor professional hockey league to increase average attendance each of the last two seasons. It is the fifth consecutive season and the 17th time in the last 19 years that the ECHL has averaged over 4,000 fans and the league drew over 3 million fans for the 16th year in a row and reached the 3 million mark in the fewest number of games since 2005-06.
- There have been more than 74 million fans who have attended almost 17,000 games since the ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in three states.
- The Ontario Reign, the City of Ontario and Citizens Business Bank Arena will host the 18th Annual ECHL All-Star Game presented by Reebok Hockey on Jan. 20, 2010 and the 13th Annual All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 19, 2010.
- Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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