This is a guide to help ECHL fans become familiar with the critical dates during the 2022-23 season and answer some of the frequently asked questions.
October 2022
6 – Players may report to training camp
7 – First day of on-ice activities
19 – Opening Night rosters due into ECHL offices by 3 pm ET
21 – 33rd ECHL Regular Season begins
November 2022
1 – Deadline for submission of ECHL Hall of Fame candidates
10 – Active rosters must be trimmed down from 21 to 20 by 3 pm ET
December 2022
22 – Christmas waiver/trade freeze begins at 3 pm ET
23-25 – Christmas break (no games or practices)
26 – Christmas waiver/trade freeze ends at Noon ET
January 2023
22 – ECHL All-Star Classic in Norfolk, Virginia
24 – Jersey reversal date
February 2023
15 – Overseas Deadline at 3 pm ET
March 2023
4 – Recall/Reassignment deadline at 11:59 pm local time
5 – ECHL Trade Deadline at 3 pm ET
April 2023
3 – Last day to place a player on waivers (must be done by 5 pm ET)
5 – Last day of 2018-19 ECHL Regular Season
6 – Kelly Cup Playoff rosters due by 3 pm ET
8 – Opening night of the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs
June 2023
1 – Protected Lists due by 3 pm ET
12 – Future Consideration trades must be done by 3 pm ET
15 – Season-ending rosters due by 3 pm ET
16 – Opening day of the 2019 free agency period
30 – Qualifying offers due to players for the 2019-20 season by 11:59 pm ET
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding the salary cap within the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA). The CBA was agreed to in December 2021 and will expire on June 30, 2025.
Salary Cap
First 30 days of season (due to one extra roster slot):
- 2022-23: $14,610 US
- 2023-24: $14,870 US
- 2024-25: $15,130 US
Rest of Season:
- 2022-23: $14,100 US
- 2023-24: $14,350 US
- 2024-25: $14,600 US
Rookie Salary Cap
The Rookie Salary Cap is the maximum weekly allowable salary for a player who has played fewer than 25 regular season professional games. The amounts are as follows:
- 2022-23: $600 US
- 2023-24: $610 US
- 2024-25: $620 US
Salary Floor
This is the minimum total salary paid by teams to players who are on the active roster:
- 2022-23: $10,750 US
- 2023-24: $10,900 US
- 2024-25: $11,100 US
Weekly Salary Floor
There are weekly salary minimums for teams to meet. For rookies, those with 25 games or less of pro experience, the figures are:
- 2022-23: $510 US
- 2023-24: $520 US
- 2024-25: $530 US
For all other players, including veterans:
- 2022-23: $555 US
- 2023-24: $565 US
- 2024-25: $575 US
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding playing rosters:
Roster Limit
ECHL teams can carry a maximum of 20 players (21 for the first 30 days of the regular season) on their active roster (not counting players on reserve or injured reserve).
How Many Players Can Dress for Each Game?
Teams may dress a maximum of eighteen (18) players for each regular season and playoff game, of which two (2) must be goaltenders. No team can play with only one designated goaltender on the lineup card.
Injured Reserve
ECHL teams can have an unlimited number of players on the 14-day injured reserve. Teams cannot count the date of the game in which the player was injured as the first day of his IR. Once placed on the injured reserve, the player must remain on the IR for a minimum of 14 days. Players on injured reserve may not skate in any pregame warm-up.
Veterans
A veteran is a player, excluding a goaltender, who has played in 260 professional regular season games. Each team is allowed to have four (4) veterans on their playing roster. Games from the following leagues (in alphabetical order by country) count toward the total:
Czech Extraliga (Czech Republic)
Lilga (Finland)
DEL (Germany)
Kontinental Hockey League (Russia)
Swedish Elite League (Sweden)
National League (Switzerland)
American Hockey League (United States)
Central Hockey League (Defunct – United States)
ECHL (United States)
National Hockey League (United States)
Player/Assistant Coaches
Each team may designate one player as the Player/Assistant Coach during the season, but there will be no additional compensation or benefits except as provided in the CBA.
Rookies
A player is deemed a rookie if he has played less than 25 games as a professional.
For the 2022-23 season, the ECHL will play with 28 teams across four divisions, adding the Savannah Ghost Pirates to the league starting in October 2022. With Savannah’s addition to the league, the Norfolk Admirals move from the South to the North Division.
Here is the conference and divisional alignment for the season (teams are listed alphabetically):
Eastern Conference
North Division
Adirondack Thunder
Maine Mariners
Norfolk Admirals
Newfoundland Growlers
Reading Royals
Trois-Rivieres Lions
Worcester Railers
South Division
Atlanta Gladiators
Florida Everblades
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Jacksonville Icemen
Orlando Solar Bears
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Western Conference
Central Division
Cincinnati Cyclones
Fort Wayne Komets
Iowa Heartlanders
Indy Fuel
Kalamazoo Wings
Toledo Walleye
Wheeling Nailers
Mountain Division
Allen Americans
Idaho Steelheads
Kansas City Mavericks
Rapid City Rush
Tulsa Oilers
Utah Grizzlies
Wichita Thunder
Here is a list of regular season champions in the ECHL, and the success they have had in the Riley/Kelly Cup playoffs. Winners are highlighted in BOLD GREEN:
| Season | Winner | Standings Points | Playoff Result |
| 1988-89 | Erie Panthers | 89 | Lost in semifinals |
| 1989-90 | Winston-Salem Thunderbirds | 82 | Lost in Riley Cup Finals |
| 1990-91 | Knoxville Cherokees | 97 | Lost in division semifinals |
| 1991-92 | Toledo Storm | 95 | Lost in division first round |
| 1992-93 | Wheeling Thunderbirds | 88 | Lost in Riley Cup Finals |
| 1993-94 | Knoxville Cherokees | 94 | Lost in first round |
| 1994-95 | Wheeling Thunderbirds | 97 | Lost in first round |
| 1995-96 | Richmond Renegades | 105 | Lost in Riley Cup Quarterfinals |
| 1996-97 | South Carolina Stingrays | 100 | WON KELLY CUP |
| 1997-98 | Louisiana IceGators | 96 | Lost in Kelly Cup Semifinals |
| 1998-99 | Pee Dee Pride | 106 | Lost in Conference Finals |
| 1999-2000 | Florida Everblades | 108 | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals |
| 2000-01 | Trenton Titans | 104 | Lost in Kelly Cup Finals |
| 2001-02 | Louisiana IceGators | 116 | Lost in Division Semifinals |
| 2002-03 | Toledo Storm | 104 | Lost in Division Finals |
| 2003-04 | San Diego Gulls | 108 | Lost in Division Semifinals |
| 2004-05 | Pensacola Ice Pilots | 107 | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals |
| 2005-06 | Alaska Aces | 113 | WON KELLY CUP |
| 2006-07 | Las Vegas Wranglers | 106 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| 2007-08 | Cincinnati Cyclones | 115 | WON KELLY CUP |
| 2008-09 | Florida Everblades | 103 | Lost in Division Finals |
| 2009-10 | Idaho Steelheads | 103 | Lost in Kelly Cup Finals |
| 2010-11 | Alaska Aces | 97 | WON KELLY CUP |
| 2011-12 | Alaska Aces | 97 | Lost in Conference Finals |
| 2012-13 | Alaska Aces | 106 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| 2013-14 | Alaska Aces | 97 | WON KELLY CUP |
| 2014-15 | Toledo Walleye | 107 | Lost Conference Finals |
| 2015-16 | Missouri Mavericks | 109 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| 2016-17 | Toledo Walleye | 106 | Lost in Conference Finals |
| 2017-18 | Florida Everblades | 112 | Lost in Kelly Cup Finals |
| 2018-19 | Cincinnati Cyclones | 110 | Lost in Division Finals |
| 2019-20 | NOT AWARDED | DUE TO | COVID-19 PANDEMIC |
| 2020-21 | Florida Everblades | 92 | Lost in Division Finals |
| 2021-22 | Toledo Walleye | 102 | Lost in Kelly Cup Finals |
| 2022-23 |
Here is a list of the regular season and playoff Most Valuable Award winners in ECHL history:
| Season | Regular Season MVP | Team | Playoff MVP | Team |
| 1988-89 | Daryl Harpe | Erie Panthers | Nick Vitucci | Carolina Thunderbirds |
| 1989-90 | Bill McDougall | Erie Panthers | Wade Flaherty | Greensboro Monarchs |
| 1990-91 | Stan Drulia | Knoxville Cherokees | Dave Flanagan and Dave Gagnon | Hampton Roads Admirals |
| 1991-92 | Phil Berger | Greensboro Monarchs | Mark Bernard | Hampton Roads Admirals |
| 1992-93 | Trevor Jobe | Nashville Knights | Rick Judson | Toledo Storm |
| 1993-94 | Joe Flanagan | Birmingham Bulls | Dave Gagnon | Toledo Storm |
| 1994-95 | Vadim Slivchenko | Wheeling Thunderbirds | Blaine Moore | Richmond Renegades |
| 1995-96 | Hugo Belanger | Nashville Knights | Nick Vitucci | Charlotte Checkers |
| 1996-97 | Mike Ross | South Carolina Stingrays | Jason Fitzsimmons | South Carolina Stingrays |
| 1997-98 | Jamey Hicks | Birmingham Bulls | Sebastien Charpentier | Hampton Roads Admirals |
| 1998-99 | Chris Valicevic | Louisiana IceGators | Travis Scott | Mississippi Sea Wolves |
| 1999-2000 | Andrew Williamson | Toledo Storm | Jason Christie and J.F. Boutin | Peoria Rivermen |
| 2000-01 | Scott King | Charlotte Checkers | Dave Seitz | South Carolina Stingrays |
| 2001-02 | Frederic Cloutier | Louisiana IceGators | Simon Gamache and Tyrone Garner | Greenville Grrrowl |
| 2002-03 | Buddy Smith | Arkansas RiverBlades | Kevin Colley | Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies |
| 2003-04 | Scott Stirling | Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies | Dan Ellis | Idaho Steelheads |
| 2004-05 | Scott Gomez | Alaska Aces | Leon Hayward | Trenton Devils |
| 2005-06 | Jeff Campbell | Gwinnett Gladiators | Mike Scott | Alaska Aces |
| 2006-07 | Brad Schell | Gwinnett Gladiators | Steve Silverthorn | Idaho Steelheads |
| 2007-08 | David Desharnais | Cincinnati Cyclones | Cedrick Desjardins | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| 2008-09 | Kevin Baker | Florida Everblades | James Reimer | South Carolina Stingrays |
| 2009-10 | Tyler Donati | Elmira Jackals | Jeremy Smith and Robert Mayer | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| 2010-11 | Wes Goldie | Alaska Aces | Scott Howes | Alaska Aces |
| 2011-12 | Chad Costello | Colorado Eagles | John Muse | Florida Everblades |
| 2012-13 | Ryan Zapolski | South Carolina Stingrays | Riley Gill | Reading Royals |
| 2013-14 | Mickey Lang | Orlando Solar Bears | Rob Madore | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| 2014-15 | Jeff Jakaitis | South Carolina Stingrays | Greger Hanson | Allen Americans |
| 2015-16 | Chad Costello | Allen Americans | Chad Costello | Allen Americans |
| 2016-17 | Chad Costello | Allen Americans | Matt Register | Colorado Eagles |
| 2017-18 | Shawn Szydlowski | Fort Wayne Komets | Michael Joly | Colorado Eagles |
| 2018-19 | Jesse Schultz | Cincinnati Cyclones | Zach O’Brien | Newfoundland Growlers |
| 2019-20 | Josh Kestner | Toledo Walleye | NOT AWARDED DUE TO | COVID-19 PANDEMIC |
| 2020-21 | Anthony Beauregard | Wichita Thunder | Stephen Harper | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 2021-22 | Will Graber | Fort Wayne Komets | Cam Johnson | Florida Everblades |
| 2022-23 |
The format for the 2023 Kelly Cup playoffs will remain the same as it has for the last several non-COVID playoff years. The top-four teams from each division will make up the 16-team field. Seedings are determined based off standings points and any tiebreaker procedures that may be required.
The winner of the Brabham Cup, symbolic of the league’s regular season champion, will have home-ice in every playoff series as long as they are playing. Each playoff series is a best-of-seven.
Here is how the format will look:
Division Semifinals
#1 seed vs. #4 seed
#2 seed vs. #3 seed
Division Finals
Highest remaining divisional seed vs. lowest remaining divisional seed
Conference Finals
Winners of Division Finals series
Kelly Cup Finals
Eastern Conference champion vs. Western Conference champion
Here is how the ECHL breaks ties in the standings:
If two teams tie:
1. Wins, regular season (excluding shootout wins)
2. Goal differential
3. Points, head-to-head (for two teams that have not played the same number of home games against the other tied team, the first game(s) played in the city that has the extra home game(s) shall not be included)
4. Winning percentage, division (if tied teams are from same division; if not, skip to 5)
5. Winning percentage, conference
6. Goals for, regular season
7. Goals against, regular season
8. Coin toss
If three or more teams tie:
Note: When two teams remain after the third or other teams are eliminated during any step below, the tiebreaker reverts to Step 1 of the two-team format.
1. Wins, regular season (excluding shootout wins)
2. Goal differential
3. Higher winning percentage earned in games against each other (for two teams that have not played the same number of home games against the other tied team, the first game(s) played in the city that has the extra home game(s) shall not be included)
4. Winning percentage, division
5. Winning percentage, conference
6. Goals for, regular season
7. Goals against, regular season
8. Coin toss
Here are some key terms to guide you through ECHL offseason transactions:
Protected Lists
Each ECHL team can protect as many players as they want, provided they meet designated criteria as agreed to by the ECHL & Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA):
1. Signed a standard player contract (SPC) in 2019-20 with a team, and has not been traded or released, OR
2. Signed an SPC in 2019-20, and was recalled to the NHL/AHL or IIHF team, and has not been traded or released, OR
3. Had received a qualifying offer last summer for the current season, DID NOT sign an SPC, and has not been traded or released, OR
4. Has been suspended by the team or league, and has not been traded or released, OR
5. Signed an SPC on or after the first day of the 2019-20 regular season, then subsequently signed an NHL/AHL contract, and has not been traded or released, OR
6. Has executed the ECHL Retirement Form, and has not been traded or released.
Protected Lists often exceed 20 players.
Season-Ending Rosters and Qualifying Offers
This list has a cap of 20 players and cannot include players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2019-20. From this list, coaches will select eight players to give qualifying offers to. Those must be done by June 30.
Of the eight qualified players, no more than four can be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the 2019-20 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to June 30.
The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until July 16 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.
A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player, or to a goaltender who has played more than 180 regular-season games, will retain the rights to that player until July 16. After July 16, if the veteran player or goaltender is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran or goaltender shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams.
If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by August 1, the player shall be declared an unrestricted free agent.
