We’ve reached the division final stage of the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs. 

After a hard-fought first round, the last two teams standing in each of the four divisions are due to square off with a trip to the Eastern and Western Conference Finals on the line.

ECHL writer Mike Ashmore previews each series in the Eastern Conference for the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

2023 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs North Division Finals

No. 1 Newfoundland Growlers Vs. No. 2 Reading Royals

Game 1 – Saturday, May 6 at 7 p.m. ET at Reading
Game 2 – Sunday, May 7 at 3 p.m. ET at Reading
Game 3 – Tuesday, May 9 at 7 p.m. ET at Reading
Game 4 – Thursday, May 11 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Newfoundland
Game 5 – Saturday, May 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Newfoundland (if necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Newfoundland (if necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 16 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Newfoundland (if necessary)

Quick Look: If this matchup feels familiar in this round, well…it should. The Growlers and Royals met last year in the North Division Finals, with Newfoundland coming out on top with a 4-2 win in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where they ultimately fell to the Everblades.

Newfoundland once again is favored as the higher seed and is coming off relatively quick work of the Adirondack Thunder in the first round. The Growlers suffered a stunning 5-3 loss in Game 1, only to score 23 goals over the next four games to eventually power through.

As for Reading, the Royals had a slightly more difficult time in their semifinal series against the Maine Mariners, needing six games to ultimately get past them to set up the rematch of last year’s second-round postseason thriller.

Player to Watch: Newfoundland, Dryden McKay – It is, again, McKay who is worth watching in the second round of the postseason, something that became quickly apparent at the start of the first round.

Luke Cavallin got what was perhaps the surprising Game 1 start in net for Newfoundland, and he promptly was pulled after allowing five goals on 18 shots in the Growlers’ 5-3 loss. 

McKay started the next four games, won them all, and there’s no reason to think he’d surrender the net moving forward.

Player to Watch: Reading, Pat Nagle – Similar to McKay, the Royals lost when they tried to give their regular starter a break – in this instance, it was Nolan Meier, who picked up the loss in a Game 4 loss – so riding the veteran netminder, who shared the net last postseason, would seem to be key to giving them the best chance to take down a team with as much offensive firepower as the Growlers possess.

2023 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs South Division Finals

No. 2 Jacksonville Icemen Vs. No. 4 Florida Everblades

Game 1 – Saturday, May 6 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 2 – Sunday, May 7 at 5 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 3 – Wednesday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida
Game 4 – Friday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida
Game 5 – Saturday, May 13 at 7 p.m. ET at Florida (if necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 15 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville (if necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville (if necessary)

Quick Look: The defending Kelly Cup champions, the Everblades, were the only team without the home-ice advantage to advance to the second round, and they’ll have to do it again if they want to once again get past the Icemen, whom they swept at this stage of the postseason last year en route to bringing the title back to Estero.

Jacksonville needed six games to get past Greenville in their first-round matchup, going down 1-0, but turning the tide of the series with an overtime win in Game 2. They won three of the next four to close out the Swamp Rabbits.

Florida, meanwhile, was the underdog in their series against the Stingrays, but set the tone with a 5-0 win in Game 1, and mostly didn’t look back after that.

Player to Watch, Jacksonville, Craig Martin – In his fourth season with the Icemen, Martin made a big impact after returning from a stint in Europe, an impact that continued to be felt in the postseason.

He led the Icemen with four goals in the six games against Greenville, and the former Quinnipiac University standout should continue to be a threat in Round 2.

Player to Watch, Florida, Cam Johnson – The ECHL’s most-used goaltender in the regular season will be playing his 63rd game of the year (including one American Hockey League appearance and the Kelly Cup Playoffs) when he starts Game 1 in Jacksonville.

Without a true backup – Jaxon Castor appeared in just two regular season contests in making his professional debut after a decorated collegiate career at St. Cloud State – Johnson once again will have to be the workhorse in the second round.

“You never know when fatigue will affect a player,” Everblades head coach Brad Ralph told FloHockey. “But I do know Cam is the ultimate competitor, and I know he digs deep when we need him. I’m confident that however long this series goes, he’ll find that extra gear when he needs it.”