The first half of the 2023-2024 ECHL season has seen unbelievable plays, such as the Wichita Thunder’s Michal Stinil pulling off The Michigan Move or the Adirondack Thunder’s Ryan Orgel’s masterful spin-o-rama goal. 

The Kansas City Mavericks, Toledo Walleye, Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Adirondack Thunder have taken control of their respective divisions, and the Norfolk Admirals and Kalamazoo Wings have returned to respectability.

Brandon Hawkins has been dynamite on the offensive end. Hank Crone is back and good as ever. Colten Ellis has been tough to beat in net.

As the ECHL’s best players and coaches gather in Savannah, Georgia, where they’ll face the host Ghost Pirates in the All-Star Classic on Monday, it seems like a great time to hand out some first-half awards.

So here we go …

First-Half MVP

Winner: Brandon Hawkins, Toledo Walleye

I know, this is going to seem like I’m just picking the low-hanging fruit – the league’s leading point-scorer has 20 goals and 49 points in 34 games and plays for arguably the ECHL’s best team – but it’s a little bit more than that. 

Hawkins has been regarded as the ECHL’s best goal-scorer since helping the Fort Wayne Komets to the 2021 Kelly Cup, but he’s shored up other parts of his game. 

He’s on pace for a career-best 61 assists and is staying out of the penalty box more than last season. He elevates the play of his linemates – normally Orrin Centazzo and Trenton Bliss – and opposing teams must expend a lot of energy to try and contain Hawkins.

Runner-up: Hank Crone, Allen Americans

The Americans got off to a wretched 3-7-0 start. Then Crone, the ECHL’s MVP and Rookie of the Year last season, arrived from Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. 

The Americans are 14-12-1 since. 

That may not sound like much, but once Crone jelled with his new teammates, things took off, and they’ve won nine of their last 12 games. 

Crone doesn’t have the help he had last season – no more Jack Combs, for instance – and he’s only played 25 games, but he’s got 14 goals, 40 points and has propelled the Americans back into the playoff race.

Honorable mentions: Jeremy Brodeur and Vinnie Purpura, Adirondack Thunder

Adirondack is atop the North Division with a 24-8-3 record, and it has the third-ranked defense (2.77 goals against per game). 

The play of the Thunder goaltenders – Brodeur and Purpura – has a ton to do with that. 

Both have .922 save percentages, and both have been consistent; Purpura is 11-1-3 with a 2.37 goals-against average, Brodeur 11-5-0 with a 2.45 GAA and one shutout. Their play has taken loads of pressure off the Thunder defense.

OFFICIAL: Andrew Lord has been named a coach for the 2024 ECHL All-Star Classic! pic.twitter.com/6PS5pIp17Z

— Greenville Swamp Rabbits (@SwampRabbits) December 27, 2023

Top Coach

Winner: Andrew Lord, Greenville Swamp Rabbits

With the exception of forward Carter Souch, the Swamp Rabbits don’t really have a player who is going to intimidate you – wow you – with his ability. That’s a different way of saying the Swamp Rabbits’ lineup is balanced top to bottom. 

So, what’s that tell us about Lord? 

That he doesn’t have to rely – as many coaches do – on just a few players in key situations. 

Greenville is equally as dangerous on the road (12-4-1) as at home (14-6-0). It’s among the top 10 in goals scored, goals allowed, power play and penalty kill. And it’s 24-10-1 within the South Division, which probably is the league’s toughest division.

Runner-up: Tad O’Had, Kansas City Mavericks

I almost had O’Had atop this list, but then I remembered the schedule. 

The Mavericks have beaten up in the top-heavy Mountain Division with a 24-6-1 record, though they’ve made a statement with a 4-1-1 record against the mighty Idaho Steelheads. 

Kansas City’s roster is stacked with talent, but many of its big guns are rookies, such as Max Andreev, Cade Borchardt, Kyle Jackson and Ryan Devine. 

O’Had deserves much credit for their development – though the true test will be sustaining it over the entire, grueling ECHL season – and for making sure the division no longer is just about the Steelheads.

Honorable mentions: Pete MacArthur, Adirondack Thunder and Pat Mikesch, Toledo Walleye

Adirondack leads the North Division and has shown that its late-season run to the 2023 playoffs was no fluke. 

As for Mikesch, many people (me included) doubted that he was the right hire out of junior hockey, and even though he came into a team with a talent and an infrastructure for success, he has the Walleye atop the Central Division at 23-6-5, and that cannot be ignored. 

Top Forward

Winner: Peter Bates, Wichita Thunder

He’s got 20 goals and 44 points in 35 games for a team that, well, isn’t so hot at 11-19-5. So, we can forgive Bates his minus-8 rating. 

He’s played all three forward positions, is key on special teams and has scored on 22.2% of his shots. 

Bates has been productive with about anyone he’s been on a line with, he’s got only two penalty minutes and Wichita’s hopes of getting back into the playoff race rest largely on his shoulders.

Runner-Up: Brandon Hawkins, Toledo Walleye

What more can I say about Hawkins that wasn’t said in the MVP conversation? How about what he does on the power play. 

That quick-release shot of his from the circles is something to behold. Just the threat of it has helped the Walleye to the league’s best power-play unit at 30.2%.

Honorable Mention: Jack Dugan, Fort Wayne Komets

No player in the ECHL combines scoring prowess with physicality like Dugan, whose 103 penalty minutes were tops among everyone selected an all-star. 

He may go to the box too often, but he also agitates, checks and does a lot of things to impact games, along with his nine goals and 39 points in 36 games.

"Since the second week of the season, Smereck has led all ECHL defensemen in scoring."

🗞 https://t.co/GGVLW10pDS pic.twitter.com/uncBHshUID

— Cincinnati Cyclones (@CincyCyclones) January 3, 2024

Top Defenseman 

Winner: Jalen Smereck, Cincinnati Cyclones

With six goals and 38 points, Smereck leads all ECHL blue-liners in scoring. He’s crucial on the power play with one goal and 13 assists. He’s solid in his own zone with a plus-2 rating. And he plays a physical brand of hockey that gets under opponents’ skins.

Runner-Up: Jonny Tychonick, Newfoundland Growlers

He leads the Growlers in scoring with five goals and 32 points, including three goals and 18 points on power plays, and he carried them at times early in the season. 

Not many blue-liners in the ECHL can match his skillset to impact games.

Honorable Mention: Connor Moore, South Carolina Stingrays

Moore isn’t particularly flashy, but he’s very effective. 

He has four goals and 23 points in 34 games, and a plus-9 rating that ranks second on his team, and Moore can be relied up to help shut down opposing forwards.

Top Goaltender

Winner: Colten Ellis, Orlando Solar Bears

After not making the postseason in 2023, the Solar Bears are 20-10-4 and in second place in the difficult South Division. 

Ellis is a huge part of that. He’s 12-5-2 with a .923 SP (fourth best in the ECHL), a 2.45 GAA (fourth) and one shutout. 

The Solar Bears have responsible defensemen, such as Ben Carroll and Jimmy Mazza, but Ellis’ performances in big games has taken the pressure off them.

Runner-Up: Jonathan Lemieux, Kalamazoo Wings

He’s been a workhorse with 1,349 minutes (second only to Trois-Rivières’ Joe Vrbetic) and is 12-10-1 with a 2.85 GAA and a .911 SP. 

The Wings (17-15-1) rank 22nd in offense with 2.94 goals per game, so stingy defense is a must for them; Lemieux has helped make that happen, and the Wings are in the playoff hunt in the Central Division.

Honorable Mention: Taylor Gauthier, Wheeling Nailers

His play has sagged a smidge lately, but it’s more a product of the inconsistent Nailers defense, as much as anything. 

Gauthier is 9-10-1 with a 2.40 GAA (second in the ECHL), a .924 SP (third) and two shutouts. He’s helped keep Wheeling (16-15-2), also in the Central, relevant.

THE ROOKIE, MAX ANDREEV GETS A HAT TRICK VS. @Steelheads 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/HRT4t6QOPe

— Kansas City Mavericks (@kc_mavericks) December 7, 2023

Top Rookie

Winner: Max Andreev, Kansas City Mavericks

He’s been a big part of the Kansas City breakout season with nine goals and 40 points, which is tops all ECHL rookies. 

He’s great on special teams, reliable defensively and makes those around him better.

Runner-Up: Ashton Calder, Worcester Railers

With that surname, you’d better be as good a rookie hockey player as Calder has been this season. 

He leads the Railers in goals (14) and points (32) in 33 games. He’s taken only one penalty this season and netted three game-winning goals.

Honorable Mention: Justin Robidas, Norfolk Admirals

He’s just so consistent, tallying at least a point in 21 of 32 games. He has 12 goals and a team-leading 27 points.

Other Standouts

Top Defensive Forwards

Patrick Polino, Cincinnati Cyclones; Mitchell Fossier, Atlanta Gladiators; Sam Craggs, Toledo Walleye.

Top Power-Play Specialists

Alex Kile, Maine Mariners; Kris Myllari, Allen Americans; Zach O’Brien, Newfoundland Growlers

Top Individual Performances

Orlando’s Brayden Low with four goals in a 9-1 victory over South Carolina on Dec. 30; Kansas City’s Patrick Curry with four goals in a 6-4 victory over Allen on Dec. 13; Kansas City’s Cade Borchardt with five assists in the same game; Idaho’s A.J. White with three power-play goals in a 7-4 victory over Wheeling on Nov. 12; Cincinnati’s Patrick Polino with two short-handed goals in a 5-4 victory over Wichita on Oct. 27, with Jalen Smereck and Cristiano DiGiacinto assisting on both; Wichita’s Magnus Chrona with 52 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to Rapid City on Dec. 9; Worcester’s Henrik Tikkanen with 52 saves in a 4-3 shootout loss to Adirondack on Nov. 7.

Attendance Notes

The Jacksonville Icemen lead the ECHL in average announced attendance with 8,345, followed by the Toledo Walleye (7,857) and Fort Wayne Komets (7,843). 

The lowest three teams are the Iowa Heartlanders (1,842), Wheeling Nailers (2,230) and Trois-Rivières Lions (2,312). 

League wide, average attendance is 4,678.

This is all about on par with last season – Jacksonville led the league (7,749) at the end of the season, followed by Fort Wayne (7,740) and Toledo (7,713), with the bottom teams being Iowa (1,851), Wheeling (2,115) and Trois-Rivières (2,617).

The league’s average attendance last season was 4,629.