The ECHL has two expansion teams this season – the Bloomington Bison and Tahoe Knight Monsters – with another on the way in Greensboro, North Carolina.

For the vast majority of players in the NHL, they're going to need a stop playing within the farm system of the club that either drafted or signed them. Some will get their start in the ECHL, the premier "AA" hockey circuit, while many will spends some time in the American Hockey League, the last step for most players before they realize their NHL dreams.

So what happens after an NHL team drafts a player?

The Idaho Steelheads will take on the Allen Americans in the first round of the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs. This is one of the two Mountain Division semifinals. The others will feature the Kansas City Mavericks and Tulsa Oilers.

The 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs are here! After a grueling 72-game season, 16 teams remain in the hunt for the ECHL's top prize.

We all give a lot of love to the big scorers in the ECHL, the Brandon Hawkins and Wade Murphys of this world. And, of course, we love those big-shooting defensemen like Matt Register and Jalen Smereck. And the highlight-making goaltenders, such as Cam Johnson.

We’re coming up on the ECHL’s Christmas break, which is something players love, of course, but not all coaches do.

I’m based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and whenever I watch the ECHL’s Komets play these days, I find myself pondering this question: What the heck is Jack Dugan doing at this level?

Unless it’s, oh, Dec. 15, it’s too early to panic about any ECHL team. That’s what I always tell people, anyway.

The ECHL, at its core, is a development league. According to the league, 72 players who donned an ECHL jersey in their career made NHL opening-night rosters this season. As the premier "AA" hockey league in North America, the ECHL can represent one of the first steps a player takes on his professional hockey journey.

Six Mountain Division teams spent last season chasing one – the Idaho Steelheads, who had the best regular season in the history of the ECHL, going 58-11-3 with the top-ranked offense and top-ranked defense in the 28-team league.

A little more than six weeks ago, Myles Jack was preparing for his eighth season in the NFL in training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles. On Wednesday afternoon, however, the now former NFL linebacker was announced as the new majority owner of the Allen Americans along with his mother, LaSonjia Jack. Upon completion of their acquisition of the Americans, the Jacks became the first African-American majority owners in ECHL history.

The ECHL announced on Thursday that the 2023-24 season will open on Thursday, Oct. 19 when the Orlando Solar Bears host the Florida Everblades. Opening Weekend continues with seven games on Friday, Oct. 20 and 14 games on Saturday, Oct. 21 before concluding with three games on Sunday, Oct. 22.

The community of Allen, Texas is still reeling from the tragic mass shooting that took the lives of eight people and injured seven others at an outlet mall Saturday.

Saturday night’s previously-scheduled Kelly Cup Playoffs contest between the Allen Americans and Idaho Steelheads was postponed as a public safety precaution amid an emergency situation in Allen, Texas earlier in the day.