2023-24 ECHL Power Rankings

1. Toledo Walleye/Last Ranking: 1

Record: 20-4-4

Toledo is the hottest team in the league – it’s on a 9-0-1 run – and it’s got an ECHL-best winning percentage of .786. And the Walleye play in arguably the ECHL’s toughest division, the Central, in which it has a 19-4-4 record.

What the team does best is pounce on any mistakes made by opponents. Toledo is fast, great in transition and has finishers. 

Brandon Hawkins has 17 goals and 40 points, Sam Craggs has 18 goals and 31 points, Trenton Bliss has 12 goals and 30 points and Conlan Keenan has 13 goals and 19 points – all helping an offense that ranks second in the ECHL with 4.61 goals per game.

The Walleye are particularly lethal on power plays, too, ranking second at 30.1%.

Defensively, Toledo is vulnerable – it ranks 20th with 3.43 goals against per game, and the penalty kill ranks 11th at 81% – but no one has found a way to consistently exploit that. 

If goaltenders John Lethemon and Jan Bednar get their save percentages up – .870 and .882, respectively – then the Walleye are going to run away with the division.

Toledo already has an 11-point lead on second-place Fort Wayne, and the rest of the Central has been beating up on one another, so Toledo’s true test may be maintaining its mettle as the playoffs near.

goal number 18 of the year for @s_craggs7 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QaALlunu0Y

— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) January 1, 2024

2. Kansas City Mavericks/Last Ranking: 3

Record: 23-7-1

The Mavericks are on a 7-2-1 run, and their biggest challenge right now may be maintaining that momentum; they don’t play again until Jan. 10, when they open a three-game set on the road against the Idaho Steelheads.

Much has been made about the formidable Kansas City offense, led by rookie Max Andreev (nine goals, 37 points), Patrick Curry (14 goals, 36 points), rookie Cade Borchardt (nine goals, 35 points), Nolan Walker (16 goals, 32 points), Cole Coskey (15 goals, 29 points) and Jacob Hayhurst (15 goals, 25 points), but the defense has been on point lately, allowing an average of 1.33 goals over their last six games. For the season, they now rank first with 2.58 goals against per game.

Goaltender Dillon Kelley has been particularly formidable in net. Since Dec. 15, he’s gone 5-0-0 and stopped 127 of 135 (94.1%) of the shots he’s faced.

Kansas City does a good job of staying out of the penalty box – it averages 8.81 minutes per game, second fewest in the ECHL behind Jacksonville (7.9) – and if the Mavericks elevate the play of their special teams, they’ll really be something.

It should be noted that the Mavericks have played a favorable schedule, facing only one team in our top 10, Idaho, and going 1-1-1 against the Steelheads.

3. Idaho Steelheads/Last Ranking: 2

Record: 22-7-1

The Steelheads have fallen back down to earth with losses in three of their last six games, but they still have the most impressive lineup in the ECHL from top to bottom. 

Wade Murphy (17 goals, 41 points) has taken over the ECHL’s point-scoring lead, and Mark Rassell (22 goals, 35 points) has the goal-scoring lead.

Idaho has a lot of size – four defensemen and seven forwards are 6-foot-1 or taller – and can bully opposing teams. 

The Steelheads are dangerous in all offensive situations and lead the ECHL with 4.70 goals per game. They also have the No. 1-ranked power play (31%), and coach Everett Sheen recently was chosen to be one of the two All-Star Classic coaches for the team that will take on the host Savannah Ghost Pirates.   

The Idaho defense isn’t as formidable as last season, but expect it to improve statistically with a blue-line corps that includes Patrick Kudla, Matt Register, Cody Haiskanen and Nick Canade. And, if Dawson Barteaux returns from the AHL, look out.

Goaltending will be something to watch with Idaho: David Tendeck has played the last three games, and he’s 1-2-0 with a 4.22 GAA and a .857 SP. Bryan Thomson, who hasn’t played since Dec. 13, has been the best of the five goalies the Steelheads have used this season; he’s 8-3-1 with a 2.90 GAA, a .902 SP and one shutout.

4. Adirondack Thunder/Last Ranking: 7

Record: 18-8-3

The Thunder closed 2023 on an 8-2-1 run and with a six-point lead in the North Division over the Norfolk Admirals, and goaltending has been a big part of that. Since Dec. 8, Vinnie Purpura is 5-0-1 with a .933 SP, and Jeremy Brodeur is 3-2-0 with a .898 SP for the Thunder.

The Thunder have been as good on the road (9-3-0) as they have been at Cool Insuring Arena (9-5-3). With seven of the next nine games on the road, we’ll see if that holds.

Adirondack typically benefits from just playing smart hockey. It’s averaging only 11.52 penalty minutes per game, sixth fewest in the ECHL, and has the fourth-ranked defense (2.79 goals against per game), which has taken the pressure off the offensive to deliver a ton of goals.

There’s balance on the offense, which has been led by Ryan Smith (13 goals, 23 points), Erik Middendorf (13 goals, 20 points) and Patrick Grasso (13 goals, 20 points), even if no one is going to really terrify opposing defenses. 

Middendorf, a rookie out of Michigan State, has five goals and seven points in his last five games.

5. Orlando Solar Bears/Last Ranking: 16

Record: 16-9-2

The Solar Bears are riding a six-game winning streak – all against South Division opponents – and have won eight of their last 10 games.

Picking up Jesse Jacques from the Iowa Heartlanders has given the Solar Bears some depth on offense, as he has five assists in seven games, but there have been big contributions from several players lately.

Brayden Low is coming off a four-goal game in a 9-1 victory over South Carolina; Aaron Luchuk has four goals and eight points in his last three games; Mitchell Hoelscher is on a four-game goal-scoring streak; and Alexandre Fortin has two goals and six points in his last four games.

On defense, Ben Carroll has been a surprise with three goals and 18 points in just 27 games. By comparison, he had two goals and 36 points in 57 games for Allen during the 2021-2022 campaign before going to Demark for a season.

And in net, Colten Ellis has been unreal with a .930 SP to go with his 10-4-1 record, 2.17 GAA and one shutout.

Orlando’s defense ranks fifth with 2.81 goals against per game.

Low with the one-timer on the power play. pic.twitter.com/JKfL0KVBRV

— Orlando Solar Bears (@OrlandoHockey) December 31, 2023

6. Greenville Swamp Rabbits/Last Ranking: 4

Record: 21-9-1

Coach Andrew Lord – who will join Idaho’s Everett Sheen in coaching the ECHL all-stars – has done a great job in the stacked South Division. His team has been excellent at Bon Secours Wellness Arena with an 11-5-0 record and is 10-4-1 on the road.

But things have been trending in the wrong direction; the Swamp Rabbits are in a 2-4-1 drought. 

Forward Carter Souch has remained in form with three goals and five points over the last four games, and he leads the team in goals (12) and points (26) in 31 games this season.

Souch is the only Swamp Rabbits player with more than nine goals, which speaks to the balance of the lineup. 

Nikita Pavlychev, though, is one to watch – he has seven goals and 19 points in 17 games, picking up where he left off last season with Greenville.

Goaltending has been a big part of the Swamp Rabbits’ success; they’ve stopped 90.6% of the shots they’ve faced. 

Ryan Bednard is 8-7-0 with a .903 SP, a 3.27 GAA and one shutout. Jacob Ingham, who has been called to Ontario of the AHL, was 11-2-1 with a .920 SP and a 2.64 GAA, and Luke Richardson has been the third option.

Greenville’s next 14 games are within the division, so it’ll need to turn its game back around, or it could keep slipping in the rankings.

7. Wheeling Nailers/Last Ranking: 14

Record: 15-11-2

The Nailers showed they’re for real with a pair of victories last weekend – 5-3 and 4-1 – over the Norfolk Admirals. 

Jaxon Castor stopped 59 of 63 shots in those games, bringing his record to 2-1-0 with a .911 SP and 3.00 GAA. That’s important with Taylor Gauthier up with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.

Forward Cédric Desruisseaux, only 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, is one of the ECHL’s most exciting and underappreciated players. He has eight goals and 23 points in 23 games, including one goal and five points in the last four games. 

Jordan Frasca (eight goals, 22 points) and Lukas Svejkovsky (eight goals, 20 points) also should get a little more love around the ECHL.

Picking up Jordan Martel in a trade with the Utah Grizzlies has paid off; he’s got four goals in six games.

Wheeling has won five of its last six games, the only blemish a 1-0 road loss to the Indy Fuel on Dec. 27, when Gauthier stopped 27 of 28 shots, and Indy’s Mitchell Weeks stopped all 22 he faced. 

The Nailers are about to get a pretty big test, however, with three road games against the Orlando Solar Bears, before five straight games against Central Division opponents.

8. South Carolina Stingrays/Last Ranking: 5

Record: 17-9-2

On the heels of winning 11 of 12 games, the Stingrays have lost back-to-back contests – 5-4 at Orlando and 9-1 at home to Solar Bears, who had a 5-0 lead in the latter game heading into the first intermission. South Carolina finished that game with a 40-22 shot advantage, too, so it was an odd one.

Opposing teams have clamped down lately on South Carolina’s stop scorers – Jack Adams (seven goals, 19 points), Josh Wilkins (13 goals, 25 points) and Austin Magera (13 goals, 25 points) – but the Stingrays have a lot of good depth players, including Tyson Empey, Patrick Harper and Jackson Leppard.

The last game notwithstanding, the Stingrays typically are reliable defensively. They rank ninth with 3.14 goals against per game, and the penalty kill ranks third at 83.1%. 

And South Carolina does a good job staying out of the penalty box with only 99 minor penalties, the third fewest in the league, so I’m guessing the last couple of games are an anomaly.

9. Norfolk Admirals/Last Ranking: 6

Record: 15-11-3

The Admirals have lost four of their last five games, but the 5-2 road victory over the Fort Wayne Komets on Friday was a solid one. 

Goaltender Yaniv Perets, who spent four December games backing up for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, has been as advertised this season with a 6-6-1 record, a .915 SP, a 2.48 GAA and one shutout for the Admirals.

Forward Justin Robidas has looked good lately, collecting two goals and four points in the last four games to give him 12 goals and team-leading 25 points in 29 games. 

Mathieu Roy has 11 goals and 23 points, and Ryan Foss has four goals and 21 points, but the Admirals are going to miss Carson Golder, who had 12 goals before he was called to Manitoba of the AHL on Saturday.

Defensively, the Admirals are responsible – they rank second with only 2.72 goals against per game – and there are some nice, unheralded blue-liners there, such as Darick Louis-Jean and Simon Kubicek. 

When they wrangle the puck from opponents, the Admirals have good speed to make things happen in transition play.

Three upcoming home games against the Indy Fuel should be a good litmus test for the Admirals, who will be trying to hang onto second place in the North Division.

10. Newfoundland Growlers/Last Ranking: 8

Record: 14-12-4

Getting back forward Grant Cruikshank, goaltender Luke Cavallin and defenseman David Farrance from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies has boosted the Growlers’ lineup. 

Newfoundland still is in a 2-3-1 rut, but all those games came on the road.

Defenseman Jonny Tychonick continues to impress on the offensive end – he’s got a goal and five points in his last five games, giving him four goals and 28 points in 30 games overall – but he’s got to improve his play in his own end. He hasn’t had a plus game since Dec. 7.

That speaks to an overall issue for the Growlers; they’re strong in the offensive zone but unpredictable on their own end. They can get away with that in the North Division, but teams terrific in transition, such as Toledo and Idaho, would be able to feast on that.

Cavallin is 10-3-3 with a .918 SP, a 2.94 GAA and two shutouts, Dryden McKay is 3-4-1 with a .894 SP and a 3.50 GAA and Vyacheslav Peksa is 1-4-0 with a .847 SP and a 5.06 SP. All of those guys can get hot in net, but they’re going to need some more help from the blue-liners.  

On the offensive end, Zach O’Brien is doing his usual damage – he has two goals and six points in the last four games for Newfoundland – but Isaac Johnson has become the go-to offensive player for the Growlers. Johnson is on a nine-game point-scoring streak, during which he has four goals and 15 points.

The Rest Of The ECHL

11. Jacksonville Icemen/Last Ranking: 9

Record: 16-10-3

12. Florida Everblades/Last Ranking: 10

Record: 13-10-4

13. Fort Wayne Komets/Last Ranking: 13

Record: 15-12-3

14. Cincinnati Cyclones/Last Ranking: 12

Record: 14-14-1

15. Kalamazoo Wings/Last Ranking: 15

Record: 14-14-1

16. Indy Fuel/Last Ranking: 17

Record: 12-12-4

17. Trois-Rivières Lions/Last Ranking: 19

Record: 15-14-2

18. Tulsa Oilers/Last Ranking: 11

Record: 13-13-3

19. Worcester Railers/Last Ranking: 25

Record: 13-11-5

20. Savannah Ghost Pirates/Last Ranking: 21

Record: 11-16-4

21. Maine Mariners/Last Ranking: 22

Record: 10-12-4

22. Rapid City Rush/Last Ranking: 23

Record: 14-14-2

23. Reading Royals/Last Ranking: 24

Record: 11-14-2

24. Allen Americans/Last Ranking: 26

Record: 12-17-1

25. Utah Grizzlies/Last Ranking: 27

Record: 11-17-0

26. Iowa Heartlanders/Last Ranking: 18

Record: 11-15-5

27. Wichita Thunder/Last Ranking: 20

Record: 10-16-4

28. Atlanta Gladiators/Last Ranking: 28

Record: 11-18-0