2024-25 ECHL Power Rankings

1. Florida Everblades

Record: 12-3-0

The Everblades, the three-time defending Kelly Cup champions, have shown no sign of slowing down so far this season. 

There are new faces on the roster – Carson Gicewicz has eight goals and 15 points, Colton Hargrove three goals and 13 points, and Colin Theisen eight goals and 11 points – but the M.O. still is generally the same as past seasons.

The Everblades play sound, physical hockey. 

They are good defensively – ranking first with only 1.60 goals against per game – and have stellar goaltending. 

Cam Johnson has been his usual, impenetrable self with an 8-1-0 record, a 1.33 GAA, .941 SP and three shutouts. Will Cranley is 4-2-0 with a 2.00 GAA, a .929 SP and one shutout.

The Everblades are about to get their biggest test so far of the season with games at the Fort Wayne Komets on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which has an interesting subtext with Fort Wayne coach Jesse Kallechy being a former Florida assistant for two Cups, and Fort Wayne forward Alex Aleardi being a winner of one Cup with the Everblades.

But Florida’s Brad Ralph is the ECHL’s top coach – is there anyone who thinks otherwise? – and a master of in- and between-game adjustments. He’s already got his team humming along nicely.

Gicewicz scores his ✌️ goal of the night! pic.twitter.com/A9JglNpARC

— Florida Everblades (@FL_Everblades) November 24, 2024

2. Wheeling Nailers

Record: 9-3-1

The move from the Central Division to the North Division hasn’t been problematic for the Nailers, who are on a 7-0-1 roll, with only the Trois-Rivières Lions depriving them of a standings point along the way with an overtime win on Nov. 8.

It helps the Nailers to have one of the best goaltending tandems in the ECHL with Sergei Murashov, who is 6-2-0 with a 2.61 GAA and a .911 SP, and Jaxon Castor, who is 3-1-1 with a 2.39 GAA and .908 SP. Both, by the way, qualify as ECHL rookies.

Wheeling is 5-0-1 at WesBanco Arena, ranks in the top 10 in offense and defense, averages the fourth-fewest penalty minutes per game (8.92) and is good at protecting the lead – 6-0-0 when leading after two periods.

There are a lot of good young forwards there – Atley Calvert, Matty De St. Phalle and Jack Beck – along with proven players at this level, such as Sam Houde, Jordan Martel and Chris Ortiz.

The early-season schedule also helps the Nailers out; they don’t face the Norfolk Admirals until January or the Adirondack Thunder until February.

3. Trois-Rivières Lions

Record: 8-3-2

If you paid attention before training camps opened, I thought the Lions were poised for a breakthrough season and, so far, it seems they are on their way. They’ve won eight of their last 10 games and are on a 4-0-1 run.

Defense has been pivotal for the Lions, who rank fifth with only 2.54 goals against per game, especially the goaltending of Luke Cavallin (3-2-0 with a 1.92 GAA and a .951 SP – the best among all ECHL goalies with at least 240 minutes played), Hunter Jones (3-0-2 with a 3.16 GAA and .901 SP) and Zachary Émond (2-1-0 with a 2.28 GAA and .928 SP).

Offensively, Jakov Novak has seven goals and 14 points through 13 games, already looking just as dangerous as the forward who had 30 goals and 81 points last season, though he was called up to Laval of the AHL on Monday. 

Defenseman Chris Jandric has two goals and 11 points in nine games, helping propel the offense from the back end. 

And forward Logan Nijhoff, who split time last season between the AHL and the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers and Indy Fuel, has produced four goals and 10 points in 11 games.

Another of the big offseason signings – forward Xavier Cormier – has two game-winning goals among his nine points, and the Lions’ roster only has five players out of 24 who have skated this season who have negative plus/minus ratings. 

In the North Division, where grind-it-out games are the norm, being defensively responsible is important, and right now, it seems the Lions know it.

4. Fort Wayne Komets

Record: 9-4-0

Speaking of big free-agent signings, no team seems to have fared as well in that department as the Komets, at least based on early season results. 

Odeen Tufto has six goals and a team-leading 18 points and has been one of the ECHL’s top faceoff men in 13 games. 

Kyle Mayhew has three goals and 17 points, most among league defensemen. 

Alex Aleardi has a team-leading seven goals and 14 points. 

Brannon McManus and Justin Taylor are among other valuable additions.

The Komets have lost two games apiece to the Nailers and Kalamazoo Wings, but they’ve got big wins – back-to-back ones at the Kansas City Mavericks – and an impressive 4-1 victory Nov. 8 at the rival Toledo Walleye, a team Fort Wayne struggled mightily with last season.

Fort Wayne needs to get more from Jack Dugan, the ECHL’s assist leader last season, who has one goal and 10 points. 

And while AHL-contracted Brett Brochu has been as advertised in net – going 6-1-0 with a 2.12 GAA and .919 SP – backup goalie Connor Ungar, an Edmonton Oilers prospect, is 3-3-0 and ranks last in GAA (4.67) and SP (.850) among the 53 goalies who have played 240 minutes.

The offense is ferocious, averaging the third-most goals (3.77) and most shots (38.1) per game, but the Komets need to polish some deficiencies in the tough Central Division.

5. Tulsa Oilers

Record: 10-4-1

The Oilers, who have won seven of their last 10 games, are the most surprising of the division leaders after the Mavericks and Idaho Steelheads dominated the Mountain Division the last couple of seasons.

The Oilers, however, have yet to face either the Mavericks (the first meeting is Wednesday) or the Steelheads (first game is Dec. 11).

Tulsa has the No. 1-ranked offense (3.87 goals per game, tied with South Carolina) and No. 6 defense (2.60 goals against per game).   

Sunday’s 5-0 victory at the BOK Center over the Utah Grizzlies was a good indication of the Oilers’ capabilities – Vyacheslav Buteyets had a 22-save shutout, Connor Roulette had two goals and Josh Nelson, Reid Petryk and Solag Bakich also found the back of the net as Tulsa totaled 46 shots on the Grizzlies.

Losing forward Sasha Pastujov to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls certainly hurt, and Ruslan Gazizov has cooled off after a terrific start, but the Oilers have some proven older players, such as Alec Butcher, Tyler Poulsen and Mike McKee to pick up the slack.

THE OILERS MAKE IT FIVE, THE SECOND FOR CONNER ROULETTE!! 5-0 Oilers pic.twitter.com/RNXltPd7gH

— Tulsa Oilers (@tulsa_oilers) November 24, 2024

6. South Carolina Stingrays

Record: 10-4-1

With victories in seven of their last 10 games, the Stingrays are staying in reaching distance of the Everblades – only three points back – paced by the top offense in the ECHL (3.87 goals per game, tied with Tulsa) and the No. 3 defense (2.13 goals against per game).

On special teams, the Stingrays have been just plain terrific. The power play ranks second in the league at 25.5% efficiency. The penalty kill is No. 1 at 95.1%. Yep, you read that correctly. They’ve allowed only two power-play goals in 15 games.

Micah Miller has four game-winning goals, tied for the ECHL lead with Greenville’s Carter Savoie, and Miller has totaled seven goals and 15 points. 

Jamie Englebert, a rookie, has nine goals and 13 points in 13 games since being acquired from expansion Bloomington to complete the trade of Jonny Evans and Jackson Leppard.

The goaltending of rookie Seth Eisele, Garin Bjorklund and Mitchell Gibson has been noteworthy – they’ve combined for a SP of .926 – and Eisele has two shutouts for the Stingrays, in their first season being coached by Jared Nightengale.

7. Kansas City Mavericks

Record: 9-4-2

After winning the regular-season championship and making it to the Kelly Cup Finals last season, the Mavericks haven’t quite looked as impressive, but it’s still so early for a roster that is stacked with forwards such as Cade Borchardt, who has 10 goals, 15 points in 14 games, and Jackson Berezowski, Cam Morrison, Damien Giroux and Max Andreev, who each have 11 points.

David Noel has led the offensive charge by the defensemen with five goals and 11 points in 15 games, and Marcus Crawford has eight assists for the Mavericks, who are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games.

It’s in the defensive zone where the Mavericks aren’t as good as expected to this point with a No. 15 ranking (2.93 goals against per game), in comparison to the No. 6-ranked offense (3.53 goals per game).

In net, Victor Ostman and Jack LaFontaine each have sub-.900 SPs, but they’ve also combined for three shutouts, so it just seems consistency is something that needs to improve. A 30-save 2-1 victory over the Tahoe Knight Monsters by Ostman on Saturday certainly was a good start.

The Mountain Division is much different this season with Tulsa improved, Tahoe a well-regarded expansion team and the Wichita Thunder 7-3-1 at home, but the Mavericks have plenty of time to get settled and reassert their dominance.

8. Toledo Walleye

Record: 10-4-2

Coming into the season, I felt Toledo was easily a top-5 team, but the Walleye have given me some reason for pause lately. Namely, they got worked in a 5-1 home loss to Fort Wayne on Nov. 8, there was a 4-1 home loss to the Indy Fuel on Nov. 13 and then the Walleye went 1-1-1 against the visiting Orlando Solar Bears last weekend.

A 4-3-1 record at the Huntington Center isn’t bad, but it’s also not an indication they’ll run away with the division like last season.

Toledo did a great job of retaining much of its high-end talent from last season – such as Brandon Hawkins, Trenton Bliss and Sam Craggs – and made key additions like Jalen Smereck, Tyler Spezia and Chaz Reddekopp. 

The team also lost some key players, too, such as Orrin Centazzo, Riley Sawchuk, Riley McCourt and Matt Anderson. As a result, the Walleye are slower and smaller than they had been, and that means Central Division foes have a window to take advantage.

9. Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Record: 8-4-1

The Swamp Rabbits have won four in a row seven of their last 10 since a subpar start to the season, but they haven’t been overwhelming in any one facet of the game; the offense ranks 17th (2.77 goals per game) and the defense 21st (3.23 goals against per game).

Dryden McKay, who has started each game in the current winning streak, is 6-3-1 with a 3.25 GAA, .908 SP and a 41-save shutout Sunday of the visiting Jacksonville Icemen.

The Swamp Rabbits have several good, young players, led by forward Bryce Brodzinski, who has six goals and 12 points in 13 games, and defenseman Parker Berge, who has three goals and 12 points in 13 games. But the defense is a concern; just a casual look at the plus/minus ratings tells you that.

There’s not much room for error in the competitive South Division, but the Swamp Rabbits look as if they’ll be a big factor.

10. Idaho Steelheads

Record: 8-6-1

Another team I came into the season projecting as a top-5 team, and one I think will recover, the Steelheads are off to a ho-hum start.

The offense is fine – ranked fourth at 3.67 goals per game, and newcomer Hank Crone, a former ECHL MVP, has fit in fine with eight goals and a team-leading 20 points in 15 games – but the defense has to get better. It’s ranked 16th at 3.00 goals against per game. 

Idaho is only 4-4-1 against Mountain Division opponents, struggling against Tahoe and the Rapid City Rush, and the Steelheads haven’t even faced Kansas City or Tulsa yet. In fact, the Steelheads won’t face the Mavericks until March and that’s an incredibly favorable quirk in the scheduling for both teams.

The Steelheads’ next nine games – three against Tahoe, three at Trois-Rivières and three against Tulsa – should tell us a lot about Idaho.

After a sweep over the weekend in Rapid City we return to Boise for 9 of our next 12 games beginning Wednesday vs. Tahoe!! ⤵️https://t.co/xZCjO4PGhk

— Idaho Steelheads (@Steelheads) November 25, 2024

The Rest Of The ECHL

11. Norfolk Admirals

Record: 8-4-3

12. Jacksonville Icemen

Record: 7-4-2

13. Tahoe Knight Monsters

Record: 7-4-2

14. Adirondack Thunder

Record: 7-5-1

15. Iowa Heartlanders

Record: 7-4-3

16. Savannah Ghost Pirates

Record: 9-6-0

17. Wichita Thunder

Record: 9-7-1

18. Orlando Solar Bears

Record: 7-9-1

19. Bloomington Bison

Record: 7-7-1

20. Indy Fuel

Record: 5-6-1

21. Maine Mariners

Record: 6-8-0

22. Allen Americans

Record: 5-53

23. Kalamazoo Wings

Record: 6-7-1

24. Reading Royals

Record: 6-10-3

25. Atlanta Gladiators

Record: 5-8-3

26. Worcester Railers

Record: 6-9-1

27: Rapid City Rush

Record: 4-8-3

28. Utah Grizzlies

Record: 5-8-1

29. Cincinnati Cyclones

Record: 1-8-3