2024-25 ECHL Power Rankings

1. Wheeling Nailers/Last Ranking: 2

Record: 21-5-1

I just can’t get my mind off the combination the Nailers have in net – Sergei Murashov and Taylor Gauthier – and how formidable that must be to opponents before they even take to the ice. 

Murashov is 13-2-0 with a 2.13 goals-against average and .930 save percentage. Gauthier is 4-2-0 with a 1.69 GAA, .940 SP and one shutout.

They’re a big reason Wheeling has the No. 2-ranked defense in the ECHL – allowing 2.11 goals per game – but certainly not the only reason. A sneaky good back end that includes Chris Ortiz, Louie Roehl and Cole Cameron helps a lot.

The Nailers have won 17 of their last 19 games, and they’ve been working lately without their top offensive player, Jordan Martel, who’s been up in the AHL. Picking up the slack have been Kyle Jackson, Matty De St. Phalle and Atley Calverty, and Wheeling’s offense ranks fourth in the league at 3.67 goals per game.

Good special teams, good coaching, a 11-1-1 record at home – there’s a lot to love about the Nailers and not much to worry about.

❌ THE ROOK STOPS THE MVP ❌

Rookie Sergei Murashov with a CLUTCH save on 2023-24 @ECHL MVP Brandon Hawkins as the Nailers lead 4-2 late in the 3rd period!#ForgeTheFuture pic.twitter.com/qr5BSTF7rP

— Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) December 22, 2024

2. Trois-Rivières Lions/Last Ranking: 3

Record: 18-4-3

Winners of nine of their last 10 games, the Lions have a lot of depth on offense – paced by Anthony Beauregard, Jakob Novak, Logan Nijhoff and Xavier Cormier – that it’s difficult to slow down the entire group.

Taking two of their three games against the Norfolk Admirals in Virginia between Dec. 20 and 22 was compelling evidence that this is the best squad the Lions have ever had.

It’s nice to see goalie Hunter Jones get a chance to shine with a top-tier squad, after he was saddled with suspect Iowa defenses in front of him the past three seasons. With the Lions, he’s 7-0-3 with a 2.88 GAA and .921 SP, and Zachary Emond is 7-2-0 with a 2.18 GAA, .932 SP and one shutout

While the Lions’ penalty kill hasn’t been very good, it’s power play ranks first in the ECHL at 28.3%. 

The Lions are 1-1-0 against the North Division-rival Nailers, and they only play four more times, beginning March 12, so the schedule is working favorably for the Lions so far.

3. Florida Everblades/Last Ranking: 1

Record: 20-6-2

The Everblades have been solid since the last rankings – going 8-3-2 – so the drop from the top spot is more a reflection of the Nailers and Lions being on fire than anything the three-time defending Kelly Cup champions have done wrong.

Cam Johnson continues to be the gold standard of ECHL goaltending – he’s 16-2-1 with a 1.67 GAA, .933 SP and three shutouts – and the Florida defense ranks first with only 1.93 goals against per game. The Everblades play smartly with the puck, bruise opponents and rarely play a stinker of a game.

We’ve come to expect players like Logan Lambdin and Oliver Chau to do great things in the offensive end, but it has been impressive how players in their first season with the Everblades have integrated so well into what had already been built in Estero, Florida. 

Carson Gicewicz has 12 goals and 25 points, for example, while Colton Hargrove has six goals and 21 points, and Colin Theisen has nine goals and 17 points.

The South Division isn’t as strong as it’s been in recent years, so the Everblades may be benefitting some from that, but winning 2 of 3 games at Fort Wayne, Indiana, between Nov. 28 and 30 stands out as the best proof so far this season the Everblades remain one of the Kelly Cup frontrunners.

4. Toledo Walleye/Last Ranking: 8

Record: 19-7-4

The thing about the Walleye is you never can count them out. 

On Sunday, they trailed the Cincinnati Cyclones, who have the ECHL’s worst record, 5-3 with just over two minutes remaining. I was ready to drop them in the rankings, and then the Walleye got goals from Hunter Johannes and Brandon Hawkins 21 seconds apart to salvage a point in a 6-5 overtime loss.

Toledo is 9-3-2 over its last 14 games, and while the team is more vulnerable than the last couple years – they’re not as fast or big now – the Walleye have so many weapons that they remain the Central Division favorite, at least for the time being.

Hawkins has been heating up with six goals and nine points in his last five games. Tyler Spezia has three goals and nine points in his last seven. And multi-faceted defenseman Jalen Smereck also has been taking off with two goals and seven points in his last seven games.

We’ll know a lot more about the Walleye after they face rival Fort Wayne in a home-and-home series this weekend. In the only previous meeting, Fort Wayne defeated the Walleye 5-1 on Nov. 8.

5. Fort Wayne Komets/Last Ranking: 4

Record: 18-8-1

The Komets have won seven of their last eight games, with the only loss being 5-2 at the Indy Fuel, and they’ve weathered myriad injuries and call-ups.

When it comes to marquee games, the Komets have had plenty. They beat up on Toledo, went 2-0-0 on the road against Kansas City, were 1-1-1 against Florida and were competitive in two losses to Wheeling.  

Jack Dugan has found his scoring touch again – he’s got five goals and 14 points in his last seven games – while free-agent pickups Kyle Mayhew, Alex Aleardi and Justin Taylor have helped change the dynamic of a team that missed the playoffs last season.

In net, Brett Brochu already has proven himself as one of the league’s best, and rookie Edmonton Oilers prospect Connor Ungar has been taking off after struggling mightily to start the season. 

Ungar won three games in the span of 50 hours last weekend, highlighted by an overtime stop of an Andrew Bellant breakaway in a 3-2 victory over Indy, capped by an Odeen Tufto goal – the only tally of an overtime shootout.

Of the @FWKomets, your @WarriorHockey Goalie of the Week, Connor Ungar! 👏🏼☄️

📝: https://t.co/J1188KJXzQ pic.twitter.com/En4w1rsvUi

— ECHL (@ECHL) December 30, 2024

6. Kansas City Mavericks/Last Ranking: 7

Record: 19-7-3

I know I’ll catch some flak for having the Mavericks so low, especially after they won the regular-season title and reached the playoff finals last season. And maybe I deserve it, as the Mavericks are 9-1-1 in their last 11 games.

But the schedule has to be accounted for and, over their last 11, the Mavericks have three wins against lowly Utah and two against Allen. It’s just not the Mountain Division of the last couple years.

The top-end talent on Kansas City is formidable – Cade Borchardt has 20 goals and 35 points, defenseman David Noël has 10 goals and 25 points, and Max Andreev has seven goals and 25 points – but the depth isn’t as impressive as last season. 

The Mavericks also take a lot of penalties – 14.52 minutes per game – and aren’t scaring anyone with their special teams. The power play ranks 21st at 16%, and the penalty kill 23rd at 77.6%.

But this team is built for the long haul, and if the goaltending gets hot, then look out.

7. Tahoe Knight Monsters/Last Ranking: 13

Record: 18-8-3

Whew, this is an awfully good expansion team. 

The Knight Monsters have a terrific group of forwards – paced by Sloan Stanick, Simon Pinard, Bear Hughes, Jake McGrew and Logan Nelson – and lead the ECHL with 4.14 goals per game.

Defensively, though, there are concerns, as they rank 22nd at 3.38 goals against per game. The recent acquisition of Matt Murphy from Cincinnati should help solidify things on the back end.

The goaltending needs to get better, too, as Jesper Vikman has only a .896 SP through 14 games, and Jordan Papirny is at .916 through 11 games.

Tahoe won eight straight games between Dec. 3 and Dec. 18, but it’s 2-2-1 since, claiming back-to-back wins over the Tulsa Oilers to cap last weekend.

8. Norfolk Admirals/Last Ranking: 11

Record: 18-8-3

The Admirals have been overlooked in the North Division because of how well the Nailers and Lions have played, and there has been a concerning downward slide, as they’ve gone 2-4-0 in their last six games. 

But this still is an Admirals team built for success, and 11 straight division games between Jan. 3 and Jan. 29 will be a chance to Norfolk to reassert itself.

Brady Fleurent has led the offense with 10 goals and 36 points, but there are plenty of weapons beyond him, such as Carson Golder, Denis Smirnov and Stepan Timofeyev. 

The Norfolk defense, with players such as Darick Louis-Jean, Carson Musser and Ben Zloty, is effective in its own zone, is unafraid to block shots and uses its physical attributes.

Norfolk’s offense ranks third with 3.69 goals per game, though the defense needs to increase its stinginess; it ranks 17th with 3.03 goals against per game.

9. Tulsa Oilers/Last Ranking: 5

Record: 17-9-3

Consistency has been the Oilers’ problem; they’ve yet to win more than three consecutive games, but they’ve had nights where they’ve looked amongst the ECHL’s best.

Reid Petryk, back from playing overseas, leads the Oilers in scoring with six goals and 24 points. Michael Farren has 12 goals and 23 points. And Tyler Poulsen and Alec Butcher Gazizov each have 10 goals and 19 points.

The addition of Jérémie Biakabutuka – which happened because the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks acquired him and moved him to their ECHL affiliate – has helped transform the blue-liners.

And there are some good unheralded players in the lineup – Solag Bakich and Duggie Lagrone, for instance – who have helped put Tulsa in position to nab a playoff spot, if not home-ice advantage in the first round.

10. Jacksonville Icemen/Last Ranking: 12

Record: 18-9-2

The Icemen have won four in a row and six of their last seven, and they seem to be setting themselves apart from some of the other teams in the South Division.

Back from playing overseas, Davis Koch has eight goals and 23 points and helped take the pressure off the likes of Brendan Harris and Christopher Brown in the forward corps.

Defensively is where the Icemen really shine – Garrett Van Wyhe, a hybrid forward/defenseman, is joined on the blue line by Noah Laaouan and Ivan Chukarov as particular weapons – but they need to be more consistent. They’ve been trending in that direction, and if goalie Matt Vernon gets going, then look out.  

Davis Koch scores!! The Icemen take the lead again!

JAX 3, GRN 2 @ECHL pic.twitter.com/pzptk6T5ET

— Jacksonville Icemen (@JaxIcemen) December 29, 2024

The Rest Of The ECHL

11. South Carolina Stingrays/Last Ranking: 6

Record:17-9-2

12. Wichita Thunder/Last Ranking: 17

Record: 17-11-2

13. Iowa Heartlanders/Last Ranking: 15

Record: 15-10-4

14. Savannah Ghost Pirates/Last Ranking: 16

Record: 16-11-2

15. Adirondack Thunder/Last Ranking: 14

Record: 13-12-1

16. Idaho Steelheads/Last Ranking: 10

Record: 15-11-3

17. Indy Fuel/Last Ranking: 20

Record: 11-11-4

18. Atlanta Gladiators/Last Ranking: 25

Record: 14-13-4

19. Greenville Swamp Rabbits/Last Ranking: 9

Record: 12-12-3

20. Orlando Solar Bears/Last Ranking: 18

Record: 13-15-4

21. Kalamazoo Wings/Last Ranking: 23

Record: 12-14-1

22. Maine Mariners/Last Ranking: 21

Record: 10-14-2

23. Bloomington Bison/Last Ranking: 19

Record: 11-15-2

24. Reading Royals/Last Ranking: 24

Record: 10-16-4

25. Worcester Railers/Last Ranking: 26

Record: 11-17-3

26. Cincinnati Cyclones/Last Ranking: 29

Record: 6-18-4

27. Utah Grizzlies/Last Ranking: 28

Record: 8-17-3

28. Rapid City Rush/Last Ranking: 27

Record: 7-15-7

29. Allen Americans/Last Ranking: 22

Record: 8-15-5