Wade Brookbank is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 127 games in the National Hockey League with the Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, and Carolina Hurricanes between 2003 and 2009. He is currently a pro scout for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Claude Noël is a Canadian professional ice hockey former player and coach. He most recently worked as a scout with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Noël has close to 30 years experience coaching with his most recent coaching position being head coach of the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League in the 2014–15 season. He played 7 games in the NHL with the Washington Capitals during the 1979–80 season. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1976 to 1988, was mainly spent in the minor leagues.
The Dubuque Fighting Saints were a Tier I junior ice hockey team that played in the United States Hockey League (USHL) from 1980 to 2001. The team moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to become the Tulsa Crude in 2001 citing low attendance and rising costs. A new team would use the same name when Dubuque was granted an expansion franchise in the USHL in 2010.
Mike Sgroi is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Sgroi last played for the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, the 28th team of his professional career.
Joel Rechlicz is an American former professional ice hockey player. Rechlicz is well known for playing the enforcer role. By signing a three-year entry-level contract with the New York Islanders in May 2008, Rechlicz became the first player from the relaunched International Hockey League, formerly known as the United Hockey League, to play a game in the National Hockey League. He played for the National Hockey League's New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals.
Wes Samuel O'Neill is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who previously played with the Colorado Avalanche organization of the National Hockey League.
Jamie Marc Tardif is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. Tardif played briefly in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins appearing in two games.
Mark Flood is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was selected in the sixth round, 188th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, and previously played for the New York Islanders and Winnipeg Jets.
Yann Michel Sauvé is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for Brûleurs de Loups of the Ligue Magnus. He was drafted by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Vancouver Canucks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, selected in the second round, 41st overall. He played major junior hockey with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for four seasons before he joined the Canucks' minor league affiliates in 2010. He split the 2010–11 season between the Canucks and their two minor league teams, the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL and the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Canucks changed AHL affiliates twice, and Sauve joined the Chicago Wolves and Utica Comets as a result. Sauvé was born in Montreal, Quebec, but grew up in Rigaud, Quebec.
Joel Martin is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently the head coach of the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL.
Sean Zimmerman is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He most recently played for the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL. Born in Denver, Colorado Zimmerman represented the United States at the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships helping Team USA win a Bronze medal.
Blake Kessel is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who most recently was coaching Ironbound Elite 16U Premier in the USA Hockey Women's 16U AA. He most recently played for the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL. He was selected by the New York Islanders in the 6th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2011–12 Vancouver Canucks season was the 42nd season in the modern Canucks history. The Vancouver Canucks were the defending Western Conference champions and three time defending Northwest Division champions. The Canucks opened the regular season against the Pittsburgh Penguins at home on October 6, 2011. Their final regular season game was held at Rogers Arena against the Edmonton Oilers on April 7, 2012. The Canucks entered the season expected to again contend for their first ever Stanley Cup after coming one win short from winning it the previous season and maintaining the majority of the players from the previous season on the roster. The Canucks struggled out of the gate, hovering around .500 until roughly the 20 game mark due to weak defensive play and a slow start from starting goaltender Roberto Luongo. The Canucks then recovered by the 20th game on November 20 against the Ottawa Senators and would go on to play their best hockey of the season from that day until the end of February. The team dominated much like they did the season prior during this stretch from late-November to late-February, as goals came in bunches and the offense was backed up by strong goaltending from the tandem of Luongo and backup goaltender Cory Schneider. The peak of the Canucks' season came on January 7, 2012, in the 42nd game of the season which came against the Boston Bruins, a rematch of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. The Canucks prevailed 4–3 in a hard-fought playoff atmosphere, and they seemed to state to the hockey world that they would be heard from again come playoff time if they were to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals again. Despite their dominance continuing for the rest of the season and their continuation of winning lengthy stretches of games, the team did not play with the same heart they played with earlier in the season as the Canucks often played down to their competition, barely beating some of the weakest teams in the league as the offense seemed to disappear and the team was lucky to have outstanding goaltending and defense that led them to their second consecutive Presidents' Trophy and second Presidents' Trophy in franchise history altogether on the final day of the season on April 7, when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3–0 and the top seeded Eastern Conference team and Presidents' Trophy runner-up New York Rangers lost their season finale the same day 4–1 against the Washington Capitals, ending their season with 109 points in the standings, two points behind the Canucks 111 points. Despite entering the 2012 playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference for the second year in a row, the Canucks were upset in the first round in five games by the eight-seeded Los Angeles Kings, who would eventually go on to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history as the weeks went on. This marked the third consecutive season and fourth time in six seasons where the Canucks lost a playoff series to an eventual Stanley Cup champion.
Trent Daavettila is an American former professional ice hockey player who last played for and served as Captain for the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL. After beginning his college hockey career with Finlandia University, he transferred to Michigan Technological University, but failed to gain a place on their team. He remained at Michigan Tech and played for an upper-level men's amateur team while earning a civil engineering degree. Daavettila tried out for numerous minor league hockey teams after graduating from college, but was not accepted by any. Months later, however, he was signed to a professional tryout contract by the Kalamazoo Wings. Daavettila remained with the team, and two seasons later he tied for the team scoring lead and was named a second-team all-star by the ECHL. Through the 2012–13 season, he has also played in 19 American Hockey League games.
Nick Bootland is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He later served as the head coach and director of hockey operations of the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL, a position he has held from May 29, 2008. In August, 2022, it was announced that would be leaving to take the assistant coaching position with the Hershey Bears of the AHL. His brother, Darryl, played in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders.
Steven Andrew Oleksy is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing for Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL. He has formerly played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
David Gilbert is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently under contract to Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). He previously played with the Dragons de Rouen of the French Ligue Magnus and the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL). Gilbert was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 7th round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Evgeny Igorevich Svechnikov is a Russian professional ice hockey forward for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks. He was drafted 19th overall by the Red Wings in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2014–15 ECHL season was the 27th season of the ECHL. The regular season schedule ran from October 17, 2014, to April 11, 2015, with the Kelly Cup playoffs following. Twenty-eight teams in 20 states and one Canadian province each played a 72-game schedule. Ten days prior to the start of the season, the league was significantly expanded on October 7, 2014, after the ECHL had accepted the Central Hockey League's remaining seven teams as members for the 2014–15 season.
Alexandre Fortin is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who is currently under contract with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL. He has formerly played with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
