The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Carolina Ice Palace, also located in North Charleston, serves as a practice facility and backup arena for the Stingrays. Established in 1993, the team has been owned by a conglomerate of local business owners since 1995. The team was affiliated with the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League starting in 2004 and ending in July 2012 when the Capitals announced their affiliation with the ECHL's Reading Royals. On June 26, 2014, the Washington Capitals announced an affiliation agreement with the Stingrays for the 2014–15 season.
The Idaho Steelheads are an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Boise, Idaho, and a member of the ECHL. The Steelheads play in the Mountain Division of the ECHL's Western Conference since the 2016–17 season. In 1996, the Steelheads were announced as a 1997–98 expansion team by Diamond Sports Management, headed by Cord Pereira, as a member of the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL). The Steelheads and the rest of the WCHL joined the ECHL in 2003. As of 2021, the Steelheads are the westernmost ECHL team. During the 2003–04 season and since the 2005–06 season the Steelheads have been an affiliate of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars. The Austin-based Texas Stars have been Idaho's AHL affiliate since the 2009–10 season. Home games are played at the 5,002-seat Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise.
The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) as of the 2019–20 season. Their home games are played at Hertz Arena.
The Las Vegas Wranglers were a professional ice hockey team based in Las Vegas Valley. The Wranglers were members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL. The Wranglers were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 following the ECHL's takeover of the West Coast Hockey League.
The Alaska Aces, known as the Anchorage Aces until 2003, were a professional ice hockey team in Anchorage, Alaska. Home games were played at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage. The Aces won three Kelly Cup championships, with their last championship following the 2013–14 ECHL season.
The Elmira Jackals were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Elmira, New York. They were members of the United Hockey League from 2000 to 2007 and the ECHL from 2007 to 2017. The Jackals played their home games at the First Arena.
The Carolina Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The Thunderbirds played their home games at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum before the arena was demolished in 1989. The team played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League from 1981 to 1987, the All-American Hockey League during 1987–88 and finally moved into the newly created East Coast Hockey League in 1988.
The 2004–05 ECHL season was the 17th season of the ECHL. The Brabham Cup regular season champions were the Pensacola Ice Pilots and the Kelly Cup playoff champions were the Trenton Titans.
Brad Tapper is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta Thrashers over parts of three seasons. After retiring from playing, he remained active in hockey as a coach. He is currently an assistant coach with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL). Prior to that, Tapper spent a year as the head coach of the Adirondack Thunder in the ECHL, and previously was an assistant coach with the Rochester Americans (AHL), Chicago Wolves (AHL), Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL), and Florida Everblades (ECHL).
Anthony Battaglia is an American professional ice hockey player, who retired in February 2014.
Davis Payne is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, and is the former head coach of the St. Louis Blues. He was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings, but was fired on April 11, 2017. He is currently an associate coach under D. J. Smith with the Ottawa Senators.
The Henry Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded annually by the ECHL to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. The Brabham Cup has been awarded 32 times to 16 different franchises since its debut in 1989.
The 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs of the ECHL began on April 9, 2009. The 16 teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played a best-of-7 series for division semifinals, finals and conference finals. The conference champions played a best-of-7 series for the Kelly Cup.
Matt Marquardt is a Canadian ice hockey left winger, who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL. Marquardt was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 7th Round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
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.
Steve Ward is a former Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman.
Mathieu R. Roy is a Canadian professional ice hockey wing. He is currently under contract with the Glasgow Clan of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).
Reggie Berg is an American former professional ice hockey player who played for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 7th round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.
Vince Williams is a former ice hockey defenseman and a current scout with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. He was previously the head coach of the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL from 2013-2015 and the Trenton Titans from 2011-2013.
The 2018 Kelly Cup playoffs of the ECHL began in April 2018 following the conclusion of the 2017–18 ECHL regular season. The Kelly Cup was won by the Colorado Eagles, in their last season in the ECHL before joining the American Hockey League, in seven games over the regular season champions, the Florida Everblades.
