The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks from 1982 to 1993.
The Alaska Aces, known as the Anchorage Aces until 2003, was 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 San Diego Mariners were an ice hockey team based in San Diego that played in the World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1977 at the San Diego Sports Arena. Previous to being in San Diego, the team was known as the New York Raiders, New York Golden Blades, and Jersey Knights. After folding in 1977, San Diego Mariners' name was adopted by an unrelated franchise in the low-level, minor professional Pacific Hockey League (PHL).
The Maine Mariners were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Portland, Maine, at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
The Continental Elite Hockey League was a Junior A league that existed from 2001 to 2004. The league was an independent Junior ice hockey league that did not operate under USA Hockey. There were later plans for a new league to begin play in the 2012–2013 season as a Tier II Junior league. The new Continental Elite Hockey League planned to have five to six teams ready to play in the league's first season.
Jack C. Capuano Jr. is an American ice hockey coach and former player. He is a former head coach of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently an associate coach for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Capuano played as a defenseman and spent parts of three seasons in the NHL in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is the older brother of former NHL hockey player Dave Capuano.
Larry David Floyd is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and coach. Floyd played for numerous professional teams during his career from 1982 until 1984, including twelve games with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Floyd also played roller hockey for the San Diego Barracudas in the RHI.
Mark Major is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played two games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1996–97 season. He was drafted 25th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. Major acquired many penalty minutes over his career due to his playing style, which involved battling in front of the net for loose pucks, scoring garbage goals, and blocking the goaltenders view. Major only played in two NHL games, for the Detroit Red Wings. He also enjoyed a short career as a professional inline hockey player in Roller Hockey International (RHI). Taking into account all of his hockey games played at a professional level, Major played in 1,339 games and acquired 4,334 penalty minutes, giving Major an average of 3.24 penalty minutes per game during his career. After 4 seasons and 2 Championships as head coach of the Amherstview Jets Junior A team, Major is taking a year off to help coach his daughter's Kingston Ice Wolves' Peewee AA team.
Taylor Hall is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent parts of five seasons in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. Hall played 41 games across five seasons in the NHL, with the rest of his career coming in the minor leagues and in Europe. After retiring in 1996 he took up coaching and later became general manager for several clubs, with his longest tenure coming with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League and later ECHL, from 2008 until 2019.
Darren Alexander Banks is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in 20 NHL games with the Boston Bruins between 1992 and 1994, as well as extensively in the minor leagues and briefly in Europe during a career that lasted from 1989 to 2005. During his career he played predominantly as an enforcer.
The San Diego Gulls were a professional ice hockey team in the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) and later in the ECHL. The team, the third to use the Gulls nickname, was founded in 1995 immediately upon the departure of the IHL team of the same name. The Gulls played at the San Diego Sports Arena.
Matthew J. DelGuidice is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 11 games in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins between 1991 and 1992. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1990 to 1999, was spent in various minor leagues.
Nick Vitucci is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was the head coach of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye from 2009 to 2014. In 2008, Vitucci was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame.
Rod Aldoff is a Canadian former professional hockey player. He is currently the head coach of the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the SPHL.
Blake Kessel is an American retired 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.
Perry Florio, is an American former professional ice hockey player who spent the majority of his career with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL.
The Maine Mariners are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2018–19 season. Based in Portland, Maine, the team plays their home games at Cross Insurance Arena. The team participate in the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The team replaced the American Hockey League's Portland Pirates after the franchise became the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2016.
The 2018–19 ECHL season was the 31st season of the ECHL. The regular season was scheduled to run from October 12, 2018, to April 7, 2019, with the Kelly Cup playoffs to follow. Twenty-seven teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces each play a 72-game schedule. The Kelly Cup was won by the Newfoundland Growlers in their inaugural season over the Toledo Walleye.
Stefanos Lekkas is an American professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing with KalPa in the Finnish top-tier ice hockey league, Liiga.
