Allen's Season-Ending Roster, No CBA Yet, Players Heading to Europe, ECHL Summer Meeting, Affiliation Update and More

 

It is a busy time of year if you are an ECHL and Allen Americans fan, with a lot happening. Future considerations trades (last Friday), season-ending rosters yesterday, the first day to sign players (today), and players leaving for Europe. The PHPA had its annual meeting in Orlando last week, and the ECHL is meeting in Orlando this week. There is no CBA, and the Utah Grizzlies ownership announced the team is for sale. Here is my take on these items, plus more:

 

- Future Considerations - 20 ECHL teams traded 41 players to satisfy future considerations trades. Several players got traded more than once in this process. Allen lost two players, Liam Gorman to Maine and Tyler Burnie to Orlando. Gorman was to complete the trade for Ayden MacDonald (3/18/25), and Burnie was to complete the trade for Ryan Mashie (11/17/24). Allen was owed a player from Norfolk, but coach Martinson opted not to take any of the players offered. 

 

- Season-ending rosters had to be submitted yesterday. A maximum of 20 players can be included, and it is a way for teams to retain the rights to players from now until qualifying offers (8 maximum) are due on July 7. Here are the rosters for every ECHL team: https://echl.com/news/2025/06/echl-announces-season-ending-rosters

 

- Here is Allen's list:

• Goalie (1)
• Luke Richardson

 

• Defensemen (8)
• JC Brassard
• Cole Fraser
• Kenny Johnson
• Artem Kulakov
• Trevor LeDonne 
• Mike Van Unen
• Quinn Warmuth
• Hudson Wilson

 

• Forwards (11)
• Spencer Asuchak
• Harrison Blaisdell 
• Mark Duarte 
• Michael Gildon
• Nick Isaacson 
• Noah Kane
• Ayden MacDonald 
• Brad Morrison
• Reid Perepeluk 
• Brayden Watts 
• Jared Westcott

 It should be clear Martinson is not trying to sign all of these players on this list. It does buy him some time to figure out who he wants back, to go with the new players he is recruiting. Any players not signed by July 7 or given one of the eight qualifying offers will become free agents

 

 - Players omitted from the season-ending roster who are now free agents:

• Brian Chambers
• Colin Jacobs 
• Dylan Myskiw
• Kamerin Nault
• Jay Powell 

 

 - If you look at all of the season-ending rosters, there are some familiar names to Allen Americans fans that are now free agents. Here are just a few of them. Franklin is signed in Europe, but the rest are true free agents:

• Colton Hargrove
• Marco Costantini
• Gavin Gould
• Zane Franklin
• Dalton Skelly 

 

- Signing players/CBA - Today is the first day players can sign contracts for the 2025-26 season. However, nobody knows what the salary cap will be since there is no collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in place. The last CBA started in 2018 and was extended two years because of COVID-19, so a new CBA is being negotiated after seven seasons. It is hard for general managers/coaches to recruit without knowing how much the salary cap will be and what other provisions may be changed, such as the veteran rules. While contracts could be signed with language to provide for salary cap increases once the salary cap is known, coaches may delay a few days, hoping the salary cap figures will be known soon. 

 

- Players to Europe - The Americans have only lost one player to Europe, Nick Isaackson has signed in Scotland with the Dundee Stars (EIHL). Since the ECHL regular season ended, 41 players have signed in Europe. Kansas City lost its top two goal scorers, Borchardt and Giroux. Borchardt led the ECHL in goals (40) and only played in 58 games. Tulsa lost its #1 scorer (Farren), as did Fort Wayne (Jack Dugan). Fort Wayne also lost its all-star defenseman Kyle Mathew. These are just a few examples of the ECHL losing top talent to Europe. The unanswered question is whether the new CBA, the first in seven years, will close the gap with Europe or continue to widen it. The ECHL salary cap over the last seven years didn't come close to keeping up with inflation. In 2018, the salary cap was $13,000; this past season, it was $14,600. That is less than a two percent (1.75%) increase per year over the last seven seasons. If the new CBA doesn't have a decent salary cap increase, you will see even more top players head to Europe, and the quality of play in the ECHL will continue to decline.  

 

- The ECHL summer meetings take place in Orlando this week and always produce new information. The Board of Governors (BOG) meets before the general meeting and could be discussing existing and new franchises, rule changes, and, of course, the status of the CBA. The winners of the 21 different team awards will be announced on Wednesday. Allen is nominated for four of the 21 awards, so should come home with some hardware.

 

- You have probably seen by now that the Utah Grizzlies announced yesterday that the organization has begun a formal process to explore the potential sale of the team, a path that could ultimately lead to the relocation of the franchise. With the NHL Utah Mammoth relocating to the area last season, there was some thought that the Mammoth would eventually buy the Grizzlies. It appears that is not going to happen. There are questions about the Mammoth bringing in an AHL franchise to Salt Lake City. Lots of moving parts between ECHL and AHL teams to see how this all plays out. Here is the press release from the Grizzlies on the sale of the team: https://utahgrizzlies.com/news/2025/06/utah-grizzlies-ownership-begins-exploration-of-sale-and-potential-relocation  

 

- Team president. Jonny Mydra, sent an email to all Patriots Club Members (season ticket holders) last week providing updates on what next season will look like and the activities that are planned. If you are a season ticket holder and did not get this email, Jonny would like you to email him directly and let him know you are not on his mailing list. His email address is JM@AllenAmericans.com.

 

- Nothing new to report regarding Allen finding an affiliation for next season. I have heard the same rumor as many of you that the Utah Grizzlies will have a primary affiliation with the Colorado Avalanche/Eagles and a secondary affiliation with Utah/Tucson. While the ECHL limits teams to one formal affiliation, teams can work informally with other NHL teams. Now that the ECHL is getting closer to the same number of teams as the NHL and AHL, the ECHL BOG should rethink the secondary affiliation option, or at least limit the number of players the secondary affiliate can send to the ECHL. Bottom line is,  Allen still doesn't have an affiliate for next season. 

 

- I posted this on my ECHL Stats page the other day, and wanted it to tie into the Allen Americans:

 

The ECHL had 15 players score more than 30 goals in 2022-23, 14 in 2023-24, but just four in 2024-25. Here is the 2024-25 list:

 

40 - Cade Borchardt, Kansas City

37 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo

33 - Simon Pinard, Tahoe

32 - Devon Paliani, Savannah 

 

• Allen's leading goal scorer in 2024-25 was Mark Duarte with 23 goals.
• In 2023-24, Allen's leading goal scorer was Colby McAyley with 25 goals.
• In 2022-23, the ECHL had 15 players with more than 30 goals, four of whom played for the Allen Americans.
• 49 goals - Hank Crone 
• 39 goals - Colton Hargrove
• 36 goals - Jack Combs
• 33 goals - Liam Finlay

 

 

- If you have been tracking the new ECHL franchise in Rio Rancho, NM, that will begin play in 2026-27, you might have seen the three finalists for the team name, the Cutthroats, the Goatheads, and the Tarantula Hawks. Here is the press release with the details. https://echl.com/news/2025/06/new-mexico-pro-hockey-announces-finalists-for-name-the-team-contest 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Spencer Asuchak plans on returning to Allen for his 13th season with the Americans in 2025-26 after the season he had in 2024-25. After all, he was the only player on the stage when Steve Martinson was introduced as the new coach.  Last season, Asuchak was #3 on the team in goals (18) and led the team in power play goals with seven. He also led the league in faceoff percentage, the last stats I saw. Spencer is Allen's all-time leader in games played (568) and goals (173). 

 

Here are Allen's #1 and #2 all-time. It has a familiar ring:

 

• Points  
• #1 Chad Costello - 422
• #2 Spencer Asuchak - 421

 

• Goals
• #1 Spencer Ashchak - 173
• #2 Chad Costello - 124

 

• Assists
• #1 Chad Costello - 298
• #2 Spencer Asuchak - 248

 

• Games Played
• #1 Spencer Asuchak - 568
• #2 Chad Costello - 284

    

A Trip Down Memory Lane - 10 Years Ago Today

 

Not much new is happening with the Allen Americans, so I thought today would be a perfect day to take a trip down memory lane, and it is quite the memory. It was 10 years ago today, June 14, 2015, Allen won its first Kelly Cup, in the Americans' first season in the ECHL. Here is what I wrote after that win 10 years ago. Enjoy!

 

2015 Kelly Cup Champions

 

It wasn't as dramatic as 2013 when Todd Robinson scored an overtime goal in game seven to win the first CHL championship for Allen but it may have been a more important game seven for the Allen Americans. They won the ECHL Kelly Cup in their inaugural season in the league last night in a winner-takes-all game against the South Carolina Stingrays. In a game that was atypical of the finals, Allen scored early and often and beat the Stingrays 6-1 before an announced crowd of 6125, which must be the number the Americans have to post to please the Fire Marshall, because by all reports, the attendance was much higher than that.

There were certainly some skeptics when the seven Central Hockey League (CHL) teams were absorbed by the ECHL just before the start of the season, and very few people thought the eventual Kelly Cup winner would come out of the Central Division. The Allen victory last night was in a way for all of the teams in the Central Division.

I have so many thoughts about the game and the series, not sure where to start, so I will do what comes easiest, and that is random thinking and writing, so here goes. 

- The South Carolina Stingrays should be congratulated on a historic season. You never want to get blown out in a championship final, but the game last night should not diminish one bit the phenomenal success the Stingrays had this season. They set records that will stand for many years to come. Congrats to the players, coaches, and entire franchise. Spencer Carbery is a young coach (33) who Steve Martinson voted as ECHL coach of the year. Look for him to be coaching at a higher level in the near future.

- Steve Martinson always says in big games, your best players have to be your best players, and that sure happened in game seven. ECHL scoring champion Chad Costello (125 points) and ECHL leading goal scorer Gary Steffes (44 goals) figured in all six Allen goals. Costello got the first and third goals for Allen, along with an assist. Steffes scored the fourth goal for Allen, which was the goal that chased ECHL MVP goalie Jeff Jakaitis from the game after just 26 minutes. Steffes also had two assists for a total of three points. Add in the stellar play of goalie Riley Gill, assists by Jamie Schaafsma on both Costello goals, and the veterans really stepped up in game seven. 

- There was plenty of help from some of the new guys as Vincent Arseneau had two goals and Chris Crane, who played with great energy throughout the series, had a goal and two assists. For the record, the six goal scorers for Allen were in order, Costello (8), Arseneau (6), Costello (9), Steffes (13), Crane (10), Arseneau (7). 

- Congratulations to Greger Hanson, who was selected as the playoff MVP as he led Allen in scoring with 29 points (12 goals 17 assists) and had three game-winning goals. Having to wear a full-face mask seems to be a lucky charm, as both Greger and Brian McMillin in 2013 won the playoff MVP award after having teeth knocked out and wearing a mask/cage during the playoffs.

- One of the best pictures of the night was one where all of the fans who attended the game from the old CHL teams gathered for a picture on the ice. To see Missouri, Wichita, and Tulsa fans in their team jerseys and the friendships between the fans was nice to see. Don't get me wrong, some of the best comments on social media went something like this, "Congrats, Allen, for the great win tonight and bringing home the Kelly Cup. I was cheering for you as you did the Central Division proud. Now I am going back to disliking you and hope you don't win again."

- One of the most enjoyable parts of watching the team win a championship is the reaction of their families and friends. The tears of joy, celebrations, and pictures are very special and are memories that will be cherished forever.

- Many players go through their entire professional career without winning a championship, and winning just one is an amazing accomplishment, but to win three in a row rarely happens, especially with the same team. Just four players have been in Allen for all three championships and a special stick tap to them. Congrats to Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin and Jamie Schaafsma. 

- Here are some quotes from near and far about the game and the championship:

"In this series, I didn't think we played our best game. It didn't surprise me tonight we scored six goals. We don't need a lot of scoring chances to score, so it was just good timing.".....Steve Martinson

"We talked about wanting to play more of our game. We got caught playing a little too safe. It was awesome that we got back into our game with puck control, scoring chances, and offense.".....Chad Costello

"It's pretty special to win my second Kelly Cup, especially in a tight series like this in seven games. It was a mental and physical battle the whole playoff series.".....Riley Gill

"I am in disbelief and shock as there are not many other adjectives to describe that game. We completely failed to execute for some reason in every facet of the game. That is a tough pill to swallow in game seven of the championship. It is not what you want to see."..... South Carolina coach Spencer Carbery

"This was a really special team and I love those guys. We have been through so much and for the first time since I quit playing I wanted to be part of the group. I wanted to be in the room.".....Spencer Carbery

"Every game in this series has been low scoring and close and to have this in game seven. I can't believe it.".....Chad Costello

"We played our puck possession game, our defense held the puck more and were able to pull guys out of position. It is the way we play and I thought it was our best game of the season.".....Steve Martinson

"This is awesome. A three peat for Allen is incredible. A sold out barn tonight, it was so loud with the best crowd of the year. It was just great.".....Riley Gill

"Win one in the CHL, solid. Win two in a row in the CHL, impressive. Join ECHL and win third in a row in the first season, priceless. Congrats Allen! #proudCHLer." .....long time CHL goalie Tim Boron

"Congrats on the win boys! #partytimenow #3peat #enjoy".....Jonathan Lessard

"Still don't like them that much but huge congrats to the Allen Americans for winning the Kelly Cup. What an accomplishment!".....Sebastien Thinel, long time Odessa and Missouri player

"Congrats to the Allen Americans on the Kelly Cup #3peat #RockYourRed".....Alex Lavoie

"This has turned into the Riley Gill show, Allen goalie is really stellar.".....Scott Eisberg, Sports Director for WCIV-TV channel 4, the ABC affiliate in Charleston who was at the AEC to cover game seven.

"Congrats to the Americans on the ECHL championship! #3peat #champions #welldeserved #Americans".....Mike Berube

"South Carolina won 23 games in a row, beat teams in the playoffs that earned 96, 105 and 107 points  and didn't win the championship. It is really hard to win, folks.".....Jason Guarente who covers the Reading Royals for the Reading Eagle

"I've always said I've had the same team for 19 years now. Just different names on the front and back. But it has been the same team.".....Steve Martinson

"Coaching and talent go a long way, regardless of your league - as the Allen Americans prove on an annual basis.".....Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News

"It took just one season for Allen to conquer a new league.".....Ryan Gerbosi, Dallas Morning News

- Steve Martinson has said numerous times that the affiliation this year with San Jose and Worcester was the best he has ever had. It was nice to see all of the messages coming from the teams and the fans in San Jose and Worcester. The late-season additions from Worcester (Crane, Rumpel, Schwartz, Arseneau, Abeltshauser) shows the strength of the affiliation. Saw where someone had pointed out 14 of the 22 goals Allen scored in the final series with South Carolina were scored by players that spent time in Worcester during the season.

- What can you say about the record of Steve Martinson. He has now won nine championships in 19 years as a head coach and in three years as the Allen coach has never lost a playoff series (10-0) or a game when his team could be eliminated (8-0). He is out of fingers for championship rings as he has two as a player in addition to the nine as a coach. He is the best recruiter in the business and has a way to get players to play to their potential which is a deadly combination. It isn't easy playing for him as he is old school for sure but if you want a coach that has developed a winning formula, play for Steve Martinson. It is impossible for me to understand why the team ownership has not extended his contract and given him a long-term deal. He obviously deserves it, but it is also in the best interest of the team and team ownership. C'MON MAN! GIT-R-DONE!

- If I know Steve Martinson and I do, he has already taken calls and made calls to agents and players to start the recruitment process for next season. There are so many reasons to play in Allen, as the recruiting tool kit is overflowing with tools, but you can add ECHL champion as another recruiting tool. It will be a good summer of recruiting for coach Martinson. 

- With the official attendance last night of 6125 for the 95th playoff game and 1103 games overall, the season comes to an end with a new ECHL attendance record of almost five million. To be exact, the attendance was 4,979,066. 

 

 

 - Here is the highlight video from that game 10 years ago today.

DID YOU KNOW: It has been quite a path for Steve Martinson, Chad Costello, and Spencer Carbery since 2015. All are outstanding coaches.

Steve Martinson - After winning a fourth straight championship in 2016, followed by finishing #2 in the league in 2016-17, #14 in 2017-18, #26 in 2018-19, #3 in 2019-20, #2 in 2020-21, and #10 in 2021-22 his contract was not renewed. Martinson has returned to the helm in Allen for 2025-26.

 

Chad Costello - After a stellar pro career, Costello moved directly from the Allen locker room to the coach's office in 2022-23. He finished #13 in the league in his first season and #18 in his second season. Costello made the playoffs both of his seasons in Allen, but was let go after 2023-24. He was hired as the associate coach in Rapid City last December and was named head coach and general manager for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 10 days ago.

 

Spencer Carbery - Since losing the Kelly Cup to Allen in 2015, Carbery's coaching career has skyrocketed. Here are some of his stops. FYI. he became the head coach in South Carolina in 2011-12 and won the ECHL Coach of the Year (John Brophy Award) in 2013-14:

• 2016-17: Head coach, OHL (Saginaw)
• 2017-18: Assistant coach, AHL (Providence) 
• 2018-19: Head coach, AHL (Hershey)
• 2021-22: Assistant coach, NHL (Toronto)
• 2023-24: Head coach, NHL (Washington)

Carbery won the 2024-25 Jack Adams award as the NHL Coach of the Year. Despite all of his success, Carbery has never won a championship as a head coach.  

 

Allen Update, Trois Riviéres Wins, Coaching Selections, Zawyer vs Spire, Allen Players on Kelly Cup, Critical Dates, Martinson's 1st Year Stats, Office Renovations

 

The ECHL season ended last night as Trois Riviéres beat Toledo 4-1 to win the Kelly Cup. The game was much closer than the final score. Toledo outshot the Lions 49-25, including 38-15 in the first two periods, but were stymied by the best defense and goalie in the playoffs. The score was 2-1 until the Lions scored two late empty net goals. Here is the recap from this morning's ECHL Stats post:

Stick taps to the Trois Rivières Lions. who last night became the 19th different team and the second from Canada to win the ECHL championship (Kelly/Riley Cup). 

 

• Toledo has lost three of the last six Kelly Cup finals.

• Trois Rivières allowed just 34 goals in 21 playoff games, an average of 1.62 goals per game. Yes, defense wins championships.

• Trois Rivières scored first in 19 of 21 playoff games (91%).

• Trois Rivières outscored opponents in the third period 27-10 for a goal differential of +17. No other playoff team had a third-period goal differential greater than +5.

 

- In addition to stopping 48 of 49 shots in the clinching game last night, playoff MVP, goalie Luke Cavallin, led the playoffs in the following categories:

 

#1 in GAA - 1.53

#1 in save percentage - .948

#1 in wins - 15

#1 in minutes played - 1218 (294 more than any other goalie)

#1 in saves - 562 (147 more than any other goalie)

 

 

- Trois Rivières defeated Toledo in five games to keep the one-sided Kelly/Riley Cup Finals series intact. The 4-1 series win was the 17th time the finals were won 4-1. Here is a breakdown of all of the championship finals.

4-0: 5 times

4-1: 17 times

4-2: 8 times

4-3: 5 times (1999 game 7 went 2OT)

3-1: Once (2021, when only 14 teams played and eight made the playoffs)

 

 

 

- The other big news last week was the naming of coaches for three ECHL teams. Here is my ECHL Stats post with the details. 

If you are a long-time fan of AA hockey in the west (ECHL & CHL), congrats to three all-timers who were selected as ECHL head coaches in the last two days. All were great leaders as players and have their numbers retired.

 

Chad Costello: Greenville Swamp Rabbits

492 games (375 ECHL, 117 CHL)

3-time ECHL MVP (1 Colorado, 2 Allen)

3-timetime ECHL scoring leader (Allen)

2-time Kelly Cup Champion (Allen)

#13 retired by the Allen Americans 

 

Scott Burt: Greensboro Gargoyles

586 ECHL games

3-time Kelly Cup Champion (2 Idaho, 1 Alaska)

#12 retired by the Idaho Steelheads

 

Riley Weselowski: Cincinnati Cyclones

720 games (446 ECHL, 274 CHL)

1 CHL championship (Rapid City)

#6 retired by the Rapid City Rush

- For Chad Costello, it was a fitting end to a hectic year that saw him let go by the Allen Americans on May 30, 2024, hired as an associate coach in Rapid City on December 12, 2024, and selected as the head coach and general manager coach in Greenville on June 4, 2025. That is a lot to handle in a year for Chad, Ashley, and their four young children. Chad has landed with one of the best franchises in the ECHL, working for a first-class organization. Spire Sports and Entertainment, which owns ECHL franchises in Trois-Riviéres, Rapid City Greenville, an FPHL franchise (Athens Rock Lobsters), plus has a huge presence in NASCAR.

 

Greenville has a very strong relationship with its NHL/AHL affiliate (Los Angeles Kings, Ontario Reign), which means Costello will get a lot of support and many NHL/AHL contracted players assigned. As a comparison, last season, Allen had 151 games played by players assigned by Utah/Tucson. Greenville had 432 games played by players assigned by Los Angeles/Ontario. 

 

 

- If you haven't read the press release issued by Greenville when Costello was announced, make sure to read it, and if you have read it, read it again. It says a lot about the Spire Organization, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, and Chad Costello's coaching philosophy. https://swamprabbits.com/news/2025/06/chad-costello-named-head-coachgm-of-the-swamp-rabbits 

- This is a little inside baseball, or should I say inside hockey, but it is pretty well known that there is no love lost between Spire Sports and Zawyer Sports. Two organizations that have a big presence in the ECHL and other sports. Allen certainly had a short and strained relationship with Zawyer. When Zawyer (Joe Ernst) fired Chad Costello, Spire hired him in Rapid City as an associate coach, and then last week in Greenville as the head coach and general manager. When Spire recently let Rapid City coach Scott Burt go (did not renew his contract), Zawyer (Joe Ernst) immediately hired him for their new franchise in Greensboro. It will be interesting to follow these two organizations' success on the ice. Spires' Trois Rivréres, Greenville, and Rapid City versus Zawyer's Jacksonville, Savannah, and Greensboro. I do know one thing: Chad Costello will be successful in Greenville. 

 

 

 - With the Kelly Cup playoffs in the books, here are some facts on Allen Americans players with their names engraved on the Kelly Cup.

• One former player (Jakov Novak - 2022-23) was on the Trois-Rivières championship team. 
• Kyle Neuber (2015-17) is the only player to have his name engraved on the Kelly Cup four times. He won his first championship in Allen (2016) before winning three straight in Florida (2022, 2023, 2024). The odd stat is Kyle played a total of 17 games in the four championships.
• Of the nine individuals who have their name engraved on the Kelly Cup three times, two played for the Allen Americans. Riley Gill won championships in Reading (2013) and Allen (2015, 2016). Matt Register won Championships in Allen (2016) and Colorado (2017, 2018).

- Nine players, plus coach Steve Martinson, have their names engraved on the Kelly Cup as part of Allen's bask-to-back championships in 2015 and 2016. Talk about a who's who of Allen Americans hockey!

• Steve Martinson
• Vincent Arseneau
• Spencer Asuchak
  
• Chad Costello
• Aaron Gens
  
• Riley Gill
• Greger Hanson
• Joel Rumpel
• Gary Steffes
• Dyson Stevenson
• Casey Pierro-Zabotel 

 

 

- Now let the 2025-26 ECHL season get underway with the first critical date this afternoon at 3:00 pm EDT. Teams must submit their protected lists today. I would assume the complete list will be published by the ECHL tomorrow. In talking to Coach Martinson, his plan is to protect every eligible player. By my count, that should be 27 players (2 goalies, 9 defensemen, 16 forwards). There is no downside to protecting everyone at this point. It gives Martinson more time to figure out the players he wants back, and it helps out when settling future consideration trades where Allen owes other ECHL teams a player.

 

 

- The next critical date is June 20th, which is the date Martinson has to satisfy future consideration trades. How future trades are structured tells me that nothing of significance will come from this process, either losing or gaining players.

 

 

- On June 22, the season-ending roster is due. This list is limited to no more than 20 players and will give everyone the first inkling of who Martinson wants back for 2025-26. Any players not on the list become free agents. Typically, veterans are not on the season-ending roster because they can become free agents in August even if they are included on the list. 

 

 

- Martinson is working overtime trying to line up an affiliate for next season. With so many NHL teams sticking with their ECHL affiliates from last season, there are not a lot of opportunities. Martinson is well aware of the importance of having an affiliate identified as recruitment picks up this month. The first day to sign players for 2025-26 is only 15 days away (June 23).

 

 

- The Allen Americans' front office is currently undergoing its first complete renovation since the franchise was established in 2009, thanks to team owner Myles Jack, who is behind the upgrades. I can vouch that 16-year-old carpeting is badly in need of replacement. There are also plans for some changes in the locker room.      

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Steve Martinson has a history of putting together good teams very quickly. That is the expectation in Allen for 2025-26. Here is Martinson's record for the first year he coached each of these teams:

 

*San Diego, 1995-96: 49-7-2 (.862)

Rockford, 2004-05: 46-29-5 (.631)

Elmira, 2007-08: 41-24-7 (.618)

*Allen, 2012-13: 39-18-9 (.659)

Athens, 2024-25: 43-13-3 (.720)   

 

You add all these together, and the total is 218-91-26 (.690). 

*won the championship.

Martinson Update, Kelly Cup Finals Preview, Chad Costello Update, All-Star Game and Stats Show Championships Finals Tend to be One-Sided

 

We are headed out very early tomorrow morning to the Washington, D.C., area to visit our son, daughter-in-law, and our one and only grandchild. Our granddaughter is two and a half, and FaceTime is great, but air hugs and kisses aren't enough. Those of you lucky enough to have your families living close by make me envious.

 

- I don't have much Allen Americans news to share, however, there are a few ECHL topics to cover and some stats from my ECHL Stats page. Here goes.

 

- I did have a chance to check in with Steve Martinson, and he continues to talk to players and pursue an affiliation for next season. He is working on the protected list due in the league office on June 8 (3:00 pm EDT). Since there is no limit on the number of players on the protected list, Martinson could choose to put everyone who qualifies on the list. It will be the first indication of Martinson's thought process for next season. I would guess everyone eligible will be on the list, even though some players will not be returning. 

Players coming off AHL deals are highly sought after, but the time for recruiting them will be later in the summer. These top offensive players are not interested in talking to ECHL teams now, because they are pursuing AHL deals. After the NHL draft (June 27-28), things will start to clarify for these players coming off of AHL deals. Recruiting will pick up a lot in July.

 

- The Kelly Cup Finals are all set with Trois-Rivières representing the Eastern Conference and Toledo representing the Western Conference. I had Florida and Kansas City making the finals for a repeat of the 2024 finals, but both lost in the Conference Finals. Here is some info I put together for my ECHL Stats page:

Kelly Cup Championship Finals team comparison. 

 

- Trios Rivières joined the ECHL in 2021-22 and has never advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs.

 

- Toledo last won the ECHL championship in 1994 as the Toledo Storm when the Riley Cup was awarded to the championship team. Toledo lost in the Kelly Cup Finals in 2019 and 2022.

 

Here is a stat comparison of the two finalists. The first number is the playoff stat. Any stats in parentheses are the regular season stats: 

 

Record

12-3 - Toledo

12-4 - Trois Rivières 

 

Ave. Goals Scored

3.60 - Toledo (3.25)

2.88 - Trois Rivières (3.49)

 

Ave. Goals Allowed

1.63 - Trois Rivières (2.58)

2.60 - Toledo (2.69)

 

Power Play Percentage

20.4% - Toledo (25.1%)

16.5% - Trois Rivières (24.5%)

 

Penalty Kill Percentage

79.6% - Trois Rivières (83.5%)

77.8% - Toledo (82.7%)

 

Record When Scoring 1st

8-0 - Toledo

12-2 - Trois Rivières 

 

Team Save Percentage

.944 - Trois Rivières (.916)

.905 - Toledo (.906)

 

Team Shooting Percentage

12.3% - Toledo (9.9%)

10.5% - Trois Rivières (12.3%)

 

Average Attendance

8115 - Toledo (8037)

2941 - Trois Rivières (2567)

 

Toledo has home ice advantage in this 2-3-2 series, which begins Saturday night in Toledo.

 

 

 

- When it comes to playoff time, most ECHL teams play one goalie the majority of the time. Not the case with Toledo, which has two goalies splitting playoff games, while Trois Rivières has one goalie who has played every minute.

 

Here are the goalie playoff stats for the two teams in the Kelly Cup Finals:

 

TROIS RIVIÈRES

Luke Cavallin

15 games (920 minutes)

1.57 GAA

.944

 

TOLEDO

Jan Bednar

8 games (477 minutes)

2.52 GAA

.908

 

Carter Gylander

7 games (440 minutes)

2.59 GAA

.902

 

If the finals go seven games, the teams will play the seven games in 13 days. Which team has the goaltending advantage? The one with better stats or the one that splits the workload?

 

 

 

- I am sure most of you saw the Rapid City Rush announcement on Tuesday that the team is not renewing coach Scott Burt's contract and has begun a search for a new coach. Rapid City is owned by Spire Sports and Entertainment. Spire also owns the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Trois-Rivières Lions in the ECHL, and the Athens Rock Lobsters in the FPHL. While Trois Riviéres is in the Kelly Cup finals, Spire is in the process of filling not one, but three coaching vacancies. In addition to Rapid City, the Greenville coach was fired at the beginning of May, and the Athens job is vacant because Steve Martinson signed with the Allen Americans. 

Chad Costello signed with Spire in December to serve as Rapid City's associate coach when head coach Scott Burt took a medical leave of absence. The Rush didn't make the playoffs, but Costello helped turn the Rush's season around, improving from a .375 point percentage to .493. Costello's accomplishments included the following team streaks, all top five in the league for the season:

 

• #3 winning streak (11 games)
• #3 home winning streak (8 games)
• #4 points streak (13 games)
• #3 home point streak (12 games)

You have to assume Costello is in the catbird seat for one of the Spire coaching vacancies. I would exclude the Athens job because Chad would be looking for an ECHL coaching position. In my opinion, he could end up in Greenville or Rapid City, depending on the best fit for Spire and Chad. It would be great to have him part of the Mountain Division, but Greenville has one of the strongest affiliations in the league with the Los Angeles Kings and Ontario Reign. The Swamp Rabbits had 10+ NHL/AHL contracted players assigned during much of last season. The downside to Greenville is that the South Division is the toughest in the league. The #1, #2, and #6 teams in the league (by points) in 2024-25 were in the South Division.

 

 

 

- I have had a couple of questions about the ECHL All-Star game, which the Allen Americans will be hosting on January 19, 2026. Nothing has been issued by the team on the details. It seems each year the host team makes some changes to the event. It is wait and see at this point.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: 18 different teams have won ECHL championships, with nine teams (including Allen) winning multiple times. The championship finals have been one-sided more often than not. Here are the all-time final series results:

 

4-0: 5 times

4-1: 16 times

4-2: 8 times

4-3: 5 times (1999 game 7 went 2 overtimes)

3-1: (2021 with 14 teams playing)    

Updates: Kelly Cup Playoffs, Steve Martinson, Brett Ferguson, CBA, Schedule, All-time Hat Tricks, Division Alignment and More

My list of blog topics to cover has gotten long enough to finally sit down and write them out. Here they go in no particular order:  

- The Kelly Cup playoffs are moving right along, and the two I predicted would be in the finals (Florida & Kansas City) are both trailing in the Conference Finals:

• Kansas City is in real trouble in the Western Conference Finals, trailing Toledo 3-1. The Mavericks lost 4-1 last night in Toledo and will have to win game five (also in Toledo) Saturday night to avoid elimination. Kansas City was #2 in scoring during the regular season  (3.56 goals per game), but has scored 0, 1, and 3 goals in the three losses to the Walleye. 
• In the Eastern Conference Finals, Florida dropped the first two games at home against Trois-Rivières by scores of 1-0 and 2-1 to dig themselves a big hole. In game three (on the road), the Everblades were losing 2-0 after the second period. Florida turned it around in the third period, outshooting the Lions 21-3 and scoring four goals in less than 15 minutes to win the game 4-2. Games #4 and #5 are tonight and Saturday in Trois-Rivières.
• Despite trailing 2-1 in the series, Florida has outshot the Lions by a wide margin. The series total is 105-44, and three games were 41-18, 32-14, and 32-12. The Everblades will have to win one of the two games this weekend to get the series back to Florida.
• Colton Hargrove has been the best player for Florida during the playoffs. He leads the team in points (11), goals (6), points per game (.92), and game-winning goals (2). 
• Toledo's win at home last night was the first home win of the conference finals. Home teams are now 1-6.  

- The playoff attendance for the final four teams varies widely. Here are the playoff averages:

• 8045 - Toledo
• 6080 - Florida
• 3719 - Kansas City
• 2731 - Trois Riviéres
  

 

- I am sure most of you have seen the Myles Jack/Steve Martinson press conference from last week by now, but if you haven't, here is the video: 

- I had a chance to catch up with Coach Martinson earlier this week, or I should say General Manager Martinson. He was in Athens, wrapping up things with the Rock Lobsters, but spending the majority of his day making phone calls, as recruiting is already underway even though players can't be signed until a month from today (June 23). He is also working on finding an affiliation. Martinson inherited a tough situation when it comes to an affiliation. If you watch the video above, he addresses in some detail the history of affiliations in Allen. The bottom line is that he will have to build a team that can excel and be competitive in the playoffs without having a bunch of NHL/AHL contracted players. Toledo is likely to be in the Kelly Cup Finals (leading Kansas City 3-1) and has had only one or two contract players (other than goalies) all season. It means Allen will have a roster of more experienced players looking to win a championship, rather than moving up to the AHL to go along with some high-end rookies/younger players looking to move up.

 

- I get asked about Brett Ferguson's status with the team all of the time. I can officially say, after talking to team President Jonny Mydra this morning, that Brett will not be returning next season. He was offered the opportunity to return as the assistant coach, but did not accept that offer. Brett was well-liked by management, players, and fans. Everyone will be pulling for him wherever he lands. Personally, it was a real pleasure working with him, and he will be missed. 

 

- A new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is currently being negotiated between the ECHL and PHPA (Professional Hockey Players Association). It will be essential for coaches/general managers to know what is in the new CBA as recruiting progresses. Salary-related numbers, including salary cap, minimum, and maximum salaries for players and rookies, are a must. There is always a chance changes could be made to the veteran rules and/or which European leagues count toward veteran status. It will be hard to make decisions without knowing what is in the new CBA. Stay tuned!

 

- The Kelly Cup playoffs could go as long as June 11, but that doesn't change the critical dates coming up in June:

June 8 - The Protected list is due. This is an unlimited number of players. Teams typically protect every player who meets the qualifications. Here are the main qualifications:

1. Signed in 2024-25 and has not been traded or released.

2. Signed in 2024-25, and was recalled to the NHL/AHL and has not been traded or released.

3. Received a qualifying offer last summer for the 2024-25 season, but DID NOT sign, and has not been traded or released. 

 

June 20 - Future considerations trade deadline. I am going from memory, but I recall Allen will both lose and gain players in this process. None of these is for a specific player. Teams will choose from a list of players; the number and terms were decided at the time of the trade.

 

June 22 - Season-ending rosters due. Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players and cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract with the team in 2024-25. 

 

June 23 - First day to sign contracts for the 2025-26 season. There will be informal agreements with players before June 23, but contracts can't be signed before June 23.  

 

 

- I will do a deep dive on the 2024-25 Allen schedule later in the summer. Here is the schedule broken down by how many times the Americans play each team, showing home (H) and away (A) games:

 

• 15 - Tulsa (7H, 8A)
• 10 - Utah (5H, 5A)
• 10 - Wichita (5H, 5A)
• 9 - Rapid City (6H, 3A)
• 7 - Idaho (2H, 5A)
• 7 - Kansas City (3H, 4A)
• 5 - Tahoe (2H, 3A)
• 3 - Greensboro (3H)
• 3 - Norfolk (3H)
• 3 - South Carolina (3A)
• 1 - All-star game (1H)

 

- Here are the numbers of home games by day of the week. A couple more Friday/Saturday games than last season:

• 1 - Monday (All-Star game on MLK day)
• 9 - Wednesday 
• 1 - Thursday
• 12 - Friday
• 12 - Saturday
• 2 - Sunday

 
 

- I don't think the promotion schedule is out yet, but here are the dates for two of the popular promotions:

• Star Wars Night - Saturday, November 15, against Tulsa
• Top Gun Night - Friday, January 30, against Rapid City.   

 

 

- I did some work on hat tricks by Allen players for a friend, and it took quite a while, so I thought I would share the information. Here are the hat tricks by season since Allen joined the ECHL. Some great memories on this list. The 2022-23 season stands out as a special year for hat tricks:

 

• 2024-25
• Brodzinski
• Watts
• Asuchak

• 2023-24
• Marcinew
• Brodzinski
• McAuley

• 2022-23
• Crone (3)
• Hargrove (2)
• Finlay (2)
• Novak 

• 2021-22
• Troock (2)
• Costello
• Gould
• Winquist
• Henman

• 2020-21
• Mychan
• Lancaster

• 2019-20
• Topping
• Gagne
• Guptill
  

• 2018-19
• Breton
• Steffes
• Doty
• Pochiro
• Shmyr

• 2017-18
• Arseneau
• Steffes
• Guptill

• 2016-17
• Moore (2)
• Hanson

• 2015-16
• Costello
• Stevenson
• Crane

• 2014-15
• Combs (2)
• Costello
• Hanson
• Follmer
• Abeltshauser 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here are a couple of my recent ECHL Stats posts you might find interesting:

 

- In the 20 years between 1995 and 2015, there were no repeat champions in the ECHL. Since 2015, there have been 3 repeat champions. These three teams have won seven of the last nine Kelly Cups. Florida is still alive for a 4th straight Kelly Cup in 2025.

 

Florida: 2024, 2023, 2022

Colorado: 2018, 2017

Allen: 2015, 2016

 

 

- The ECHL announced a week ago that the 2025-26 season opens with eight games on Friday, October 17. Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league that will have 30 teams in 23 states and one Canadian province playing 1,080 games (72 games each) from Oct. 17, 2025 to April 12, 2026. 

 

All 29 teams from last season have returned, and the only change is the addition of the expansion team called the Greensboro (NC) Gargoyles to the Eastern Conference, North Division. The Eastern Conference will have an eight-team North Division and a seven-team South Division, while the Western Conference will have an eight-team Mountain Division and a seven-team Central Division.

 

Here is the team breakdown by Conference and Division:

 

Eastern Conference

North Division - 8 teams

Adirondack

Greensboro

Maine

Norfolk

Reading 

 

Trois Rivières

Wheeling

Worcester

South Division - 7 teams

Atlanta

Florida

Greenville

Jacksonville

Orlando

Savannah

South Carolina 

 

Western Conference

Central Division - 7 teams

Bloomington

Cincinnati

Fort Wayne

Indy

Iowa

Kalamazoo

Toledo 

 

Mountain Division - 8 teams

Allen

Idaho

Kansas City

Rapid City

Tahoe

Tulsa

Utah

Wichita

 

 

Steve Martinson Press Conference Highlights, ECHL Schedule Release is Today, June Critical Dates, Kelly Cup Final Four and Retired Allen Players Living in DFW Area

 

A crowd of 75-100 attended yesterday's press conference to reintroduce Steve Martinson as the coach and general manager of the Allen Americans. The crowd included many long-time fans, some new fans, long-time sponsors, and some relatively new sponsors. Some in the audience shared that they had dropped their season tickets and, when they heard Steve Martinson was returning, had now renewed them. 

 

The press conference was vintage Steve Martinson. He was open, honest and humorous, telling stories from the past. He made it very clear what his expectations are for the 2025-26 season, covering everything from style of play, the players he has already started recruiting and his approach to affiliations. Here are some of the highlights from the press conference. I was told ACTV will be posting a video of the entire press conference on their YouTube channel in the next day or so. I guarantee the full version will be much more entertaining than this recap!

 

MARTINSON COMMENTS

"One nice thing about Barry's blog is you can follow the team pretty closely and I continued to do that after I left the team. My wife told me a couple of times, Steve you have to give it up and stop following the team. That is hard when you spend 10 years in Allen and then walk away. We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this place, so I kept track of the team, and it is great to be back."

"We are excited, but there is a lot of work to do. I told Myles hard work is something I never shied away from. I had three meetings with Myles and spent more time with him face to face than I did in five years with previous ownership."

"Myles is the type of owner that will do anything he can for the players and his primary goal is to win. That wasn't always the case in the past."

"Myles represents a unique ownership. You don't get a young ex-NFL player who played at the highest level as an owner of a team at this level. We have a situation where he wants to do whatever he can to help the team win." 

"I was part-owner of the San Diego Gulls, so I understand wanting to entertain and also not to lose money. What we want to do is win and entertain fans while we are doing it. I know what sells tickets. You have to win, and you have to play physical. We want to be skilled, we want to be fast and we want to be hard to play against. I assure you, all those things are coming back, and it will be fun getting it done, but it will be a lot of hard work."

"We have a great fan base, a great arena, a practice rink, fabulous apartments with brand new furniture, and a major international airport. Everything you need to succeed, whether players want to win, move up, or develop."

"We want to create an environment that makes it fun to come to the rink. It is not a job, it is doing something that you love. The key is getting the right group of guys."

"Nothing against the guys that were with the team last season. There were just too many of the same type of guys. We need a higher-end skill level at the top, and we need some hard guys on the third and fourth line. We are probably not going to carry as many players. The money is going to be spent more to get the top-end talent and make sure we have the right depth. These are all the things I talked to Myles about. It is so refreshing to talk to an owner about these things, rather than whether we can buy skates and sticks?"

"I am working on getting the right affiliation. I am not afraid to ask potential affiliates for what I need and expect. I am not looking to get a job with the affiliate like a younger coach who wants to move to the AHL. It won't be easy. I am already working hard to see what I can do."

"Regardless of what happens with an affiliation, I will still get some training camp spots to be able to get those top guys. We will have to spend our money wisely to make sure we are getting the right players and that they are complete players. If you can't finish your checks, you'd better be one of the league's leading scorers."

"I have agents calling me and players calling wanting to come back. We are going to turn this thing around, and not in two or three years, but we will turn it around this summer. We will get right back up on the horse and get to work."

"Our team will be all out offense, but will also be all out defense. I always tell players the best way to get noticed is with offense. That will get you to the AHL, but how you play without the puck will keep you in the AHL. I also tell players I am recruiting to look up our teams from the past and notice how many players had their best career years in Allen."

"I expect we will have four veterans on the team, even though most ECHL teams have fewer vets. One way to compensate for an affiliation that doesn't send a lot of players is to have veterans who want to stay and win championships."

"Last season in the Federal League (FPHL) reinforced to me how important it is to have your core group really buy in. When that happens, it makes coming to the rink and dealing with the players a lot of fun. It reinforced to me that where I have had success, it was because of that core group."  

"As far as my staff, I am talking to a player about becoming a player/assistant, I will be talking to potential affiliates to see if they have a coach they want to bring in to help cement the affiliation. Jason Deitsch, who was the captain on our first championship team and helped me out in the past, will be helping out. Jason is a fireman in McKinney and a great leader. We will have a goalie coach and a skating coach, so lots of help in developing our players."

"We will have lunch with the coach and post-game press conferences with the season ticket holders. I will do my part to acknowledge our season ticket holders." 

 

MYLES JACK COMMENTS

"It is a new day in Allen, and we are looking to win. My goal is to restore greatness in this organization and bring back the good times. It all starts with bringing back Steve Martinson, and I am looking forward to doing big things this year and moving forward."  

"I zeroed in on Marty very early in the process. During the season, I was getting a lot of input from you guys and was doing my homework, just trying to get the best thing for this organization. Once the season ended, I took a trip to Athens to watch his team play. A big thing for me was talking to the players after the game. They had just lost, and their season was over. They were thankful for how Marty had pushed them and gotten the best out of them. You could tell they wanted him to stay there, but I was there to steal their coach."

"The Martinsons are a great family and great people. You can tell how dedicated Steve is. When we were still negotiating his contract, he was already sending me things about the league and already working as if he were the coach."    

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Martinson will spend most of the summer recruiting from his home in Rockford, IL. He has a lot on his plate for the next few weeks. In addition to all of the time devoted to securing an affiliation, he has to get familiar with the Allen roster from last season. That will entail watching a lot of video. Here are the key dates Martinson must deal with:

• June 8 - Protected list due
• June 20: Future consideration trade deadline (Allen has several with some going both directions).
• June 22:  Season-ending rosters due
• June 23: 1st day to sign contracts for 2025-26 season.  

- The ECHL schedule will be released today (1:00 pm). The Americans will issue a press release and post it to their social media accounts. The rumors I have heard are that the team will open on the road, and the home opener will be against a very good team, so Allen will have a good measuring stick of where it stands. Remember, Allen opened at home last season against Kansas City and lost 4-0 and 9-0.

 

- The #2 (Florida), #3 (Kansas City), #4 (Toledo) and #5 (Trois Rivières) regular season teams by points have reached the Kelly Cup final four (Conference Finals), which starts tonight.

Conspicuously missing from the final four is the #1 team, South Carolina, who was was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Stingrays fell victim to not one but two curses. 

 

The Brabham Cup Curse- The last time the regular season champion (Brabham Cup) won the Kelly Cup was 2014 (Alaska). 

 

50+ wins curse - South Carolina won 52 games this season. The last time a team had 50 or more wins in the regular season went on to win the Kelly Cup was in 2008 (Cincinnati).

 

Is the moral of the story to be very good in the regular season, but not great?

 

 

- On a personal note, the blog post on Monday, "He's Back!! - Steve Martinson Returns to the Allen Americans" turned out to be a big milestone. My very first blog post was in 2012 when Steve Martinson first arrived in Allen. The views of the blog on Monday passed the 3,000,000 mark for unique page views. Some real symmetry in that milestone. 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: At the press conference yesterday, Steve Martinson talked about the number of players who decided to make DFW their home after they retired. This list is off the top of my head so I am sure I am missing some. It is an impressive list of players who have started businesses, worked at various hockey-related jobs, and/or found employment in the area. 

 

• Erik Adams
• Mathieu Aubin
• Daniel Barnes
• Joel Chouinard
• Chad Costello
• Jason Deitsch
  
• Nolan Descoteaux
• Aaron Gens
• Riley Gill
• Trevor Ludwig
• Tyler Ludwig
• David Makowski
  

 

 

He's Back!! - Steve Martinson Returns to the Allen Americans

 

 

Steve Martinson, Myles Jack, Michelle Martinson

Team owner Myles Jack and the Allen Americans just announced that Steve Martinson, a familiar face, has signed a three-year deal as coach and general manager. Martinson spent 10 seasons in Allen from 2012 to 2022, including winning four straight championships (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). He has won a total of 10 championships in his coaching career in four different leagues (WCHL, UHL, CHL, ECHL). Martinson won championships in his first year of coaching (San Diego), his first year in Allen, and the first year the Americans joined the ECHL. He knows how to build a competitive team quickly. This past season, Martinson coached a first-year franchise in the FPHL (Athens Rock Lobsters) and was selected as the Coach of the Year.

 

- In addition to Steve Martinson, Allen fans will be reunited with Michelle Martinson, who will manage the Americans Team Store, just as she did when the Martinsons were in Allen before. Michelle managed the Team Store in Athens this past season.

 

- When Martinson left Allen after the 2021-22 season, he had 1123 wins as a professional coach. Scotty Bowman is the only North American coach with more wins (1244). If you add his 43 wins in the FPHL this season, his total is now 1166 wins as a pro coach.  

- Here is the Allen Americans' regular season record since the 2012-13 season, when Martinson first arrived in Allen, through last season. The three numbers following the year are points, rank, and point percentage. Games played are 72 unless otherwise noted:

• 2012-13: 87 points, #1, .659  (66 games)
• 2013-14: 83 points, #3, .629  (66 games)
• 2014-15: 106 points, #2, .736
• 2015-16: 89 points, #5, .628
• 2016-17: 104 points, #2, .722 
• 2017-18: 78 points, #14, .542
• 2018-19: 56 points, #26, .389
• 2019-20: 88 points, #3, .710 (62 games)
• 2020-21: 94 points, #1, .653
• 2021-22: 79 points, #10, .549
  
• 2022-23: 77 points, #12, .535
• 2023-24: 70 points, #18, .486  
• 2024-25: 43 points, #29, .299

 

- If you look at the regular season stats above, and think about each season, a few things stand out:

• Steve Martinson finished in the top five in the league in points in seven of his 10 seasons.
• Allen has declined in points every season since 2020-21. 
• In addition to winning four championships, Martinson lost to the eventual Kelly Cup winner in 2016-17 (Colorado) and 2020-21 (Fort Wayne).
• Martinson's playoff record in Allen is 70-45 (.607).
• Martinson has played 20 playoff series as the coach in Allen and won 16 of them.
  

 

-  Having a team capable of winning the Kelly Cup and winning one are two different things. There is a reason in the 37 year history of the ECHL, which has had close to 200 coaches, only eight, including Steve Martinson, have won more than one championship. What team owner Myles Jack has tasked Steve Martinson to do is "get back to winning."

 

- It is ironic Martinson was the reigning ECHL General Manager of the Year when his contract was not renewed after the 2021-22 season. What is Steve Martinson's secret to recruiting? Have as many tools in your recruiting tool kit as possible. With the salary cap, competing based on salary is not the key to success, as a player can always find a team willing to pay $50 or $100 more per week. The key to getting the best players is having other reasons to have them want to play for your team. Here are some of the many tools Steve Martinson uses when making a pitch to players.

- Allen has won four championships and missed the playoffs just twice in franchise history. You can count on additional weeks of pay from the playoffs. This can total  $15,000 or more in compensation over a team that does not make the playoffs. The culture in Allen is not merely to make the playoffs, but to make a deep run in the playoffs.

- You will play an upbeat, aggressive offensive system in Allen that is also dedicated to defensive hockey. Points you score in the ECHL won't keep you in the American Hockey League (AHL), but points will get you noticed. You have to be able to play without the puck, and you have to understand the game and that is what we will help you with in Allen. With our system, you will have plenty of opportunities to get points. We won't handcuff you in the third period with a lead. We will take less risk, but we will keep our foot on the gas. If you want to play in a system where you can score a lot of points, come to Allen.

- You will play for a great organization, and you will play in a great facility in the CUTX Event Center, which is surrounded by shopping and restaurants.  


- Playing in the Dallas Metroplex, you have access to whatever interests you may have, including the Stars, Cowboys, Mavericks, and Rangers. Playing where you have a major international airport makes it easier for you and your friends and family to travel in and out of DFW and for players to get to AHL cities quickly if called up.

- You can play golf year-round. The average high temperature during the hockey season is 79 in October, 66 in November, 57 in December, 55 in January, 61 in February, 69 in March, 77 in April, and 84 in May. It is a great place to live, whether you're single or married.

- If you like to fish, there are plenty of opportunities within fifteen minutes of your apartment. Fishing is great.

- We will help with whatever your post-hockey career interests are through our intern program.  

- There is a great fan base that supports the team and the players.



- Because Steve Martinson has been around minor pro hockey for so long, he has a real advantage when it comes to recruiting. Even with the contacts he has developed over the years, he spends many hours going over data to determine who to recruit. He has a couple of techniques that he uses to find those diamonds in the rough, players who have underperformed, but will thrive in his system, and players who have not been used in the right way on their current teams. It is no coincidence that each year, several players come in and have career years in Allen.   
 


- One thing is certain: Steve Martinson will have the same type of team as he has always had. They will compete hard, be physical, and be difficult to play against. The team will be tough but also skillful. He recruits guys who understand you must work hard, be in great shape, follow the system, be a team guy, and finish checks. I am sure you have heard him say many times that his team is the same every year; the only thing that changes is the names on the back of the jerseys.

 

- I had the chance to talk to Martinson after he was selected, and here is what he had to say about returning to Allen:

"We are fortunate to have an owner in Myles Jack, who is now 100% in control of the team and understands from his NFL experience what it takes to win. He wants to do everything he can to do things right. He wants the players to have a good experience and have a good place to play. He understands the importance of having the right culture. He will provide the resources needed to win."

"My top priority is securing an affiliate that will help the team. You have to prove yourself as a place where teams can send their players for development."

( FYI, Allen lost three affiliations in three seasons, San Jose twice, and Minnesota. San Jose pulled their players midseason. None of these were related to the affiliates being displeased with the development of players. All were related to off-ice financial issues.)

"I am not afraid to ask potential affiliates for what I need and expect. I am not looking to get a job with the affiliate like some of the younger coaches around the league. I have already contacted all of the AHL teams, letting them know I will be coaching in Allen and am looking for an affiliate. I know the teams that don't have an affiliate, but there could be some that are unhappy with their ECHL affiliate and might be looking for a change. It won't be easy, but it is my top priority right now. Having an affiliate identified and AHL training camp slots available is key to recruiting.

"I have made it clear to the AHL teams I contacted that Allen has a new owner who is committed to bringing back a winning environment, great apartments, practice rink, upgraded equipment in our training room, and a goalie coach."

"I will start talking to players from last season this week, but I still need to watch the video on them before I start that process."

"I have already started reaching out to players who are coming off AHL contracts and have a list of veterans or players who will be coming veterans."

"When I am recruiting players, I tell them to look at hockeydb on my rosters from the past, and you will see many of them had their best statistical season playing for me, because of our high offense style of play.  

- One thing is certain: the 2025-26 Allen Americans team will be exciting and entertaining. A combination of a high-powered offensive team that will be hard to play against. Just making the playoffs will not be considered a success. Myles Jack will provide the resources to have a winning team and it will be up to Steve Martinson to make it happen. 

 

Welcome back Steve and Michelle!       

 

Here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/05/steve-martinson-returns-to-the-americans