Thursday, May 29, 2025

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)    

26 comments:

  1. Go Chad go! So excited for him and so happy, Spire has an amazing ownership and he gets all the support he needs. Will be fun to see where he lands. I’m guessing Swamp Rabbits!

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  2. Hope you have a wonderful trip! Just got back from driving 12 hours each way to see parents. FaceTime is great, but nothing like being in person.

    Hoping Costy lands where he is meant to make a real difference. Love watching him grow as a coach! Prefer him being in our division even if he’s playing for the opposition.

    As always…Thanks for keeping us informed!

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  3. Red Kingdom MUST come back as well. Period.

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    1. ^^^^^ This is NON NEGOTIABLE.

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    2. Not everyone feels the same way you do. I dont like it. We need something completely new!

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    3. NON NEGOTIABLE. PERIOD.

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    4. Are you the new owner who can make these demands?

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    5. No just a fan offering their personal opinion. It is a fan favorite thing and the fans are allowed to give their opinion without being the owner

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    6. and before you ask, no I am not the one that posted the comment about it being non negotiable. We have to get away from people getting attacked on this blog because they have an opinion.

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    7. Why do you feel the need to chime in on a question that wasn’t asked of you? Feeling self important?

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    8. Folks, c'mon. There was enough animosity last season.
      Let's all get along, everyone is entitled to an opinion, and if you disagree, that's fine, do so nicely.
      I miss Red Kingdom, it got everyone pumped.
      Come Together just didn't do it, although catchy.

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    9. I felt the need to chime in because someone got attacked for posting a comment. No need for that

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  4. Kick-a— intro for a kick a— coach.

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  5. I'm betting that we will.discover that shots really are important in hockey...your side taking them and their side being limited. And that dump.and chance.starting behind your goal is NOT a good strategy.

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  6. Allen, you made a mistake a year ago.

    “Chad Costello has proven both on and off the ice that he is a winner. Through past success as a champion caliber player, and currently as a coach with a relentless pursuit of winning and development, he meets the standard of excellence we’ve established in the Swamp Rabbits organization,” stated Todd Mackin, President of Spire Holdings. “His enthusiastic approach to his role, development of players, and mindset of consistent growth are evident in the young stages of his coaching career and are important aspects that led to his hire. I’m excited to watch him lead us on the ice to great heights this upcoming season and beyond.”

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    Replies
    1. “We are thrilled to welcome Chad and his family to Greenville,” said Tim Vieira, President of the Swamp Rabbits. “Chad has an authentic grit and passion for the game that shines through in his leadership and coaching style, evident in his previous success. As the leader of this hockey team, he brings a young and hungry mindset with a proven winning track record, specifically in the ECHL. Chad’s heart for the community is an impactful element of what he brings to the Upstate, and we look forward to the opportunities for our partners, stakeholders, and fans to get to know him as a person.”

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    2. Chad is a proven winner - on and off the ice.

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    3. Ownership knows they made a mistake a year ago. And they have corrected the mistake. Wish Chad the best in his new place. Time to move on and concentrate on the Allen Americans again.

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  7. No Joe Ernst this year and no Zawyer…. Already looking better!!! Let’s go Red!!!

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  8. Barry, very much looking forward to some prospective player signings. I know you will cover some inside scoop on Chad. So looking forward to reading that. Would love for you to speak to Joe Ernst. I'm sure he would have an "interesting" take on things. Looking forward to that entry and THANK YOU!

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    Replies
    1. Looking forward to Chad demolishing Zawyer owned teams.
      Interestingly, Burt crossed to the dark side.

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    2. Me too!
      Chad is a class act and players will follow him.

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    3. so is Coach Martinson. Chad learned it from him!

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  9. Can’t wait to see is on the protected list!!

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  10. Sorry… meant can’t wait to see WHO is on the protected list….

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