Barry The Blogger - Follow me on twitter at @allenamericans1 and/or like my Facebook page at Allen Americans Blog. This is the official blog of the Allen Americans.
It wasn't the worst loss in team history, but it sure felt like it if you endured Allen's 7-0 loss in Idaho last night. It was the seventh time this season the Americans have been shutout and none of them have been pretty. Here is a trip down memory lane:
4-0: Kansas City at home (October 25)
9-0: Kansas City at home (October 26)
4-0: Tulsa at home (November 9)
6-0: Indy on the road (December 13)
5-0: Tulsa on the road (February 2)
4-0: Jacksonville at home (March 7)
7-0: Idaho on the road (March 19)
- The game last night was reminiscent of so many losses this season, it was over early. Allen has scored 37 goals in the first period this season and allowed 79 for a goal differential of -42. Last night Idaho took a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. The Americans lost their fifth straight game and their 17th in the last 18 games.
- This stat captures just how bad the 2024-25 season has been for the Allen Americans. In the 16 year history of the Allen Americans franchise, prior to this season, the team lost a game by six or more goals just eight times. That is eight loses of six or more goals in 15 seasons. Thus far in 2024-25 it has already happened seven times and there are still 12 games to be played. It is possible Allen could lose more games this season by six or more goals than in the entire history of the franchise. Let that sink in. Here is the list of
all-time worst losses (6 or more goals) in chronological order:
The Allen Americans begin their six game road trip tonight in Idaho with the only role they have left to play, as spoilers. While Allen can mathematically escape the cellar in the Mountain Division it will take a big turnaround over the final 13 games of the season. Allen trails Utah by 10 points in the standings and will have to sweep the Grizzlies when they play three games next week.
- So the Americans are relegated to spoilers in Idaho tonight, Friday and Saturday. The Steelheads are six points behind Wichita in the race for the final playoff spot and have not been playing well. Idaho is 4-5-1-0 in its last 10 games and has lost three straight. You know Idaho sees this three game series at home against Allen as a way to get back in the playoff race. The Steelheads have owned the Americans the last three seasons. Since 2022-23 Allen's record against Idaho is a paltry 3-16-1-0. FYI, the three wins were when goalie Leevi Merilainen was assigned the Allen by Ottawa in 2022-23. In the opening game of the season Allen was outshot 45-19 and Leevi won the game. In the other two wins Merilainen faced 43 shots in each. This season Leevi has played in 12 NHL games for the Ottawa Senators with a record of 8-3-1-0, a GAA of 1.99 and a .925 save percentage.
- It will likely take Merilainen type goaltending for Allen to come out on top in this series because the Americans have struggled to score. In its last 11 games Allen has scored two or fewer goals in nine of them. The other two the Americans scored three goals and four goals.
- Here are Allen's goal scorers the last 11 games when the Americans scored only 17 goals, an average of 1.55 goals per game. Defensemen scored 35% of the goals.
2 goals - Brassard
2 goals - Warmuth
2 goals - Jacobs
2 goals - Isaacson
2 goals - Matikka
1 goal - Powell
1 goal - Kane
1 goal - Wilson
1 goal - Nault
1 goal - Westcott
1 goal - Watts
1 goal - Duarte
- If you look at season long stats Allen scores a goal per game less than Idaho (2.4 vs 3.4) and also allows more goals than the Steelheads (4.1 vs 3.4). The same is true in shots on goal where Allen takes fewer (29.6 vs 33.8) and allows more (38.1 vs 34.4) than Idaho.
- As always special teams will play a big role in this series. Idaho has one of the best power plays in the league ranked #3 at 22.0%. Allen on the other hand, last scored a power play goal eight games ago on February 21. The Americans are 0-28 since their last power play goal.
- Idaho will be playing without its leading scorer as Hank Crone was traded to Norfolk yesterday for future considerations. Hank had 54 points (15G, 39A) in 48 games for a points per game average of 1.13. Crone's plus/minus was +15, second best on the team. Idaho has won eight overtime games this season, Crone had the game winner in three of them. It is hard to understand why you would trade a player with these stats when your team is fighting for its playoff life. Maybe the fact that Crone is already signed in Europe for next season played a role.
- Idaho has had trouble scoring lately. The Steelheads have lost three straight and the scores were 7-3, 2-1 and 4-0. A long way from the team that scored over 300 goals last season and averaged 4.2 goals per game.
- It hasn't happened very often when the Americans have played six straight road games without spending any time back in Allen. The Americans have 22 players on the trip which isn't much of a cushion given all of the injuries lately. Mark Duarte is expected to be back in the lineup tonight. Defenseman Kenny Johnson is with the team and has been cleared to play. However, he hasn't played since February 7 and just started practicing. Would expect he won't be in the lineup until the weekend.
- Playing with the lead is always a key to Allen's games since the Americans do not do well playing from behind. Idaho has one of the best records in the ECHL when playing with the lead, almost unbeatable:
When scoring first, 19-1-6-1 (.833).
Leading after the 1st period, 14-0-2-0 (.938)
Leading after the 2nd period, 19-0-1-0 (.975)
Allen has given up the first goal in eight of its last 10 games and lost them all. The Americans cannot play from behind against Idaho and expect to win.
- Idaho is great playing with the lead, but is also one of the league's best teams when trailing after the first period. The Steelhead's record is 8-12-4-0. Allen's record when trailing after the first period is 2-25-2-0.
- The game tonight will have just one referee with #22 Sam Heidemann working the game. He has been an ECHL referee since 2020 and worked the Kelly Cup finals in 2023 and 2024. He has also been an AHL referee since 2023.
OTHER COMMENTS
- It is a light Wednesday night ECHL schedule with only four games. Allen fans might be interested in the only other Mountain Division game, Utah at Kansas City. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/03/echl-today-march-19
- Competition for playoff spots will be front and center around the ECHL this weekend.
North Division - Worcester (64 points) and Reading (62 points) are competing for the final playoff spot. Trois Riviéres is locked, Wheeling and Norfolk will also advance to the playoffs.
South Division - South Carolina, Florida and Jacksonville are already locked in. Orlando will the the fourth playoff team.
Central Division - Toledo is already locked in, Fort Wayne and Iowa will make the playoffs. Four teams are fighting for the fourth playoff spot, but it looks like it will be between Bloomington and Kalamazoo who are currently tied for fourth place with 59 points.
Mountain Division - No teams are locked in but it is looking like Kansas City, Tahoe, Tulsa and Wichita will be the playoff teams. Idaho is in fifth place, six points behind Wichita and could catch the Thunder. Both teams are under .500 over the last 10 games, so if either gets hot it could make the difference.
DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about players with 60 assists in a season. It looks like no players will reach that milestone this season. I got this stat idea from seeing NHL single season stats yesterday. Putting this together this morning reminded me what Chad Costello accomplished in his three seasons in Allen from 2014-2017. Averaging a point per game is quite the accomplishment. Averaging an assist per game is extremely rare. Chad averaged over an assist per game for three straight seasons. His total was 252 assists in 216 games for an assist per game average of 1.17. In addition to all of the assists he also averaged 33 goals per season over those three years. Just another stat of many why Chad Costello should be in the ECHL Hall of Fame.
Reaching 60 assists in a season is quite a milestone. Only six players have accomplished that feat in the last 10 ECHL seasons, since 2014-15. One player stands out having reached the 60 assist plateau three times and exceeded 60 by wide margins:
60: Jack Dugan, Fort Wayne, 2023-24
64: Zach O’Brien, Newfoundland, 2022-23
60: Alex Ierullo, Greenville, 2022-23
89: Chad Costello, Allen, 2016-17
68: Shane Berschbach, Toledo, 2016-17
64: Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Colorado, 2016-17
79: Chad Costello, Allen, 2015-16
84: Chad Costello, Allen, 2014-15
Costello’s assists are the #4 (89), #6 (84) and #13 (79) on the ECHL all time single season assist list. Those ahead of Costello on the all time list played in the 1990’s.
The Allen Americans set a season record for shots in a period (20) and shots in a game (48) yesterday, but managed just one goal in a 3-1 loss to Utah. Allen has scored 45 fewer goals this season than any other team in the division and 80 fewer goals than the top team. No matter how well the team plays, it can't win without scoring more goals.
- The lack of scoring is exemplified by the power play. The Americans have not scored a power play goal since the third period of a game in Kansas City on February 21. That was eight games ago. The streak of power play opportunities without a goal has now reached 28. How far has the power play fallen? At the beginning of December the Allen power play was ranked #3 in the ECHL at 26.1%. As of this morning it is ranked #24 at 16.4%.
- Allen gave up the first goal of the game yesterday which the Americans have done in 60% of their games this season. Allen's record when allowing the first goal is 6-26-3-0 (.214). Allen's record when scoring first is the worst in the league, but still much better than when the Americans give up the first goal (8-9-5-2. .479).
- Here are the game recaps and the video highlights:
"I thought we played well today. Their goalie was the difference in the game."
"We had an unfortunate lapse on their first goal. It was 3-on-3 like in overtime and you play man on man and they got buzzing around us a little bit and we were spinning. On the second goal they did a good job going to our net and getting in our goalie's eyes. Thornton didn't see that shot from the point. We had two defensemen standing off to the side, but they did not take care of our net front, and it ended up in the back of the net."
"It was a great effort by the team and we were never out of the fight. It was a physical fun game with lots of chances back and forth, 81 shots on goal and a couple of fights. We didn't get the two points, but I am proud how the team played."
"There were a couple of spirited bouts tonight, Utah is a lot like us at the bottom of the standings where everyone if fighting literally or figuratively on the ice for jobs next year. In this league contracts are week to week. Nobody has a two-year deal, nobody is signed for next season and everyone is fighting for a job with their current team or with the other 27 teams in the league."
"Our upcoming road trip schedule:
Tuesday: fly to Boise
Wednesday: play Idaho
Thursday: Practice
Friday: play Idaho
Saturday: play Idaho
Sunday: day off in Boise
Monday: bus to Salt Lake City
Monday night: team is set up to attend the Utah HC vs Detroit Red Wings game
Tuesday: practice at Utah HC practice facility
Wednesday: play Utah
Thursday: practice
Friday: play Utah
Saturday: play Utah
Sunday: fly home"
"We will be gone for 12 days which is logistically a little different than usual. We can only bring so many players and then we will have to deal with injuries and guys coming back from injuries. Injured players Mark Duarte and Kenny Johnson will travel with us to Idaho and will play in that series at some point."
"Spencer Asuchak is hoping to touch the ice while we are gone as he recovers from his injury. He is getting better and it was great to have him on the bench tonight. That was a positive influence on our group.
"We are moving forward as if we will not see Dylan Wells back in Allen, but it would be great if he does return. I hope he stays up and gets some games."
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here are the Mountain Division standings by points with games remaining in parenthesis:
83 points - Kansas City (12 games)
77 points - Tahoe (11 games)
76 points - Tulsa (11 games)
73 points - Wichita (12 games)
67 points - Idaho (13 games)
63 points - Rapid City (12 games)
48 points - Utah (11 games)
38 points - Allen (13 games)
- Former Allen forward, Easton Brodzinski, who led the Americans in goals when he was traded to Tulsa in January has been loaned to the AHL San Diego Gulls since February 25. Easton scored a goal in his first game with the Gulls and has played in eight games since arriving in San Diego.
- Five teams have already qualified for the Kelly Cup playoffs:
North Division - Trois Riviéres
South Division - South Carolina, Florida, Jacksonville
Central Division - Toledo
Mountain division - None
DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about ECHL teams with 50+ plus wins in a season. Allen has never had a 50 win season. The most wins for an Allen team was 49 and that wasn't a championship year, it was in 2016-17. In Allen's two Kelly Cup winning seasons the Americans had 48 wins (2014-15) and 41 wins (2015-16).
Unlikely any ECHL team reaches 50 wins in 2024-25. South Carolina has the best chance, but must win seven of its final 10 games. Maybe their fans should hope they don’t make it.
Here are the ECHL teams with 50+ wins since 2008-09. None of them won the Kelly Cup.
After more than a week off, Allen is back in action this afternoon (2:10) against the Utah Grizzlies with a chance to get a win, something that has eluded the Americans in 22 of the last 26 games. It will be a battle between the two worst teams in the league. One on a three game losing streak (Allen) and one on a five game losing streak.
- The good news is Allen's record against Utah this season is 3-1-1-0. The bad news is all five games were played in the first two weeks of November.
- What is certain is one of these teams will earn two points today and the other could earn one point considering the last two games they played went to overtime. If Allen has any hope of avoiding last place in the ECHL the game today is a must win. It has been six weeks since Allen has won a home game and the team is flirting with the record book when it comes to fewest home wins in a season. With six home wins and seven home games remaining, Allen needs to reach 10 wins the avoid the record book. The all time record of five home wins is safe, but if Allen goes 2-5 in the last seven home games that will tie for second on the all time list with eight home wins.
- Here is how Allen and Utah rank in some key stats this season:
Goals scored average: Allen #28 (2.40) - Utah #15 (3.12)
Goals allowed average: Allen #29 (4.14) - Utah #28 (4.12)
Shots for average: Allen #18 (29.28) - Utah #11 (31.58)
Shots against average: Allen #29 (36.14) Utah #26 (34.60)
Power play percentage: Allen #24 (16.7%) - Utah #13 (19.7%)
Penalty kill percentage: Allen #18 (80.0%) - Utah #29 (70.9%)
- A couple of things to note from the stats above. Allen and Utah are the two worst teams in the league allowing over four goals per game. No other team allows more than 3.55 goals per game and half of the ECHL allows fewer than 3.00 goals per game. Allen has improved recently allowing three or fewer goals in seven of its last ten games. However, in the three games the Americans allowed more than three goals they gave up nine, six and four goals.
- Allen's power play is 0-25 over the last 19 periods going back seven games. The Americans will be going up against the worst penalty kill unit in the league this afternoon at 70.9%. If Allen can break its long power play drought against Utah and win the special teams battle a win could be the result.
- The first goal of the game is always important, even though Allen and Utah combined have scored first in only 39% of their games. Utah is much better when it does score first. Here are the records when scoring first along with the overall ECHL record:
Allen: 8-9-5-2 (.479)
Utah: 12-6-2-2 (.636)
ECHL: 596-163-82-25 (.750)
- Coach Ferguson's keys to the game:
We can't trade chances with them. They have a skilled set of forwards who are smaller and shifty that like to attack off the rush. We need to defend and let our chances come organically and not try to force anything and make plays that aren't there.
Win battle of the blue paint. We need to clear them out of ours and take it to theirs. We can expose their defense down low.
We need to play a complete 60 minutes of hockey. Enough of 40 minutes of hockey. We haven't played in a week so everyone is fresh. They need to play their minutes to the best of their abilities. Only the goalie has to play all 60 minutes.
- It will be a different lineup for the Americans this afternoon with three recently acquired players, #14 Tyler Burnie, #16 Michael Gildon and #44 Brad Morrison seeing their first action and Mark Duarte not playing. Duarte did practice this week, but has not been cleared to play. Here is the lineup:
Forwards
#92 Watts - #17 Jacobs - #91 Matikka
#24 Bllaisdell - #84 Gorman - #11 Nault
#25 Westcott - #86 Kane - #44 Morrison
#21 Van Unen - #14 Burnie - #16 Gildon
Defense
#5 Wilson - #2 Warmuth
#57 LeDonne - #82 Fraser
#66 Kulakov - #23 Brassard
Goalie
#35 Thornton
#33 Richardson (backup)
- It will be a two referee game today with #28 Rocco Stachowiak and #5 Jarrett Burton working the game. Stachowiak has worked five games this season in Allen, but always with another partner. In those five games the number of penalties were 8, 15, 17, 6, and 10. You could expect some power play opportunities for both teams today.
- Adding three more players today to Allen's total for the season will make it 49 players used thus far. A long way from the top teams of Bloomington (58 players used) and Reading (53 players used), but it puts Allen in the top five. FYI, Utah has used 48 players this season.
- I have seen a lot of comments in the blog about how many season ticket holders renewed by the deadline. I went directly to the team to get the answer and 83% of season ticket holders renewed. That is the same percentage that renewed last season.
- After Rapid City had its 11 game winning streak snapped and lost three straight games most everyone, including myself, said the Rush playoff hopes were over. Rapid City has now won four straight and are back in the playoff hunt. The Rush are now four points behind fifth place Idaho and 10 points behind fourth place Wichita. To make it even more interesting Rapid City plays Wichita at home three times next weekend. If they sweep that series they will be within four points of a playoff spot with nine games to play. Chad Costello has been the best late season coach in the league the last three seasons. Twice in Allen his team came from way behind (last place) to make the playoffs. Could he do the same this season in Rapid City. It is still a long shot, but a sweep next weekend against Wichita will make it very exciting going down the stretch.
- Don't forget about Idaho who has been falling back in the playoff race and is now six points behind fourth place Wichita for the final playoff spot. The Steelheads entertain Allen at home for three games this week and are looking to get back in the playoff race with a sweep of the Americans.
- Here is the ECHL Stats post from yesterday which covers goals for and goals against. In general, with some exceptions, the Mountain Division has become a score first, defend second type of division. Maybe it is this style of play that has prevented the division from winning a Kelly Cup since 2017 when Colorado, Allen (2) and Alaska won four straight Kelly Cups:
Goals For (GF) and Goals Against (GA) stats say a lot:
- A rarity: South Carolina is #1 in GF (228) and #1 in GA (140).
- Indy is #29 in GF (135).
- Utah is #29 in GA (247).
- Good Offense/Bad Defense:
Mountain Division has 4 of the top 7 in GF:
Tahoe is #2 (216)
Wichita is #3 (215)
Kansas City is #6 (205)
Idaho is #7 (201)
Mountain Division has the bottom 3 teams in GA:
Utah is #29 (247)
Allen is #28 (240)
Rapid City is #27 (213)
DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today covers teams that play better on the road than at home. Allen makes the list and the Mountain Division is well represented:
So much for home ice advantage. Eight ECHL teams have better road records than home records. The eight teams include top teams and bottom teams, high attendance teams and low attendance teams, so go figure. The biggest discrepancy between road and home record belongs to Indy. The Fuel have six more road wins than home wins. The road record is listed first:
Wasn't planning on a blog today, but had a few things to share before heading to Minnesota until Saturday:
- Thanks for all the messages and comments on my Mark Duarte story. Those long form stories are a labor of love, but take a lot of time from the upfront research, the interview, and all the post interview research and writing. I feel like Mark should be listed as a co-author with all of the time he gave me for this story. From the one hour we talked about his family and career after practice to the numerous text messages I sent him the last few days asking him to clarify or expand on something we talked about. Even though he was dealing with an injury and wasn't feeling the best, he was very responsive and helpful. Allen fans know what a great player Mark is, but as I say in the story he is even a better person. If you haven't had a chance to read his story here is the link: https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-mark-duarte-story-success-is-not.html
- The live auction after the game on Saturday is a rarity these days. Years ago live auctions were the primary way of selling jerseys. Here are the results of the military specialty jersey auction in 2014. $1200 for the Bootland jersey and $1000 for the Schaafsma jersey would be unheard of in Allen today.
Here are the results of the Texas jersey auction on Saturday. Thanks to my friend Kristi for staying late on turn your clocks ahead night to capture the results:
$700 - Duarte
$600 - Watts
$600 - Wells
$500 - Kulakov
$475 - Richardson
$475 - Fraser
$400 - Crnkovic
$400 - Thornton
$400 - Brassard
$400 - Wilson
$400 - Kane
$375 - Gavin
$375 - Powell
$375 - Polino
$350 - Matikka
$350 - Nault
$350 -Jacobs
$350 - Gorman
$325 - Blaisdell
$325 - LeDonne
$325 - Isaacson
$300 - Perepeluk
$275 - Johnson
$250 - Westcott
$250 - Van Unen
$250 - Warmuth
- Yesterday Allen traded the rights to Kyle Crnkovic to Fort Wayne for forwards Michael Gildon and Brad Morrison. Allen is short on forwards with so many injured, so a 2-for-1 trade at this point will be helpful. Crnkovic led Allen in assists (33) and was second in points (44), but had struggled over the last month. In his last 16 games he had four points (0G, 4A). A fresh start, with a playoff bound team maybe just what Kyle needs to get going. I am sure he will be missed in the Allen locker room. He is one of the most popular and funny guys on the team.
Plano native Michael Gildon
- Michael Gildon is a 23 year old, 196 pound, 6'2" left shot forward from Plano, TX. He is a rookie who played for Ohio State University last season. He played five seasons for Ohio State and had 38 points (12G, 26A) in 118 games. Gildon played in 23 games for Fort Wayne and tallied eight points (5G, 3A). He earned a bachelor's degree in sports industry (2023) and master's degree in sport coaching (2024) from Ohio States. He was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Michael was on the US National Development team from 2017-2019. In his last year with the team he 45 points (18G, 27A) in 61 points.
Here is the only YouTube video I could find of Gildon's. It is from the time he was on the National Development team. He is the guy on the right. His teammate on the left in the video is the 2019 NHL draft #1 overall pick, Jack Hughes, who now plays for the New Jersey Devils
- Brad Morrison is a 28 year old, 170 pound 6'0" left shot forward from Prince George, BC. he is in his seventh pro season, but by my count he is still under 260 games played (247), so he is not a veteran.
Morrison has played in 185 ECHL games for Fort Wayne, Indy, Reading, Florida and Kalamazoo. He has averaged 0.82 goals per game in those 85 games (52G, 100A). He has also played 57 AHL games and scored 26 points (13G, 13A).
Here are a couple Morrison videos from the archives. The first is his 2017-18 highlight reel when he was playing in the WHL. The second is a 10 year old NHL Entry Draft Preview video on Morrison. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2015 NHL draft by the New York Rangers
Trevor LeDonne
- Last week Allen signed 25 year old, 6'1" right shot defenseman Trevor LaDonne who just completed his college career at Robert Morris University. LaDonne is from Stoney Creek, Ontario and trains with Mark Duarte and a bunch of other pro athletes in the summer. LaDonne had quite a pro game debut on Friday night. He didn't score because Allen was shutout 4-0, but Trevor was even on plus/minus and led the team in shots with five. Saturday night he assisted on Allen's only goal of the game. His totals after two games is one assist, seven shots and +1.
OTHER COMMENTS
- I get asked about Allen's affiliation for next season all the time. It is pure speculation at this point. I have heard from what I would say is a reliable source, not in the Allen organization, that Tucson will be affiliated again next season with Utah HC. If I was a betting man I would bet Allen will be affiliated with Utah/Tucson again in 2025-26, but that is based on nothing more than a hunch.
While you always want more help from the affiliate, it has been a step up this year compared to last season with Belleville. Last season Allen got 19 games from skaters assigned by Belleville. This year the number is already 87 and Will Gavin only has 17 games played even though he has been in Allen all season. Last season Allen got 42 games played by affiliate goalies. This season it is at 48. That number will grow, but you may have seen Dylan Wells was recalled to Tucson. Utah HC goalie Connor Ingram has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and will be out indefinitely according to the press release. Wells could be in Tucson the remainder of Allen's season.
The second year of an affiliation is always better than the first after relationships are established. I do predict if Allen does affiliate with Utah/Tucson again the Americans will get more help next season.
- I have also been talking to a lot of long time, loyal Allen fans that are thinking about not renewing their season tickets for next season. I certainly understand that, but my advice, especially if you like your seats is to hang on until you find out the plans for 2025-26, which should happen shortly after this season ends. I know for a fact team owner Myles Jack wants to have a winning team in Allen, it is #1 priority, even more than finances. He is also well aware he needs to make a decision on a coach right after this season ends. If all goes quickly, you may know in April who will be coaching the team in 2025-26. If you wait until a new coach is named you just might be surprised.
- ECHL leaders in points, goals and assists. Points is a one man race. Goals is a two man race. Assists is a three man race.
Points
76 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo
65 - Brady Fleurent, Norfolk
65 - Michal Stinil, Wichita
Goals
35 - Cade Borchardt, Kansas City
34 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo
27 - Simon Pinard, Tahoe
Assists
43 - Jack Dugan, Fort Wayne
43 - Matt Register, Idaho
43 - Peter Bates, Wichita
DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today about fights and suspensions isn't an issue for the Allen Americans given Nick Isaacson leads the team with three fights. For a perspective of how Allen fights have dwindled here are the number of fights since 2020-21. These are some paltry numbers when you consider in 2016-17, before the fighting rules changed, Derek Mathers had 29 fights all by himself. By today's rules he would have been suspended a total of 34 games
12 - 2024-25
19 - 2023-24
27 - 2022-23
38 - 2021-22
41 - 2020-21
With players approaching 10 fights a reminder:
When players reach 10 fighting majors they’re suspended for one game. Each subsequent fighting major is a one game suspension. At 14 fights the suspension becomes two games. If the opposing player is assessed an instigator penalty, that fight doesn’t count.
Mark Duarte #8 Birthdate: September 27, 2002 Birthplace: Hamilton, Ontario Hometown: Hamilton, Ontario 6'2' 195 lbs
Mark is the oldest child of teachers Mike and Juliana Duarte but not by much. His younger brother, Matthew, is five minutes younger and his younger sister, Jenna, is 16 months younger. The Duarte family is from Hamilton, Ontario, and still live in the house where the kids grew up. Five minutes into my conversation with Mark it was very clear how important his family is to him and the values his parents instilled in all of the children were very apparent.. Because the three children are so close in age, they are extremely tight, supportive of one another, and competitive.
The Duartes - L to R Matthew, Juliana, Mark, Jenna, Mike
The family competitiveness comes naturally but not the hockey. Mike and Juliana were college athletes, but basketball was their sport. They knew nothing about hockey when the kids first got involved but have become big hockey fans. When they were younger the kids played soccer, basketball, and hockey, but the time came because of time commitment and cost to pick one sport. As Mark tells the story, "It was tough and we kind of made the decision together, my grandfather wanted us to choose soccer, our parents wanted us to choose basketball, but we loved hockey and it is the sport that brought us all together." Mike Duarte's take was, "hockey is expensive so we tried to steer them to basketball."
Mark, Matthew, and Jenna played together in school tournaments. In his words, "In elementary school, we would have 3-on-3 tournaments. My dad was the coach which was pretty cool. How it worked is you have a certain number of girls and a certain number of boys so we all got to play together."
Matthew, Jenna, Mark - 2011
All three children are still involved in hockey. While Mark is playing pro hockey, Matthew and Jenna are playing college hockey at Brock University in Saint Catharines, Ontario which is about 40 minutes from Hamilton. Jenna is in her third year of eligibility and is majoring in Sports Management. According to Mark, her goal is to play pro hockey in the PWHL. Matthew is in his second year of eligibility and is majoring in computer science. He would also like to pursue a pro hockey career. Mark is trying to get him to visit now that his season is over, to experience Texas and watch a few games. Not to be outdone, Mark is also enrolled in college, taking an online general arts course through Lakehead University. Per Mark. "It is kind of funny our college progress is in reverse of our age, I am in my first year, Matthew is in his second and Jenna is in her third."
Matthew, Juliana, Jenna, Mike, Mark - Boys 8th grade graduation
Mark and Matthew are super competitive with each other, but also super supportive. Per Mark they are kind of opposites, "We are pretty opposite in most stuff and have been from a young age. I am a right shot and he is a left shot. My favorite color is red, his is blue and we have different personalities.
- Mark's journey to professional hockey was unique from a couple of perspectives. First, he played in his hometown of Hamilton until his 20-year-old overage year in the OHL, He never lived with a billet family until his last year in junior hockey when he played in Sault St. Marie (Soo Greyhounds). Mark told me his one year with a billet family, Cindy and Mike MacKay, was unbelievable.
- The second part of Mark's story that was unique to me was all of the setbacks he had to deal with along the way. He is the player he is today because of those setbacks. Mark recalled to me time and time again during our interview the message from his dad when he was disappointed was to put your head down and keep working. Work ethic was the most important thing. You will see at the end of this story some get-to-know-you questions and one of them was what do you remember your parents telling you as a kid that you still remember today. Mark didn't have to think at all. "Work ethic is something my parent stressed all the time growing up from minor hockey until today. My dad still texts me all the time reminding me to make sure I am in the gym, make sure I am eating right. Working hard and doing all of the little things right was always talked about."
- Mark and Matthew played together pretty much all the way through until their second year of juniors. There was a hockey rink (Chedoke Twin Pad Arena) close to their house where a hockey club, Hamilton Huskies Hockey Club, operated teams from tykes through juniors. Over the years the brothers worked their way up through the Huskies system and were playing AAA (highest level) by the time they were nine. However, in 2015-16 Mark and Matthew were cut from their AAA Hamilton Huskies team and went on to play AA for the Huskies organization. Here is how Mark described getting cut and playing back in AA. "That year was one of the best years of hockey for both of us. We had the opportunity to play a lot and we grew a lot as players. We learned about the side of not getting what you want. We were shocked when we were cut from the AAA team. All of our friends were still on the AAA team. We moved on and the AA year was great. I still talk to that whole AA team to this day. It was a special group and they were all from the Hamilton area. In 2016-17 we played for the AAA Hamilton Bulldogs. In 2017-18, our draft year, we went back to the Huskies AAA team. I got drafted to the OHL from that team."
Here is Mark's description of getting drafted in April, 2018. "I got drafted in the 14th round of a 15-round draft by the OHL Hamilton Bulldogs. I wasn't expected to get drafted because I had an okay year but not a great draft year season. I didn't even get a phone call. We were actually at a hockey tournament. We were at a Tim Horton's and I was watching the draft on my phone to see where my friends were getting drafted and my name popped up. The Bulldogs invited their draftees to their game that night. It was the playoff finals and it was a sold-out barn. I remember I walked into the suite where all the draftees were gathering and I was the only one not in a suit because I had just come from a hockey tournament so was in a tracksuit. It was a special moment being drafted by my hometown team that I had grown up watching and dreamed of playing for.
While getting drafted was a big step, making the team was another story. In the fall of 2018 as a 16 year old, Mark tried out for the Hamilton Bulldogs but did not make the team. He then tried out for the Junior B team, Hamilton Kiltys B's, which was affiliated with the Hamilton Bulldogs, and made that team. Junior B teams could only have two 16 years old players. Mark and former Allen goalie Marco Costantini (who is also a twin) were the two 16-year-olds on the team. Mark tells this story about both of their brothers (Matthew and Anthony), who didn't make Junior B teams and were playing on U18 AAA teams. Coincidentally, both Matthew and Anthony got called up to the Kilty B's at the same time. As Mark described it, "That was a great experience having the two sets of twins from the Hamilton area playing in a Hamilton Kilty B's game."
Mark has another memory from that game, "When Matthew was called up it was early in the season and I hadn't scored yet. I remember it clearly; I was on the bench and one of his first shifts he went down and scored. I looked at my coach and he said you better score. Luckily, I was able to score in the game to match Matthew. It was really special to have that experience with him.
Mark played one season with the Kilty B's and had a decent year with 25 points (11G, 14A) in 38 games. That season playing was yet another example of Mark having to take a step back before taking a step forward, just like he had done several times before. Put your head down and work hard, just as his parents told him from a young age, would get him to the OHL.
The following season Mark made the Hamilton Bulldogs and started his major junior career in the OHL, but it wasn't easy. In Mark's words, "That first season with the Bulldogs was tough. I spent a lot of games in the stands watching and that is not what you want to do. I learned a lot that year and spending that time watching games fired me up. I spent a lot of time in the gym getting bigger and stronger. When you get to the OHL guys are bigger, faster, and stronger. During my first two years in the OHL, I didn't play a lot of hockey, but I spent a lot of time realizing this was what I wanted to do with my life and I had to commit to it. It is a hard decision when you are 17 years old. All your friends are doing their own thing, going to university, going to parties. Then the Covid year happened, that was a big year for me, my brother, and my sister. We were in the same house and all had hockey goals, so we pushed each other. The only hockey was rollerblading down the street with a stick and the green biscuit or stick handling ball."
The pattern of head down work hard continued to be the key for Mark, "After Covid (2021-22) I still had to try out for the Bulldogs as it wasn't a guarantee because I hadn't proved much yet after my first year with the team and the the Covid year off. I didn't know if the team wanted to bring in younger guys or draft picks. I reported to camp ready to go and did make the team. I made a name for myself early in the year showing what I could bring. It was penalty kill and a third/fourth-line guy who played a 200' game and blocked shots. That is what I took pride in. I knew what I needed to do if I didn't want to be scratched. That season was special, winning the OHL championship and making it to the finals of the Memorial Cup is a memory I will have for the rest of my life. I still talk to all of the guys from that team. We meet up in the summer. We had a very good team, but just as important we had a really good group and team culture."
Mark's OHL career was not over after that championship season, but his challenge to prove himself with his head down and hard work would be needed once again. He was waived by the Hamilton Bulldogs and signed with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, known as the Soo Greyhounds. The story is much more complicated than just being waived by Hamilton. Teams in the OHL can only have three overage players (20 years old). This is how Mark described his overage year, "After the 2021-22 season with such a special championship ending, I didn't know what would happen in 2022-23. I just kept training knowing Hamilton had had eight or nine overage players. Things were uncertain because it was unknown how many of the guys would turn pro. Several could have played at the AHL level but chose to play another season in Hamilton. I talked to the president and general manager, Steve Staios, (now the president of hockey operations and general manager of the Ottawa Senators) who offered to help me. He waived me so teams knew I was available and helped me find a spot with the Soo Greyhounds."
After 20 years of playing hockey at home in Hamilton, Mark was off to play for the Soo Greyhounds. It was an important year for his growth and another chance to bring his work ethic to yet another team and follow his dad's advice of working hard from start to finish no matter what the score is and how many goals you have scored. Here is how Mark described his year with the Greyhounds, "I had a big opportunity with the Greyhounds, they allowed me to play on the power play which is something I hadn't done before. I penalty-killed, got some top-line minutes, and played a lot. It was a big stepping stone for my offensive game and my production. I got to play a 200' game with an offensive side and grew as more of an offensive threat."
After Mark's final junior year in which he finished with 48 points (20G, 28A) in 65 games he didn't know what was going to happen. He started to talk to some Canadian colleges, but his goal was to turn pro and sign an AHL deal. Here is how described it, "It was at the beginning of the summer and my agent gave me a call and told me Calgary was going to offer me an AHL deal and I was over the moon when I got that news. I didn't expect it but it is something I was hoping for. I knew I worked hard and was just hoping I was given an opportunity. Kyle Raftis (general manager) and John Dean (head coach) were so instrumental in my success with the Soo,"
"I played 15 games with Calgary last year spread out over the season. They had a really good team and it was very cool going into that organization. They are one of the top teams in the AHL and that is not just the hockey, but their culture also. It was something that I got to see and learn. It was my first pro season and the players were just awesome. Brett Sutter was still playing and now he is an assistant coach with the Wranglers. I didn't know what to expect as a first-year pro. It was my first time playing with guys over 20. I played third- and fourth-line minutes with some penalty kill. Being able to play at the AHL level and see what it takes was a great experience. You get to see their work ethic and ability and that is what I am working on."
How did Mark end up in Allen? After waiting to see what AHL opportunities would come his way for 2024-25 he started talking to ECHL teams as he was an ECHL free agent. B.J Adams reached out to him and Mark talked to James Hardie who had played in Rapid City before being traded to Allen last season. As he told me "Texas is a great place to play and live. Everything I heard about the fans; the staff and the area was great. It was kind of a gut feeling at the end of what would be best for me. I love it here."
#8 Mark Duarte in action
I asked Mark what he would say to the Allen fans after this disappointing season. This is what he had to say, "The fans here are awesome. The year we have had we owe the fans more and we know that. If I was them, I wouldn't be happy either. The way the year went prior, I wasn't happy, the guys in the room weren't happy about it, coaches, fans, we all weren't happy. We are all one, we are all together. I hope everyone realizes and understands we want to give our all every game. We want to win hockey games and eventually bring another Kelly Cup to Allen. We owe it to our fans, our families back home, and our coaches and we owe it to ourselves. It is what we are here to do, what we get paid to do. This is something I dreamed of doing my whole life. It is pretty cool to play pro hockey at a young age. I want to bring winning back to Allen. Whatever I can do to build that culture back and get better as a leader that is what I will do. I think we have made strides."
"Myles Jack wants nothing but the best for the team and he will do whatever it takes for us to win. This year hasn't gone our way, but Myles will do everything in his power to make things right and bring in the right people to make sure we win.
" Fergie (Brett Ferguson) has done a wonderful job of bringing us together. Watty (Brayden Watts) has been a great captain and leader for us. Our record doesn't show it, but the room does. It is a special group and it is just a matter of time. There are no excuses for us. We have to win, we have to learn how to win. It is frustrating getting poor outcomes night after night when you are giving it your all and playing the right way."
There are so many life lessons in Mark Duarte's story. Starting with the foundation of values he learned from his parents and the strength derived from family support. His career has been a rollercoaster of progress with many ups and downs. His persistence, work ethic, and doing things right have been his keys to success. There is no doubt in my mind there will be more ups than downs in his career and life. Mark is a great hockey player, but an even better person.
Here is a video from 2021 which is a Hamilton Bulldogs Feature on Mark that covers some of the information in this story, but gives you a much better flavor of the Duarte family.
Some questions to get to know Mark a little better:
Q: Who is your roommate? A: At the apartments it is Noah Kane. He just moved in recently and has been awesome. We have got to know each other a little bit. I wore #88 as a kid and was a big fan of his cousin (Patrick Kane) so we have talked about him. It is cool for Noah to have his cousin to look up to, be a mentor to him, and support him in his career. On the road, I have had several roommates but right now it is Matikka.
Q: What are your cooking skills? A: They have gotten a lot better since I turned pro and living on my own. I cooked for Gorman and Kane yesterday. They said I surprised them with my cooking. My go-to meal is steak, but I made Chicken Caesar and kale for them.
Q: What is your nickname? I saw where your mom used to call you squirrel. A: My parent used to joke around because I would always be distracted by the next thing and go from one thing to another. My nickname with the guys is Dewy.
Q: Who is your hockey hero? A: I have several I grew up watching, but if I had to name just one it would be Alex Ovechkin. He is such a legend with the way he scores and the way he hits. As a kid, I watched him a lot and looked up to him.
Q: What is your first hockey memory? A: When Matthew and I first started playing house league hockey. I believe this is correct; he skated all the way down the ice to our own net and he thought it was the other goalie. We were all trying to stop him but he scored and raised his hands above his head in a celly. My dad and I were yelling at him that it was the wrong net. We were very young, but that was funny.
Q: How would you describe your style of play? A: I try to play with my heart every night. If it is scoring, having to block shots, having to penalty kill, I will do whatever my teammates need. I will do whatever it takes. I learned along the way you have to do all the little things right for the big picture of winning games and championships. I take pride in wearing my heart on my sleeve.
Q: You have worn several different numbers along the way (8, 60, 67, 88). Any significance? A: When we were playing minor hockey, I wore 67 and my brother wore 76, my dad always enjoyed the flopped numbers. One year I went to 88 and he went to 77. My sister also wore 88. I want to say it was because of Patrick Kane, I was a big fan of his growing up.
Q: Do you have a favorite actor and actress? A: I would say Adam Sandler and Jessica Alba.
Q: What is your favorite genre of music? A: Country for sure. I used to be a big Rap fan but I have kinda transferred to the country side of things. I got a guitar this year, Liam Gorman got me into it. I have been playing my guitar and learning some country songs. My favorite country singer is Wyatt Flores.
Q: If you could invite any three people to join you for lunch who would you choose? A: Billy Bob Thornton, Kevin Costner and Jason Statham.
Q: Can you think of something people would be surprised to learn about you? A: People are surprised when they learn I am a twin.
Q: What do you like to do away from the rink? A: Playing the guitar right now trying to teach myself and learn. I have been doing a lot of that recently. In the summer I like to play golf. My entire family is golfers.
Q: What chore do you hate doing? A: I am not a fan of folding laundry.
Q: What do you have that has great value to you, but not so much value to others? A: This gold chain and Italian horn (Cornicelli) charm I wear belonged to my grandfather. It is a symbol of protection, good luck, and strength. It is very special to be able to wear this. He passed before I got to know him at all. My grandmother gave it to our family. Me and my brother fought over it a little bit to see who would get it.
Q: Who do you admire as a leader? A: I would say my dad. He has taught me a lot. There have been times we have butted heads and as a teenager, you never think you are wrong. I have had a chance to grow and learn and realize most of the time he was right. I learned so many lessons from him both on the ice and in life. He has helped me grow as a person and as a leader.
Q: What would you do if you weren't playing pro hockey? A: That is a tough question because my life has been hockey, hockey, hockey. Firefighting has always grabbed my attention so maybe I would pursue that.
Q: Where is the most interesting place you have ever visited? A: I would say Italy this past summer. It was my first time in Europe. Claire and I visited Palermo, Milan, and Cinque Terre. We got to experience the European lifestyle and what was going on over there. The food, the people, and a whole different lifestyle in a beautiful area. Claire is Mark's girlfriend who is in college. She spent more time with him in Allen earlier in the season when she was taking online courses. She is now back home in Hamilton finishing up her degree at McMaster University. She is majoring in mental health and addiction. Mark and Claire met in high school and yes, she played hockey with Mark's sister growing up. And to complete the small-town story their parents went to high school together.
Mark and Claire in Palermo
Q: Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions? A: I try not to. If there is something that I am doing that is working like a certain stretch or warmup I will stick to it, but nothing superstitious. I play sewer with the guys a lot. I like to get moving and play some music but that is pretty much it.
Q: Who is the funniest guy on the team? A: Crank (Crnkovic) for sure. He is awesome and I love him. He is chirping funny and just a funny guy. The last two days I haven't practiced trying to heal up and he was in my ear about not being on the ice.
Q: When was the last time you lost something? A: When we were just in Tahoe I lost my winter toque (stocking cap, knit cap). It was bad timing because the last day we were there it was cold.
Q: What do you like to do to kill time on the bus? A: I play a lot of cards with the guys (Schnarps or Euchre). Once in a while, I will watch a movie but mostly cards.
Q: What is your best bus story? A: This is the only one that comes to mind. It was this year and we were headed to Wichita. It was lights out and I was asleep in my bunk. I wake up in the middle of the night and I am freezing and shivering. I have my blanket, my hoodie and my toque on and I am still freezing. I rolled over and the heat vent by the window wasn't working. I was shivering, my feet were numb, so I got up and couldn't go back to bed.
I always like to finish these interviews by hearing from some of those who impacted Mark along the way:
"Mark has emerged as a leader for us on and off the ice. He leads by example He is always one of the hardest workers at practice, dragging others along with him. He has developed into a detail-oriented hockey player who is very coachable. He says the right things on the bench and leads by example on the ice".....Allen Americans coach Brett Ferguson
"I always knew Mark was special. What stood out to me with Mark when he played for me was his hands. The kid had the softest I have ever seen on a young kid. His ability to see the game was way different than anybody else around us. He was just head and shoulders above everybody else in our league and it showed every moment on the ice. Mark is a pretty funny guy and always fun to be around and I just really enjoyed having him.".....Andrew Beckerson, Mark's AA coach after he was cut from his AAA team.
"My first impression was he had a lot of skill and that was exciting for us as a coaching staff. Once we got to know him and how good of a genuine person he was it was even better. He always walks into the rink with a smile, but as soon as he hits the ice he is totally focused on the game, which is great especially when we had him at 16 when you are still trying to teach kids the game.".....John Barrett, Hamilton Kilty B's coach
"Mark Duarte personified everything we expect a Hamilton Bulldog to be. Mark came to the rink and gave his all every day. He earned his way onto the club and into a key role contributing to our OHL championship.".....Steve Staios, President and General Manager, Hamilton Bulldogs
"Anyone who has been around Mark day in and day out sees what a a positive influence has been. There is always a smile on his face, he has had the right mindset every day and he has been a great fit for us in terms of where we are at. He has been a great influence for our guys.".....Kyle Raftis, General Manager, Soo Greyhounds.
The Allen Americans lost to the Jacksonville Icemen 3-1 last night before the second largest crowd of the season (6264) on Celebrate Texas Night. Wearing the Texas Jersey which has a record of .700 since its inception was no match for the curse of a Saturday night huge crowd, live auction which has a record just around .200 the last two seasons.
- The only thing I can think of about finding positives from this series, it is like putting lipstick on a pig. As I talked to fans between periods of all three games I heard comments like we are hanging in there, we are outshooting them, we are keeping it close, we had bad puck luck, bad calls by the referees and we outplayed them that period. To be clear there are a couple of stats that are positive. Allen outshot Jacksonville 104-103 in the series. That never happens. Allen had more power play opportunities (14) than Jacksonville (11) and that rarely happens. Don't be fooled by the lipstick, this series was a pig. Here are the facts on the worst three game series of the season:
Allen was outscored 16-2.
Allen gave up the first goal in all three games.
Allen scored no goals in the first period.
Allen gave up more goals as the game progressed.
Allen was outscored 2-0 in the first period.
Allen was outscored 5-1 in the second period.
Allen was outscored 8-1 in the third period.
Allen had 14 power play opportunities and never scored a goal.
Other than a 0-0 tie after the first period of game one, Allen trailed after every period in the series.
- After the drubbing Allen took from Jacksonville it is timely the team has a week off before the Americans play again. Allen plays just one game next week and that is a Sunday afternoon game (2:10 pm) against Utah. The Grizzlies are the other Mountain Division team with a point percentage under .400 (395). It may not sound exciting to have a game between the worst team in the league and the third worst team in the league, but it will be a great opportunity for Allen to get a home win against a team the Americans have a winning record against this season (3-1-1-0).
- Allen also needs some healing time and a week off will help not only the injured players but those that are banged up. The Jacksonville series took its toll with Dylan Wells, Mark Duarte and Nick Isaacson going down with injuries. You add in the players on 14-day injured reserve (Asuchak, Johnson, Gavin, Chambers) and the roster is very depleted. Unfortunately, several of these players will not return this season.
- Here are the game recaps from both teams plus the video highlights:
- Jacksonville's sweep in Allen gives them 80 points which is still third in the South Division, but is also tied for third in points in the ECHL. The Icemen's 13 game points streak (10-0-3-0) is the longest in the ECHL right now. The sweep helped two Jacksonville players extend their current longest streaks in the league. Olivier Nadeau has scored a goal in six straight games (8 goals) and Bennett MacArthur has scored a point in nine straight games (11 points).
- Allen's power play has not scored a goal in the last seven games. The Americans last scored a power play goal on February 21 in Kansas City. Since that game Allen has not converted on 25 straight power play opportunities including several 5-on-3 chances. The Americans are now ranked #25 on the power play at 16.7%.
That is a far cry from what I wrote about the power play at the beginning of December:
- Allen's power play has been the difference maker the last two weeks.
The Americans have scored at least one power play goal in six of the
last seven games and the three last night is the most all season. In the
last seven games the Allen power play is 9-21 (42.9%). The power play
has been steadily going up the ECHL chart. It is now ranked #3 in the
league at 26.1%.
- Allen is ranked #29 in average goals allowed (4.14) and #29 in average shots allowed (38.14). The last time the same team finished last in both categories was Indy in 2016-17. The Americans goal differential crossed 100 last night. The Americans have scored 139 goals and have allowed 240 goals for a -101 goal differential, by far the worst in the ECHL.
- Former Allen forward Grant Hebert (2022-2024) recently returned to the ECHL after starting the season in England. He is now playing for the Norfolk Admirals and scored the first goal of the game last night in a 3-2 win over league leading Florida. In eight games since returning from overseas, Grant has seven points (3G, 4A).
- Rapid City lost in Tahoe last night 7-1 and their playoff hopes are now all but over. Tahoe snapped Rapid City's 13 game point streak with a 5-4 win on Thursday. The teams play again this afternoon. The Rush now find themselves 12 points out of a playoff spot and must pass Idaho and Wichita to make the playoffs.
- Idaho beat Kansas City twice this week on the road (5-0 & 6-2) to tie Wichita for fourth place in the division. Last night the Mavericks turned the tables, blowing out the Steelheads 7-3.
- Here are the Mountain Division standings including games remaining:
79 points - Kansas City (15)
72 points - Tahoe (14)
72 points - Tulsa (15)
67 points - Wichita (15)
67 points - Idaho (15)
55 points - Rapid City (16)
45 points - Utah (15)
38 points - Allen (14)
- Here is Allen's record this season by month:
0-3-1-0 (.125) - October
7-3-2-0 (..667) - November
1-10-2-0 (.115) - December
4-5-2-1 (.417) - January
1-9-1-1 (.167) - February
- You may have heard I am working on an in depth story about Mark Duarte. I am planning on posting that story on Monday. It will be the only blog post next week as I will be out of town. If I do my job right, you will be even more impressed with this young man.
DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about player streaks. Here are Allen's longest streaks this season:
Goals - 4 games, Spencer Asuchak, Mark Duarte
Assists - 5 games, Patrick Polino, Kyle Ctnkovic
Points - 7 games, Brayden Watts
ECHL Player Streaks in 2024-25 (number is consecutive games)
