Steve Martinson Talks About Trades, Allen vs Kansas City Preview, Tonight's Lineup, Top ECHL Goalies and More

 

Before I cover the Kansas City game preview for tonight, I want to talk about all of the recent trades that General Manager, Steve Martinson, has made recently. 

• November 12 - Defenseman Quinn Warmuth traded to New Mexico for future considerations.
• November 11 - Forward Lukas Sillinger traded to Rapid City for forward Rasmus Ekstrom.
• November 7 - Forward Anthony Rinaldi traded to Wichita for future considerations.
• November 4 - Forward Hank Crone traded to Greenville for future considerations.

 

- Here are some facts about these four trades:

• Their combined stats for this season were 17 games played, 5 points (0G, 5A).
• The combined stats for all the traded players in the playoffs last season were 12 games played, 1 point (0G, 1A).
• I think it is safe to say none of these players were getting the playing time and power-play time they felt they deserved.
• My reporting is that Crone and Sillinger requested trades, and Warmuth wanted a bigger role that he wasn't going to get in Allen. 
• Martinson was trying to accommodate their wishes and expects they will have bigger roles with their new teams.

 

- In addition to the recent trades above, Martinson traded Troy Murray to Florida (10/13) for futures and acquired defenseman Jake Duff (11/9) for futures. I asked Martinson about all of these future trades, and this is what he said:

In today's league, it is not easy to build the type of team that you want. In Allen, we want to be big, skilled, and hard to play against because I believe that is how you win championships. The league has a widening gap between the bottom and top teams (the haves and have-nots). Teams that are deep aren't necessarily looking to make changes, and the others don't want to give up their assets.

The salary cap has gone up 20%, and there are a lot of teams that get well over the average of 6 assigned NHL/AHL contracted players. Teams that get a lot of assigned players have an abundance of discretionary money. That, and having 30 teams, makes building the perfect roster challenging. I lobbied to close the loophole that allows teams to buy luxury suites and advertising from their own affiliates. I think the league will remain lopsided until that changes. 

At the end of the season, you have 60+ teams (ECHL & AHL) looking for players. Now you have good ECHL players going to non-playoff teams because they are promised AHL contracts. I used to have good luck getting marquee players at the end of the year, but not anymore. Last year at this time, I was transitioning a last-place team into a winner. This year I am building a team that can win in the playoffs. Two different approaches.

Except for Greenville, I made future trades betting on teams not making the playoffs. We have four future deals that could give us some really good players for the playoffs. 

With Jack Duff, I wanted a more physical defense without giving up offense, and Duff gives us that. We really missed Goldsmith last weekend, and Jack is the same kind of player. Rasmus Ekstrom is a versatile player who put up good numbers in juniors (WHL). 

 

ALLEN VS KANSAS CITY PREVIEW

- It has been a strange start to the season for the Mavericks. Not as strange as the Americans' start, but interesting all the same. Kansas City played its first five games against Rapid City and its next five games against Tahoe. 

 

- The Mavericks were 0-3 to start the season, allowing 14 goals in the three games. Since then, they are 6-2. In the six wins, they allowed just four goals. They have won three straight games by scores of 3-0, 2-1, and 2-0.  

 

- Here are some comparison stats between Allen and Kansas City:

• Allen's record is 6-3-0-0; Kansas City's is 6-5-0-0 
• Allen is 4-3-0-0 on the road; Kansas City is 3-2-0-0 at home.
• Allen's goal differential is +5 (30-25); Kansas City's is +1 (27-26).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +8; Kansas City's is +2.
• Allen's team save percentage is .906; Kansas City's is .908.

 

- Here is the more traditional statistical comparison between the two teams. The league rank is in parentheses: 

• Goals scored average: Allen 3.33 (#9) - Kansas City 2.45 (#21)
• Goals allowed average: Allen 2.78 (#11) - Kansas City 2.36 (#8)
• Shots for average: Allen 34.22 (#5) - Kansas City 33.9 (#2)
• Shots against average: Allen 35.3 (#28) - Kansas City 35.51 (#10)
• Power play percentage: Allen 12.2% (#22) - Kansas City 16.3% (#14)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen 91.2% (#4) - Kansas City 85.4% (#13) 

  

- Special teams are key to any game. If you look at the stats above, Kansas City has the better power play, and Allen has the better penalty kill. Whoever wins the special teams battle will likely win the game. Allen has taken 41 minor penalties and 6 majors in 9 games. Kansas City has taken 44 minor penalties and 7 majors in 11 games.

   

- A good start and not playing from behind will also be a big key against Kansas City. The Mavericks and Americans were #1 and #2 in the ECHL last season when scoring first, and both were almost unbeatable. Kansas City's record was 40-2-2-0 (.932). Allen's record was 30-2-4-0 (.889). The odds are strong that the team that scores first tonight and avoids playing from behind will win the game.

 

- Allen will be missing two key defensemen tonight. Sam Sedley and Terrell Goldsmith are out tonight and won't play this weekend; they are both expected back next week.

 

- Allen will be playing with an EBUG tonight (Blair Sanders), but goalie Kevin Reidler is expected to return to Allen from Belleville very soon. Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark played last night, and Jackson Parsons, who was the backup in Ottawa while Ullmark was out, was sent back to Belleville today. The next step is to send Reidler back to Allen.  

Jesper Vikman has been a workhorse for the Americans, playing every minute of the first nine games. He leads the ECHL in minutes (534) and saves (240). His save percentage has improved from .844 after his first game to an average of .906 after nine games. With three games in three days, including travel (to Tulsa after the game tonight), it would be great if Reidler returns in time to lighten the load on Vikman. 

 

- Here is tonight's lineup. One player is a game-time decision, so there could be one change to this lineup. 

Forwards

29 Watts - 21 Kidney - 22 Mistelbacher 

91 Gildon - 28 Lipkin - 14 De St. Phalle

94 Matikka - 17 Rasmus - 43 Nordh

26 Asuchak - 42 Shantz - 9 Coughlin

 

Defense

5 Duff - 8 Uens

24 Decker - 27 Kneen

86 Anania - 19 Greco

 

Goalies

32 Vikman

33 Sanders (EBUG)

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- If you look at the Mountain Division standings by points, it is a logjam at the top with 12 points. Four teams (Kansas City, Allen, Rapid City, Tulsa) have 12 points. The next three teams (Idaho, Wichita, Tahoe) have nine. New Mexico is in last place with eight points. 

 

-  Allen will be up against the hottest goalie in the league tonight. Logan Terness has given up two goals in his last four games, including two shutouts. His save percentage over the last six games, all wins, is .971. 

 

- There are 11 games on the ECHL schedule tonight, and seven Mountain Division teams will be in action. In addition to Allen at Kansas City, Idaho is at Wichita, Tahoe is at Rapid City, and New Mexico is at Kalamazoo. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/11/echl-today-nov-13

 

DID YOU KNOW: Five ECHL goalies have save percentages above .940 (minimum 240 minutes played). Three of the five are rookies:

 

.954 - *Jake Sibell, Tulsa

.953 - *Alex Tracy, Tahoe

.947 - Logan Terness, Kansas City

.944 - Owen Flores, Greenville

.941 - *Hampton Stukynsky, Greenville

 

*Rookies

Allen Wins the Rubber Match, Game Recap, Team Reclaims Locker Room, Week Ahead, Help From Belleville, Top Offensive and Defensive Teams

 

  The Allen Americans finally scored the game's first goal, and it carried them to a 3-1 win in the rubber game of the series in New Mexico. The Americans have scored first three times in their nine games and remain perfect. A 4:00 a.m. wake-up call and an early flight this morning had the team back in DFW before most fans had their first cup of coffee.   

 

-  The Americans arrive home earning four of six points in New Mexico and tied for first place in the Mountain Division with 12 points. Even better, Allen will get its locker room back on Monday after weeks without it. There is still no ice, so practices this week will still be at Comerica Center before the team leaves for Kansas City on Thursday.

 

-  There wasn't much scoring in the game last night. The Goatheads outshot Allen 28-24; both teams were scoreless on the power play, Allen 0-3, New Mexico 0-4, and the best player for both teams was the goalie. Here is a quick recap:

• Allen scored the only goal of the first period at 9:39. It was Luke Mistelbacher's third goal of the season, assisted by Riley Kidney.
• New Mexico tied the score with the only goal of the second period at the 2:20 mark.
• Allen went ahead 2-1 at 14:10 of the third period on Mathieu De St. Phalle's fifth goal of the season, assisted by Sam Lipkin and Riley Kidney.
• Allen scored an empty-net goal with seven seconds remaining in the game. Brayden Watts scored the goal on an unselfish pass from Mistelbacher. It is Watts' first goal of the season and somehow it got credited to Lipkin. They will get it changed.  
• Four players (2 from each team) were given game misconduct for fighting (continuing altercation) just as the game ended. No suspensions have been issued; it was mostly a bunch of pushing and shoving.

 

- I had a chance to touch base with Coach Martinson at the airport before the team headed back to DFW. While he was glad the team came away with four points after the loss on Wednesday, he didn't think the team played well. He felt the team was not carry the puck on the rush like they did in the games at Comerica Center.   

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - Coach Martinson has mentioned several times recently that he is expecting players to be assigned to Allen as Belleville gets players back from injury. That has started to happen. Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark has been activated from injured reserve. Ottawa has returned goalie Jonas Johansson to Belleville, which now has three goalies on the roster. Goalie Kevin Reidler could be assigned to Allen this week.

 

- Belleville forward Landon Hookey has been out with an injury since the season began and played his first game last night. With Hookey healthy, Allen could be sent a forward this week, but not necessarily Hookey    

 

- Here are the Mountain Division standings by points with points percentage in parentheses:

• 12 points - Tulsa (.857)
• 12 points - Allen (.667)
• 10 points - Rapid City (. 714) 
• 10 points - Kansas City (.500)
• 9 points - Tahoe (.450)
• 8 points - New Mexico (.364) 
• 7 points - Idaho (.500)
• 7 points - Wichita (.500) 

 

 - There are seven games on the ECHL schedule today. Wichita at Tulsa is the only Mountain Division game. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/11/echl-today-nov-8 

 

- Mathieu De St. Phalle had the game-winning goal last night. Allen has won six games, and Mathieu had the game-winning goal in half of them. His three game-winning goals are tied for the league lead.

 

DID YOU KNOW: My ECHL Stats post today is about the top five teams in average goals scored and allowed. Allen is #11 in goals allowed (2.78) and #12 in goals scored (3.33).

If defense wins championships, some early contenders' average goals allowed:

1.38 - Florida

2.00 - South Carolina

2.00 - Tulsa

2.29 - Reading

2.30 - Greenville

 

If high-powered offenses win championships, some early contenders, average goals scored:

5.11 - Trois Rivières

4.38 - South Carolina

3.75 - Toledo

3.71 - Bloomington

3.71 - Rapid City

 

In reality you need both to win the Kelly Cup. Here are the teams that rank in the top 10 in defense (listed 1st) and offense (listed 2nd)

South Carolina - #2 & #2

Florida - #1 & #6

Tulsa - #2 & #7

Greenville - #5 & #10

Rapid City - #8 & #5

  

Allen Wins in OT, Game Recap, Tonight's Preview and Lineup, Martinson Quotes, Vikman's Scoring Prowess and More

 

The Allen Americans beat the New Mexico Goathead 4-3 in overtime last night and need a win tonight in the rubber match to take the series. It took a big comeback for the Americans to get the game to overtime:

• New Mexico scored the only two goals of the first period and added a third early in the second period (1:48) to put Allen in a 3-0 hole. To add insult to injury, two of the Goatheads' goals were scored by players who played for Allen last season, Maksim Barbashev and Jake Chiasson. FYI, Chiasson has been recalled by Colorado (AHL) and won't be in the Goatheads' lineup tonight.
• Allen cut the score to 3-1 at 7:00 of the second period, scoring a power-play goal on the first opportunity with the changed power play. Sam Lipkin scored his fourth goal of the season. Allen finished the period trailing 3-1.
• Allen had two power-play opportunities at 11:30 and 15:02 of the third period and didn't convert on either of them. It looked like the Americans were headed for defeat. However, six seconds after the penalty expired (17:08), Lukas Sillinger made a perfect saucer pass to Nolan Kneen, who was streaking to the net, and Kneen went top shelf to cut the score to 3-2 and give Allen life. Vikman also had an assist on the goal.
• With Allen's goalie pulled, the Goatheads took a hooking penalty with 69 seconds remaining in the game to set up a 6-on-4 power play. 35 seconds remained in the game when Luke Mistelbacher made a pass from the corner to the far side of the net, where Spencer Asuchak was in his usual spot to deflect the puck into the net to send the game to overtime.
• If you were watching the broadcast when the teams were taking the short break before overtime started, you noticed Coach Martinson was not talking strategy with the players gathered around. He was standing calmly behind the bench, and what was he saying? I asked him that when I talked to him this afternoon; he said, "All I was saying was don't gamble, don't gamble, don't gamble."
• As it turned out, the Goatheads gambled, which led to a 2-on-1 and an Allen goal 18 seconds into the overtime. The play was started by Vikman, who passed to Lipkin, who made a great play, and De St. Phalle tapped in the rebound to finish off a great comeback win.

 

- Here is game recap from the Allen Americans with more details: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/11/game-recap-overtime-thriller

 

- Some quotes from Coach Martinson on the game last night and the game tonight:

"The way the game went last night reminded me of the championship years where we never felt we were out of a game. The two goals in the last couple of minutes to get us to overtime showed a lot of effort, and it paid off. Sometimes when you get down 3-0, players give up and start cheating for offense. What I saw last night was a team that didn't give up."

"Our power play is definitely improving with the changes we have made and was a big factor tonight, going 2-5."

"You don't want to force things in overtime because that leads to problems. That is what happened to them. There was a play at the net, and they had two guys low, and we ended up with a 2-on-1."

"Lipkin broke his stick off the OT faceoff and came to the bench and grabbed Kidney's stick, so he had a stick that had been scoring a lot of goals." That delay because of the broken stick put him in a great position once they had two guys behind the net. Vikman passed to Lipkin, and he was off to the races." 

"The key for the game tonight is to get off to a better start. It would be nice to score the first goal for a change. I also look for our special teams to do well."  

"Sam Sedley will not play tonight after an injury in the game last night." 

"I traded Rinaldi to Wichita today for futures, which will be a player at the trade deadline."  

 

- Here is the lineup for tonight:     

Forwards

91 Gildon - 21 Kidney - 22 Mistelbacher 

29 Watts - 28 Lipkin - 14 De St. Phalle

94 Matikka - 42 Shantz - 43 Nordh

21 Sillinger  - 26 Asuchak - 9 Coughlin

 

Defense

2 Warmuth - 8 Uens

24 Decker - 27 Kneen

86 Anania - 19 Greco

 

Goalies

32 Vikman

33 McKiernan (backup)

 

 

- Here are the top five in points for Allen in the first two games of this series:

• 3 points (1G, 2A) - De St. Phalle
• 3 points (1G, 2A) - Lipkin
• 2 points (1G, 1A) - Mistelbacher
• 2 points (0G, 2A) - Sedley
• 2 points (0G, 2A) - Vikman 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Allen goalie Jesper Vikman had a rare 2-assist game last night, including on the game-winning overtime goal in a 4-3 win in New Mexico.

 

- Vikman is also on the rare list of 17 ECHL goalies who have scored a goal. Playing for Tahoe on January 5, 2025, Vikman scored a goal at Maine.

 

- The ECHL all-time record for goalie assists in a game is three, held by Hall of Fame goalie Jason Saal. Playing for the Augusta Lynx, Saal had three assists is a game against the Greenville Grrrowl on December 12, 2003.

 

 

Allen vs New Mexico Preview, Tonight's Lineup, Martinson Comments, Dubois Returns to Allen, ECHL Goal Differential Leaders and More

 

It's game day for the Allen Americans as they try to rebound from a 5-2 loss to New Mexico on Wednesday. Allen bounced back from losses twice this season to win its next game, so the odds say that trend will continue tonight.

 

- Here is the game preview issued by the Allen Americans with lots of stats and information. https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/11/game-day-preview-middle-game-tonight-in-new-mexico-800-pm 

 

- Four players are on three-game point streaks. De St. Phalle, Mistelbacher, Sedley, and Matikka. 

 

- Here is the lineup tonight. The only player change is Michael Greco replacing Chase Coughlin, but there are several changes in the lines and defensive pairings. As is always the case, Martinson will make changes during the game. 

Forwards

91 Gildon - 21 Kidney - 22 Mistelbacher 

29 Watts - 28 Lipkin - 14 De St. Phalle

94 Matikka - 42 Shantz - 43 Nordh

21 Sillinger  - 26 Asuchak - Greco

 

Defense

2 Warmuth - 8 Uens

24 Decker - 23 Sedley

27 Kneen - 86 Anania

 

Goalies

32 Vikman

33 McKiernan (backup)

 

 

- I had a chance to talk to Coach Martinson this afternoon, and this is what he shared:
 

"I didn't think we competed hard enough on Wednesday, and we had way too many turnovers." 

 

"We practiced the power play yesterday and changed up who is playing and/or where they are playing on the power play. I think we will have more movement tonight."

 

"The keys to the game tonight are reducing turnovers and soft defensive lapses. We also have to work harder to hold pucks in the offensive zone."

 

"Jax Dubois, who had 5 goals in 11 games last season after he finished his collegiate career, will be returning on November 28. He signed earlier in the summer but pursued opportunities outside hockey, so he was suspended on October 14 to retain his rights. He has to wait 45 days, by rule, after being suspended, so he will be eligible to play on November 28."

 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 

- Allen's stint at the bottom of the average attendance list is going to last a while since the Americans don't have a "real" home game until November 20. The average attendance for the two games at Comerica Center was 2477. Here are the five teams averaging fewer than 3000 per game. The number of home games is in parentheses:

 

• 2786 - Wheeling (3)
• 2654 - Kalamazoo (3)
• 2616 - Trois Riviéres (3)
• 2477 - Allen (2)
• 2147 - Reading (4)

 

 

- Low attendance doesn't equal poor performance. The five lowest teams in average attendance all have points percentages at .500 or above. Here are the five teams ranked by point percentage, with their league rank in point percentage in parentheses:

 

.929 - Trois Riviéres (1st)  

.667 - Reading (9th)

.571 - Allen (14th)

.500 - Kalamazoo (17th)

.500 - Wheeling (17th)

 

 

  

- There are 12 games in the ECHL tonight. Other than Allen's game, the only other Mountain Division game is Tahoe at Kansas City. Greenville is at Savannah, so you may see Hank Crone in the lineup for the Swamp Rabbits. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews. https://echl.com/news/2026/11/wichitas-mckenzie-to-honor-native-roots-this-weekend 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Goal differential (goals for minus goals against) is a good proxy for strength of teams. 15 ECHL teams have a positive goal differential. North Division has 5, Mountain 4, South 3, and Central 3. Here are the 15 teams with a positive goal differential. Each team’s points percentage is in parentheses: 

 

+17 *Trois Rivières* (.929)

+14 *Florida* (.833)

+13 *South Carolina* (.833)

+9 *Tulsa* (.833)

+9 Rapid City (.714)

+6 Cincinnati (.786)

+6 *Bloomington* (.900)

+5 Reading (.667)

+4 Greenville (.750)

+4 Toledo (.667)

+2 Allen (.571)

+1 Greensboro (.625)

+1 Adirondack (.600)

+1 Maine (.500)

+1 Tahoe (.563)

 

*Division leaders by points percentage*

 

Allen Loses 5-2, Game Recap, Video Highlights, ECHL Top 5 PP and PK Teams, Stats and More

 

It was a tough night for the Allen Americans in New Mexico last night, losing 5-2 before a crowd of 3067 at Rio Rancho Events Center. It was the Goatheads' first franchise home victory after a 0-3-2-0 start.

 

- Allen gave up the first goal of the game and the only goal of the first period at the 12:35 mark. The Americans had two power-play opportunities in the first period and didn't get a shot on goal on either. It is never a good sign to give up the first goal. League-wide, the team that scores first wins about 75% of the time. Last season, Allen's record when scoring first was 30-2-4-0 (.889). When the Americans gave up the first goal last season, their record was 13-21-2-0 (.389).

 

- New Mexico took a 2-0 lead early in the second period (3:41), but then the Americans responded. They scored two goals in 47 seconds (8:20 & 9:07) . Michael Gildon scored the first goal, his second of the season, assisted by Miko Matikka and Sam Sedley. The tying goal was scored on the power play by Luke Mistelbacher, his second of the season, assisted by Sedley and Mathieu De St. Phalle. 

 

- After Allen came back from the 2-0 deficit, it looked like they would take charge of the game. It wasn't to be, as the Americans did not score in the last half of the game. The Goatheads retook the lead at the 11:28 mark of the second period and took the 3-2  lead into the second intermission. Trailing after the second period is not a good place. It is early in the ECHL season, but thus far, road teams trailing after the second period have a record of  7-29-5-0 (.232).

 

-  The backbreaker for Allen came at 8:13 of the third period with Allen on the power play. A chance to tie the game turned into a shorthanded goal for the Goatheads and a 4-2 lead. Allen's power play this season is 3-33 for a 9.1% power play percentage, but the power play unit has given up two shorthanded goals, so the net is +1 goal on the power play. The penalty kill unit has given up two power play goals (2-24) for a 91.7% penalty kill percentage, but they have scored two shorthanded goals, so they are net even on the penalty kill. This shows just how effective the penalty kill has been and the improvement needed on the power play.

 

- New Mexico scored a late goal in the third period to make the final score 5-2. Here are some other stats and info on the game:

• Allen was 1-6 on the power play; New Mexico was 0-4.
• Jesper Viikman stopped a penalty shot at 6:28 of the second period that would have given New Mexico a 3-0 lead. 
• Allen outshot New Mexico 28-27.
• Allen's three losses have been by scores of 5-2, 5-4, and 3-1
• Allen's road record is now  2-3-0-0 (.400)
• Allen is ranked #23 on the power play,  #6 on the penalty kill.
• Allen is ranked #3 in the league in average goals scored (3.83) & #24 in goals allowed  (3.50).
• Allen is ranked #1 in average shots per game (42.83) & #24 in shots allowed (34.00).

 

- Here are game recaps from both teams and the video highlights: 

• Allen Americans recap: "Americans Drop Series Opener in New Mexico": https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/11/americans-drop-series-opener-in-new-mexico
• New Mexico Goatheads recap: "Goatheads Make History With First Home Win: https://nmgoatheads.com/news/2026/11/goatheads-make-history-with-first-home-win-defeat-allen-5-2-on-win-wednesday
• Video highlights:  https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-new-mexico-goatheads-nov-4-2026 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - The team has an off day today before the series resumes Friday night. The team will have a light practice today and will be working on the power play. 

 

 - Andre Anania and Sam Sedley have picked up right where they left off last season. The defensemen have 10 points; Anania and Sedley have eight of them (4 each).

 

- Mathieu De St.. Phalle had an assist last night and leads the team with 9 points (3G, 6A) in seven games. He has an assist in six of his seven games. He is tied for #8 in ECHL in points. 

  

- If you haven't seen it, here is the Greenville Swamp Rabbits press release announcing the acquisition of Hank Crone from Allen: https://swamprabbits.com/news/2026/11/swamp-rabbits-acquire-2023-echl-mvp-hank-crone 

 

- There were two games on the ECHL schedule today, both day games. Greensboro beat Maine  3-2, and Savannah beat Atlanta 5-2.

Greensboro's attendance was 9324. Savannah's attendance was 7485. These midweek day games for school kids have proven to be very lucrative for ECHL teams.    

 

DID YOU KNOW: Top 5 ECHL power play and penalty kill teams. Only one team (South Carolina) is on both lists:

 

Power Play

38.1% - South Carolina (8-21)

29.2% - Greenville

24.1% - Trois Rivières

24.1% - Idaho

24.1% - Wichita 

 

Penalty Kill

100% - Trenton (0-15)

95.8% - Adirondack

95.0% - Maine

93.8% - South Carolina

92.9% - Rapid City

 

Hank Crone Traded, Reunites with Costello, Allen vs New Mexico Series Preview and More

 

Hank Crone has been traded to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits for future considerations, which will be a player to be determined at the March ECHL trade deadline.

 

- What went into this decision? I asked Coach Martinson to share his rationale for the trade, and here are some of the factors.

• The team is so deep at forward with contracted players from Utah/Tucson and Ottawa/Belleville, plus the play of leading scorers Mathieu De St. Phalle and Riley Kidney that top-six minutes are hard to come.
• Martinson is expecting to get one or more contract forwards from Belleville as players return from injury.
• Tucson has three forwards on the roster that haven't played a game and could get sent to Allen.
• Martinson has two players from prior seasons who may return.
• Crone is a good player and had his best seasons playing for Chad Costello. Martinson has reunited Crone with Chad, where he will have a bigger role and do well.
• What Martinson gets in the trade is the possibility of acquiring a good player for the playoffs at the trade deadline. He doesn't need  players now.

 

- In addition to being the ECHL MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, Hank leaves Allen with these stats. When you consider that Crone is #17 on the all-time games played list (176), his totals are impressive. 

• #1 - goals in a season (49)
• #3 - points in a season (105)
• #4 - all-time assists (134) 
• #4 - all-time points per game (1.21) minimum 150 games 
• #5 - assists in a season (56)  
• #6 - all-time points (213)
• #7 - all-time goals (79)   

 

 

ALLEN vs NEW MEXICO PREVIEW:

- Allen will play the ECHL's newest franchise, New Mexico Goatheads, six times this season. Tonight, Friday, and Saturday on the road, and February 18, 19, and 20 at home.

 

- Here is a comparison of the teams thus far:

• Allen's record is 5-2-0-0 (.667) vs New Mexico 1-4-3-0 (.313)
• Allen scores more, 3.5 goals vs 2.3, and allows fewer goals, 2.7 vs 4.0, than New Mexico.
• The Goatheads have a better power play percentage, 14.6% vs 7.4%.
• The Americans have a better penalty kill percentage, 91.3% vs 78.9%
• Allen has scored 21 goals and allowed 16 for a +5 goal differential.
• New Mexico has scored 18 goals and allowed 32 for a -14 goal differential.

 

- Keys to the games for the Americans are no surprise: 

• Get off to a good start and don't give the Goatheads hope by playing from behind. Allen is one of the best teams in the league when it scores first.
• Win the special teams battle. The Allen power play looked good last week. It could really break out in this series. The penalty kill unit has been great; they have given up two goals, but have scored two shorthanded goals. New Mexico has given up four shorties in eight games, so a shorthanded goal by the Americans may make a difference in this series.  
• Good goaltending is always key to a good defense. Jesper Vikman leads the ECHL in saves and  has improved his save percentage from .844 after his first game in Allen to .910. In his last two games, he had save percentages of .926 and .964. He has been a workhorse, playing in all six games for the Americans. 
• Riley Kidney is tied for the league lead in goals (6) and has a three-game goal-scoring streak, the longest in the league.  
• Mathieu De St. Phalle leads the team with 8 points (3G, 5A) and has a point in 5 of 6 games.

 

- Here is the series preview issued by the Allen Americans with more details and stats: 

https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/11/series-opener-wednesday-night-in-new-mexico 

 

- Here is the lineup for the game tonight. Notice there is a new backup goalie, but he will only play if there is an injury. He is from Dallas and played college hockey for the University of New Mexico (2021-26), which is a club hockey program:

 

 

Forwards

29 Watts - 28 Lipkin - 14 De St. Phalle

21 Sillinger - 21 Kidney - 22 Mistelbacher

43 Nordh- 91 Gildon - 94 Matikka 

9  Coughlan - 42 Shantz - 26 Asuchak

 

Defense

2 Warmuth - 8 Uens

86 Anania - 23 Sedley

24 Decker - 27 Kneen 

 

Goalies

32 Vikman

33 McKiernan (backup)

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: How do New Mexico’s first-ever 7 games compare to the first 7 games in the history of these recently added ECHL franchises?

 

Savannah: 5-1-1-0 (.786) - 2022-23

Tahoe: 4-2-1-0 (.643) - 2024-25

Greensboro: 2-3-2-0 (.429) - 2025-26

Trois Rivières: 3-4-0-0 (.429) - 2021-22

Bloomington: 2-4-0-1 (.357) - 2024-25

New Mexico: 1-3-3-0 (.357) - 2026-27

Iowa: 1-5-1-0 (.214) - 2021-22

 

- Tahoe and Trois Rivières are the only teams on this list that made the playoffs in the first year.

- Savannah, Greensboro, Bloomington and Iowa finished last in their division in the first year.

 

Allen Wins 4th Straight Against Idaho, Game Recaps, Video Highlights, Allen Players League Leaders, Standings, Comerica Games Disappointing Attendance

 

The Allen Americans beat Idaho 4-1 at Comerica Center last night before a crowd of  2340 to close out their two-game "home stand" and now head back on the road for the next seven games before the opening game at CUTX Event Center against Kansas City on November 20. Here is the road schedule.

• New Mexico - November 4, 6, 7
• Kansas City - November 13
• Tulsa - November 14, 15
• Wichita - November 18 

 

- You wouldn't get many takers to bet the Americans would be 4-0 against Idaho and 0-2 against Tulsa after six games. Last season, Idaho had a record of 6-0-0-1 against the Americans. Despite the four wins, the Americans have some unfinished business with the Steelheads when they play next, which will be in Allen on January 8, 9, and 10.   

 

- Last night Allen scored first, and that is always a good sign. The Americans were almost unbeatable last season when scoring first with an .889 points percentage. This season, they have only scored first in two of six games and won them both. Noel Nordh scored his second goal of the season on the power play at 15:37 of the first period. Allen took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

 

- Just 51 seconds into the second period, Riley Kidney gave Allen a 2-0 lead, scoring his league-leading (tied) sixth goal, which proved to be the game-winner. Kidney has the game-winning goal in two of Allen's four wins. Idaho cut the score to 2-1 when a pass from a player just getting out of the penalty box created a breakaway. Allen responded late in the period (19:18) to make the score 3-1 on Miko Matikka's third goal of the season. 

 

- Allen added a fourth goal midway through the third period and the Americans shutdown the Idaho offense, outshooting the Steelheads 10-2 in the third period. Jesper Vikman stopped 27 of 28 shots for a .964 save percentage. Vikman has seen his save percentage rise from .844 after Allen's opening night loss in Tulsa to .910 after six games:

 

- Mathieu De St. Phalle had Allen's first penalty shot of the season and missed. There have been five penalty shots in the league so far; only one was successful. Last season, there were 52 penalty shots in the league; Allen had two of them. 15 of the penalty shots were successful (29%). Colton Hargrove scored one of the penalty shot goals. 

 

- Here are the game recaps from both teams plus the video highlights: 

• Allen Americans game recap: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/10/game-recap-americans-sweep-idaho  
• Idaho Steelheads game recap: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2026/10/steelheads-fall-short-in-4-1-loss-to-allen 
• Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-oct-30-2026 

 

- The Americans will now have a rare weekend off to spend time with the family and celebrate Halloween. It is well-deserved time off after five games in eight days with road trips to Idaho and Tulsa.

 

- Here are some stats where Allen players are at or near the top in the league:

• #1 - Riley Kidney (goals, 6)
• #1 - Cal Uens (major penalties, 3)
• #1 - Riley Kidney (game-winning goals, 2)
• #1 - Jesper Vikman (wins, 4)
• #1 - Jesper Vikman (minutes, 355)
• #1 - Jesper Vikman (saves, 161)
• #1 - Zackary Schantz (shorthanded goals, 1, shorthanded assists, 1, shorthanded points, 2)
• #1 - Luke Mistelbacher, (rookie shots, 21)
• #1 - Terrell Goldsmith (defensemen plus/minus, +7) 
• #3 - Miko Matikka (shooting percentage, 50%)
• #4 - Cal Uens (rookie penalty minutes, 19)

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - As usual, the point gap between the top and bottom teams in each division is smallest in the Mountain Division, even this early in the season. There is a nine-point gap in the North (11-2) and South Division (10-1, a six points gap in the Central Division (8-2), and three point gap in the Mountain Division (8-5)

 

- Every team in the league has earned at least one point. The only team without a win is Orlando. There are still two undefeated teams: Trois-Rivières is 5-0, and Bloomington is 4-0.

 

- Here are the Mountain Division standings by point percentage since the number of games played varies. Who each team plays tonight and where is in parentheses: 

• .800 - Tulsa (play at Wichita)
• .667 - Allen (idle)
• .667 - Rapid City (play at New Mexico)
• .600 - Wichita (Tulsa at home)
• .500 - Idaho (idle)
• .500 - Tahoe (play Kansas City at home)
• .429 - Kansas City (play at Tahoe)
• .357 - New Mexico (plays Rapid City at home) 

 

- Hats off to the Americans front office for finding a way to have two "home" games when they found out they were being kicked out of their home rink for a month. Comerica Center is a fine facility, but these two games were not a success from a box office perspective:

• The school day games were very successful last season, averaging over 6100 per game. The attendance at the school day game on Thursday at Comerica was 2614.
• Last season the Veterans Day game at CUTX drew 5790. The Veterans Day game last night at Comerica drew 2340. 
• These two small gates have put Allen behind the eight ball in average attendance. Hopefully it can be made up when Allen starts playing home games at CUTX.
• The Americans' average attendance is 2477 which is ranked #29 in the ECHL. Only Reading, at 2147 has a lower average attendance. 

 

- There are 11 games on the ECHL schedule tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/10/echl-today-oct-31  

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here are some early-season ECHL WOW stats:

 

- Three players are tied for the league lead in goals, averaging one goal per game. They have six goals in six games:

Riley Kidney, Allen

Anthony Beauregard, Trois Rivières

Mathieu Bizier, Trois Rivières 

 

- Sahil Panwar, Cincinnati, is averaging 2.25 points per game with nine points (3G, 6A) in four games and is tied for the league lead in plus/minus at +8.

 

- Rookie goalie Jake Sibell, Tulsa, has played in three games, won them all and allowed only one goal. He has a 0.33 GAA and a .990 save percentage.

 

- Derek Daschke, New Mexico, leads all defensemen in points with seven (1G, 6A) and is averaging a point per game.