Allen vs Idaho Series, Game Recap and Game Preview, Lineup Tonight, Players in Europe Update, CBA Language on Bereavement and More

 

I know it is late in the day, but I just had a chance to touch base with Coach Martinson about the 3-2 win yesterday and the game tonight. 

 

- When Allen was kicked out of the CUTX Event Center for over a month, the Americans' first home game was going to be on November 20. The team arranged to have two "home games" at Comerica Center in Frisco. A School Day Game yesterday and Military Night (tonight, 7:10 pm). The school day games were very successful last year, averaging over 6100 per game. The attendance yesterday was 2614. Hope the game tonight does better.

 

- Despite the close score (3-2), statistically, Allen dominated the game yesterday. 

• Allen gave up the first and only goal in the opening period and fell behind 2-0 at the 17:52 mark of the second period. 
• Timely goal scoring turned things around. Mathieu De St. Phalle scored his 3rd goal of the season 10 seconds after Idaho took the 2-0 lead, and the second period ended with the Americans trailing 2-1. 
• Allen tied the score 2-2  just 24 seconds into the third period on Riley Kidney's 5th goal of the season.
• When it looked like the game was headed to overtime, Allen broke a 0-22 power-play slump, scoring the game-winning goal with  24 seconds remaining in the game on Miko Matikka's second goal of the season.   

 

- Here are some stats that show just how much Allen dominated the game, despite the close score:

• Allen took 85 shots to 49 for Idaho.
• Allen had 39 shots on goal to 19 for Idaho, including 18-3 in the 3rd period.
• Allen blocked 25 shots to 11 for Idaho. 
• Allen had even-strength puck possession advantage of 63% to 37%. 

 

- Coach Martinson made it clear to me that when the team plays like it did yesterday, he is going with the same lineup tonight. He also told me there will be a lot of switching up and double shifting. Here are the players in the lineup toonght.  

 

 

- If you haven't seen the video highlights from the 3-2 win yesterday, here they are along with the game preview for the game tonight:

• Video  highlights: https://echl.com/videos/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-oct-29-2026 
• Tonight's preview: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/10/game-day-in-frisco-americans-host-idaho-710-pm

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS 
 

- The new players continue to carry the goal-scoring load for the Americans. Allen has scored 17 goals in five games, and 16 of them have been scored by players who did not play for the Americans last season (regular season). When the returning players break out, which is just a matter of time, and the power play gets going, which is also just a matter of time, watch out for goals in bunches.

 

 

- It is a big night in the ECHL with 28 of the 30 teams in action.  The top two teams in the Mountain Division, Wichita and Tulsa, with identical 3-1 records, play in Tulsa tonight and Wichita tomorrow afternoon. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/10/echl-today-oct-30

 

 

- I was asked yesterday at the game how Allen's top two goal scorers from last season, Danny Katic (38 goals) and Harrison Blaisdell (32 goals), are doing in Europe

 

• Katic - Danny is playing in the top league in Czechia and has scored just one goal in 10 games. It looks like he may be hurt because his team has played 16 games. His team (HC Pilzen) is in 7th place in the 14-team league.
  
• Blaisdell - Harrison is playing in the 2nd-level league in Sweden (HockeyAllsvenskan). He has no goals in 11 games. His team has played 16 games, so it looks like he may have been injured as well. His team (BIK Karlskoga) is in 8th place in the 14-team league.

 

 

DID  YOU KNOW: Had this question the other day, so from the CBA.

 

 CBA Article VII, Section 11A: Bereavement Leave

 

In the event of a death of an immediate family member of a Player, the Player shall be entitled to four (4) days leave with pay upon notice to the Member(team). Furthermore, the Member shall furnish the Player and Spouse with a round-trip ticket from the playing city to location of the funeral. Appropriate documentation of the death is to be furnished to the Member by the Player upon request. An immediate family member shall be defined as a Spouse, child(ren), parent, brother, sister, grandparents and in-laws of a Player.

 

Allen vs Tulsa Kids Day Game Preview, Line Changes, New Goalie, Power Play, Stats and More

 I will make this short in an effort to get it out prior to the early puck drop.

 

- It's unprecedented for Allen to have back-to-back home and away Kids Day Games, but that is what the Americans are dealing with. Today, the Americans play in Tulsa with a 10:35 am puck drop. Their next game is at home on Thursday against Idaho with a 10:30 am puck drop. ECHL teams in most markets have figured out that midweek day games targeting school kids with an educational component tied to them are more lucrative than night midweek games.

 

- The Americans headed for Tulsa late afternoon yesterday after practice. Coach Martinson made some line changes, which I assume you will see carry over to the game today. Two players who will be back in the lineup are Spencer Asuchak, returning after the birth of his daughter, and Miko Matikka, who missed the game on Saturday in Idaho with an injury. 

   

Here is the lineup:

Forwards

29 Watts - 21 Kidney - Coughlan

67 Crone - 91 Gildon - 22 Mistelbacher

26 Asuchak - 28 Lipkin - 14 De St. Phalle

94 Matikka - 42 Shantz - 43 Nordh

 

Defense

10 Goldsmith - 8 Uens

24 Decker - 23 Sedley

27 Kneen - Anania 

 

Goalies

32 Vikman

35 Bernard

 

 

-  Coach Martinson brought up a goalie from Topeka (FPHL) for this week. Sammy Bernard is a 6'5" left-catching goalie. In four games with Topeka this season, he is 4-0 with a 0.82 GAA and a .968 save percentage. His stats last season in Topeka were 51 games played, a record of 19-11-0-2, a 2.50 GAA, and a .923 save percentage. 

 

- Four players did not make the trip to Tulsa: Divyne Apollon, Anthony Rinaldi, Lukas Sillinger, and Quinn Warmuth.

 

- I asked Coach Martinson what changes, if any, he will make to the power play given it is 0-15 after three games. Here is what he told me: "So far I have been pretty much using all of the forwards on the power play, and that has not been working. I started to narrow that down last game, and that will continue in Tulsa." 

 

-  Allen lost in Tulsa on opening night by a score of 5-4 despite outplaying the Oilers by a wide margin. 

• Allen had 75 shots, 36 of them on goal, and scored four times.
• Tulsa had 52 shots, 25 of them on goal, but scored five times.
• Allen had a 57% to 43% puck possession advantage.
• Allen had a 21-15 advantage on blocked shots.

 

- Since these two teams played on opening night, Allen swept Idaho on the road, and Tulsa lost 5-1 in Wichita. The game today is important for both teams. The Americans thought they were the better team in the loss to Tulsa. They have a chance to prove that with a win today. The Allen vs. Tulsa game is the only one in the ECHL today. An Allen win will move the Americans into first place in the Mountain Division with a .750 points percentage. A Tulsa loss will drop its point percentage to .333 and put it in last place in the Mountain Division. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Here is the ECHL Stats post from yesterday. FYI, Allen's shooting percentage is 11.5%. Allen has scored 13 goals and allowed 10.

Best and worst shooting ECHL teams thus far in 2026-27, as measured by shooting percentage. Total goals scored are in parentheses: 

 

BEST

20.4% - Trois Rivières (29)

16.8% - South Carolina (19)

13.5% - Trenton (10)

13.0% - Toledo (13)

12.6% - Wichita (12)

 

WORST

3.4% - Savannah (6)

5.3% - Atlanta (7)

5.9% - Greensboro (6)

6.0% - Jacksonville (6)

6.8% - New Mexico (14)

 

 

- Trois-Rivières is undefeated (5-0-0-0) and is averaging 5.80 goals per game. The top three scorers in the ECHL with 10 points in five games are all from the Lions. 

 

 

- The best defensive team in the league is Florida. The Everblades have allowed just four goals in four games and are a perfect 4-0-0-0.  

 

 

  

DID YOU KNOW: I was asked about leave for players for the birth of a child. Here is the CBA language on Family Leave:

 

A Player may request leave for the birth of a child, a family emergency, or illness, and the Player shall get four (4) days leave with pay provided the Player has received prior approval from the League. Before approval, the League may require appropriate documentation to support the request for family leave.

 

     

Allen Sweeps Idaho as New Guys Shine, Series Recap, Looking Ahead, Stats and More

 

Before I recap the Allen Americans' sweep of Idaho this weekend, I want to cover a few items I included in the series preview blog on Friday that I somehow managed to delete after spending half the day writing it.  Some of this is old news at this point, but I want to cover a few of them just in case you missed it elsewhere:

- Spencer Asuchak - Spencer did not accompany the team to Idaho because he and Cass became proud parents on 10/20/26. Ella Grace Asuchak was born at 5:39 pm. As Spencer told me, "She is pretty little at 6 pounds, 13 ounces, but long at 20 inches. Congrats to Spencer and Cass.

 

- Brett Mirwald - Goalie Brett Mirwald was released on Wednesday and claimed off waivers by Rapid City on Thursday. It was the same day Ottawa placed its top goalie (Linus Ullmark) on injured reserve and called up a goalie from Belleville (Jonas Johansson), which required Belleville to recall Kevin Reidler from Allen. The timing was unfortunate, but the backstory is interesting. 

Mirwald was not interested in being the third goalie if Allen had two NHL/AHL contracted goalies assigned. Coach Martinson let Mirwald know during the offseason that if Allen ended up with two contracted goalies, he would not hold him back from finding a team where he could play. After a trade did not happen, Mirwald requested to be released, which Martinson honored. As it turns out, Rapid City also has two contracted goalies, but one of them is injured.

 

- Luke Mistelbacher - Luke was assigned to Allen just in time to play in Idaho on Friday. He is a 20-year-old (turns 21 on November 2), 6'0", 200-pound right-shot forward from Steinbach, Manitoba. A prolific scorer who played his junior hockey in the WHL. Here are his stats from his last two junior seasons with two different teams.  

2024-25: 93 points (42 goals, 51 assists) in 67 games playing for the Swift Current Broncos.

2025-26: 88 points (42 goals, 46 assists) in 67 games playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings.  

Over his last two WHL seasons, Luke averaged .63 goals per game and 1.35 points per game. He scored a goal last night.

 

Luke Mistelbacher

 

ALLEN VS IDAHO SERIES

-  Allen arrived in Idaho on Thursday with an ominous task. Over the last five years, the Steelheads' regular season record against the Americans at home was 20-2-1-0. The last time Allen won back-to-back regular season games in Idaho was in 2017-18. 

 

- Allen defied the odds and showed they have a talented team with speed, offense, and physicality to sweep Idaho. It took a Riley Kidney hat trick, including an overtime game-winner, to secure the 4-3 win on Friday. The Americans followed up the Friday win with a more convincing 5-2 win last night. All five goals were scored by players not with the Americans last season. 

 

- Here are the video highlights from the game on Friday if you haven't seen them. The home team is supposed to post the video highlights on the ECHL website, but Idaho did not. There were 14 games in the ECHL last night. 12 of the home teams posted the video highlights. 

• Friday highlights: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads-oct-23-2026  

 

- One thing that didn't work well in Idaho was the Allen power play, which was 0-11 and included a five-minute power play last night. It is an odd stat that Allen has more shorthanded goals (1) than power-play goals this season (0-15).

 

- When Coach Martinson signed rookie defenseman Cal Uens he said he is not big, but he is tough. He showed that last night, dropping his bigger opponent to his knees with one punch and dominating the fight when he got up. Uens had a fight in both games this weekend. Hope someone explained the 10-fight rule to him. Cal will have to pick his spots going forward. Here is the fight video, you may need to be on Facebook to see this:

https://fb.watch/v/f80-V_J3g/?fs=e

 

 

- The Americans have three games next week. Allen plays a Kids Day game in Tulsa on Tuesday (10:35 am) and another Kids Day game on Thursday against Idaho in Frisco at 10:30 am. Friday night, they play Idaho again in Frisco with a 7:10 pm puck drop on Military Night. Remember, these Idaho games are shown as home games on the schedule, but are at Comerica Center in Frisco. 

 

- Idaho's Charlie Dodero has been suspended for two games for his match penalty for roughing last night. Here are the details: https://echl.com/news/2026/10/echl-announces-fines-suspensions 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has scored 13 goals in its first three games for a 4.33 goals-per-game average, good enough for #3 in the league. 12 of the 13 goals were scored by players who did not play a regular-season game for Allen last season. 

 

- Allen has allowed 10 goals in its first three games. The 3.33 goals-allowed average is ranks #16 in the league. 

 

-  The top ECHL offensive team thus far is Trois-Rivières, which is averaging 5.50 goals per game. The best defensive teams, allowing an average of 1.00 goal per game, are Florida and Reading.

 

-  Last season, no ECHL team averaged 17 penalty minutes per game. It is still very early, but there are four teams averaging over 20 penalty minutes per game, and oddly enough, not one is from the Mountain Division.

• 23.50 - Adirondack  
• 23.00 - Worcester
• 22.67 - Fort Wayne
• 21.75 - Indy 

 

- South Carolina has a 50% power play percentage (7-14). Six teams still have a 100% penalty kill percentage:

• Adirondack: 0-12
• South Carolina: 0-11
• Maine: 0-11
• Trois Riviéres: 0-7
• Kalamazoo: 0-6
• Cincinnati: 0-6 

 

- Some have asked for photos of my pheasant hunting trip to North Dakota. Here are a couple. Dave and I have been hunting together for 65 years as we both are about to turn 80. The star of the trip was Dave's black lab, Bear, who is three and was the real star of the trip. We walked for miles in sloughs, cattails, grass fields, and crop stubble, and I am proud to say neither one of us fell down all week.

Another successful pheasant opener in North Dakota

Early morning frost had this guy seek shelter on a hay bale

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: There are 7 games on the ECHL schedule today with 6 of them being inter divisional. It is still very early in the season, but six teams haven’t lost (Bloomington, Florida, Reading, South Carolina, Trois Rivières, Wichita) and five teams haven’t won (Greensboro, Jacksonville, Kalamazoo, Orlando, Wheeling). Orlando is the only team without a point. 

 

FYI, The ECHL record for wins to start the season is nine. It was set by the Worcester Railers in 2022.

 

The Season Begins, Six NHL/AHL Contracted Players Assigned, Allen vs Tulsa Preview, Opening Night Record

I am still in Minnesota having just returned from my hunting trip to North Dakota which was so much fun. We head back to Texas tomorrow. I have written this blog on my IPad so there less information and may be more errors than normal. We will be on the road the next two days, so there won’t be another blog until Tuesday. 

Game day for the Allen Americans has finally arrived. It has been 154 days since Allen’s last game, a 5-3 loss to Kansas City in the playoffs. It ended a big turnaround season as Coach Steve Martinson returned to the Americans. Here are some of the turnaround stats Martinson accomplished last season:

- 49 point improvement over 2024-25 from 43 points to 92 points. It was the fourth largest year over year improvement in ECHL history.

- Improved average goals per game to #1 in the ECHL at 3.72 from last place in 2024-25 (2.43).

- Improved home wins to 24 from 7 home wins in 2024-25. 

- Improved points percentage when scoring the first goal of the game to .889, #2 in the ECHL, from .483 in 2024-25 which was last in the ECHL.

- The stats show just how quickly and dramatically Coach & GM Martinson turned around the Allen Americans and he did it with very little help from the affiliation with Ottawa/Belleville. The expectations for 2026-27 are very high for the regular season and playoffs.

- As the Americans kickoff the season tonight in Tulsa (7:05 pm CDT) there are six NHL/AHL contracted players on the roster. That is a big improvement over last season, but it is noteworthy that five of the six are from Utah/Tucson. It is obvious Coach Martinson has developed a relationship with Utah/Tucson that has led to these players being assigned to Allen. And Ottawa/Belleville have yet to send the players that were expected.

- The six NHL/AHL contracted players that are on the trip to Tulsa:

Terrell Goldsmith (D) - 2023 fourth round draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes. He is a 21 year old rookie just starting his pro career.

Sam Lipkin (F) - 2021 seventh round draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes. Has played exclusively in the AHL (Tucson) the last two seasons (100 games).

Milo Matikka (F) - 2022 third round draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes. Third year pro with 79 AHL games and 25 ECHL games in Allen. Last season he played 51 games in Tucson.

Noel Nordh (F) - 2023 third round pick of the Arizona Coyotes. Played 60 games in Tucson last season.

Jesper Vikman (G) - 2020 fifth round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights. Over the last four seasons has played in 41 AHL games and 58 ECHL games. His career AHL save percentage is .880 and his career ECHL save percentage is .897.

Kevin Reisler (G) - 2022 fifth round pick of the Ottawa Senators. A rookie who played for Penn State last season with a .901 save percentage in 18 games.

- Lineups are always subject to change but this is the likely lineup:

FORWARDS 

Watts-Kidney-Mitikka

Crone-Gildon-Coughlan

Asuchak-Lipkin-De St. Phalle 

Sillinger-Shantz-Nordh

DEFENSE

Goldsmith-Uens

Decker-Sedley

Kneen-Greco

GOALIES

Vikman

Reidler

- It is always difficult to predict how teams match up at the beginning of the season because ECHL teams change so much from season to season. Allen was 9-5-1-0 against Tulsa last season. Danny Katic led the Americans with 23 points (12G, 10A) in 15 games, followed by Brayden Watts with 17 points (9G, 8A). 

- Last season Allen was ranked #2 in road power play percentage (24.7%), #16 in road penalty kill percentage (80.5%), #1 in average goals scored per game (3.72), and #13 in average goals allowed per game 2.90.

- Last season Tulsa was ranked #13 in home power play percentage (19.4%), #23 in home penalty kill percentage (78.6%), #24 in average goals scored per game (2.72), and #26 in average goals allowed per game (3.54).

- Last Saturday Allen lost its only preseason game in Tulsa by a score of 5-3. But Coach Martinson did not play a lot of the players that will be in the lineup tonight as he was still looking at some players to determine the makeup of  the opening day roster. Watts, Kidney, Crone, Gildon, Sedley, and  Kneen did not play in the preseason game. 

OTHER COMMENTS 

- It was a big opening night for the ECHL last night. There were eight games and the average attendance was 7118, led by Jacksonville (12,370) and Greensboro (9126).

- There were some surprises in the results of the opening night games. Rapid City went on the road and spanked Kansas City 6-3. Kansas City was the best defensive team in the league last season. The Mavericks gave up six goals only twice in 72 games last season.

- Both new ECHL franchises had rough nights for their first game in team history. Trenton gave up seven goals in a 7-4 loss to Trois Rivières and New Mexico lost 4-1 at home to Idaho. 

- There was one shutout on opening night. Norfolk missed the playoffs last season but went on the road to open the season and shutout Savannah 3-0 behind a 33 save performance by goalie Matt Vernon.

DID YOU KNOW: Allen’s opening night record has been so-so over the years. The Americans overall record on opening night is 9-8. The home record is 4-4 and the road record is 5-4.

The worst opening night ever was at home in 2014-15 when Tulsa beat the Americans 9-6. Gregor Hanson was the lone bright spot for Allen with a whopping 11 shots and four goals. The starting goalie in that game was none other than Aaron Dell who gave up seven of the nine goals. It was Dell’s only regulation loss in the 12 games he played for Allen that season. By the end of January he was in the AHL on his way to the NHL.

Training Camp Roster Details and Schedule, Allen's Athletic Trainer, Equipment Manager, ECHL Stats Posts and More

 

After a long wait, today is the first day ECHL teams can hold team meetings, register, and complete physicals. Tomorrow is the first day teams can have organized on-ice sessions. Each team's schedule can vary, but these are the earliest dates they can start. 

 

- For the Allen Americans, players have been arriving this week and getting settled in the apartments. There have been captain practices for those in town. Most of the players participating in AHL training camps have arrived back in Allen or will arrive over the next few days. 

• The players who attended the Tucson Roadrunners camp, Andre Anania, Brett Mirwald, and Lukas Sillinger are already back in Allen. 
• Sam Sedley was at camp with the Manitoba Moose and was just released from his PTO. Sedley is unsigned, but Allen has his ECHL rights. He is on his way to Allen, and I expect he will be signed in the next day or two.
• The players attending camp with Belleville that have been released include Chase Coughlin, Riley Kidney, Zackary Shantz, and Cal Uens, and are on their way to Allen.
• Quinn Warmuth was in camp with Cleveland and has also been released.  
• That leaves Mark Duarte (unsigned, but rights owned by Allen) as the only Allen-connected player left in the AHL. When Landon Hookey was injured at Ottawa's Prospect Tournament, Coach Martinson thought Belleville might keep Duarte. That appears to be what is happening.
• Belleville opens its season with two home games, tomorrow (Friday) night and Sunday afternoon. It remains to be seen if Duarte plays in those games.

 

- The unanswered question is when will NHL/AHL contracted players get assigned to Allen. Coach Martinson is expecting players to be assigned from both Belleville and Tucson. Players and positions should start being announced on Saturday. These contracted players are key because they only count $625 per week against the salary cap. 

    

- The Allen roster now stands at 20, which includes three veterans and five rookies.    

Goalies

• Brett Mirwald: rookie

 

Forwards 

• Divyne Apollon - rookie
• Spencer Asuchak - veteran
• Cole Bishop - rookie
• Chase Coughlin - rookie
• Hank Crone
• Mathieu De St. Phalle 
• Michael Gildon 
• Riley Kidney 
• Chase Maxwell 
• Anthony Rinaldi
• Zackary Shantz - rookie 
• Lukas Sillinger 
• Brayden Watts - veteran

 

Defense

• Andre Anania 
• Jackson Decker
• Nolan Kneen - veteran
• Troy Murray 
• Quinn Warmuth
• Cal Uens - rookie

 

- If you look at the Training Camp roster, here are the additions from above:

• Sam Sedley should be officially added in the next two days.
• There will be 5 or 6 tryout players at training camp. Three or four from Topeka (FPHL), a player who played for Martinson in Athens, and a local defenseman. 
• NHL/AHL contracted players could arrive as soon as Sunday, and that will continue into next week.  

 

 

-  Here is the Training Camp Schedule issued by the Americans on September 24: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/09/americans-announce-training-camp-schedule 

As mentioned above, more players are arriving each day this week. In addition to dealing with housing, players will have physicals, deal with other paperwork, and practice by themselves. The team doesn't have ice on Saturday, and Coach Martinson plans a team scrimmage on Sunday. The first on-ice practice with coaches will be Monday.

UPDATE: I just got an update from Coach Martinson, and he has made arrangements for the team scrimmage on Sunday (3:15-4:15)  to be open to the public. The Americans will be issuing a press release with all of the details.  

 

- On a personal note, we leave Tuesday for Minnesota. Nancy will stay in the Twin Cities to visit family and friends, while my best friend and lifelong hunting partner, Dave, and I head to North Dakota with his superstar black lab, Bear, for a week of pheasant hunting. 

When Dave and I were hunting in high school, we once met a hunter who was 80 years old. We talked about how cool it was that he was still out there hunting and wondered if we would still be doing it when we were 80. 

More than 65 years later, here we are. Next week, with both of us in our 80th year, we will be busting through the fields, sloughs, and cattails of North Dakota chasing pheasants. 

Back then, 80 seemed a lifetime away. Turns out it was--and what a gift to still be doing what we loved doing together all those years ago.        

160 years of hunters and one young superstar

 

  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 

- If you haven't already seen this elsewhere, Coach Martinson has selected a new Head Athletic Trainer, Allison Beazley, and Head Equipment Manager, Brian Garcia. 

Allison was the Assistant Athletic Trainer in Allen in 2021-22 and spent the last four seasons as the Head Athletic Trainer for the SPHL Peoria Rivermen. 

Brian has over 20 years of equipment manager experience, including serving as the Head Equipment Manager for the AHL Texas Stars (12 years) and AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds (2 years).    

 

 

- With ECHL training camps opening, some top players have retired and will be missed. Included on this list are all-stars, team captains, and future Hall-of-Famers:

 

Chris Cameron - Indy

Bobo Carpenter - Kansas City

Oliver Chau - Florida

Logan Drevitich - Savannah

T.J. Friedmann - Jacksonville

Logan Lambdin - Florida

Peter Laviolette - Savannah

Morgan Adams-Moisan - Trois Rivières

Matt Register - Allen

Jalen Smereck - Fort Wayne

Justin Vaive - Cincinnati

Sebastian Vidmar - Maine

Mitch Wahl - Idaho

 

 

 

- Beginning this season, 2026-27, the NHL has made it mandatory for all players to wear neck protection, with one big loophole. Players with one game of NHL experience are grandfathered in and exempt. It will take well over a decade to get everyone covered.

 

Case in point: The NHL made wearing visors mandatory in 2013-14, but players with 25 or more NHL games played were exempt and grandfathered in. When the NHL season began this week, three players are still not wearing visors:

 

Jamie Benn - Dallas

Zach Bogosian - Minnesota

Ryan O’Reilly - Nashville

 

FYI, the ECHL made neck protection mandatory for all players in 2024-25 with no exceptions.   

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: As ECHL training camps get underway today, the never ending reminder for writers, bloggers, reporters, fans, players, coaches, etc. What do the letters ECHL stand for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

 

In a change reflective of its nationwide presence the East Coast Hockey League changed its name to simply ECHL in May of 2003.

 

      

Nolan Kneen Returns to Allen, Updated Roster, 10 Allen Players Attending AHL Camps, Former Allen Players in Europe, ECHL Stats Posts and Career Goalie Shutouts

 

The Allen Americans added an experienced defenseman to the roster this week with the signing of veteran Nolan Kneen. How much experience does Kneen add? The Americans have six defensemen on the roster. Nolan has six years of ECHL experience; the other five defensemen have a combined total of seven years of ECHL experience. 

Kneen is very familiar to Allen fans as he started his pro career in Allen in 2020-21. The 27-year-old, 6'0", 200 lb, right-shot defenseman from Kelowna, British Columbia, has played in 316 ECHL games (56 with Allen) and totaled 107 points (27G, 80A) and 298 penalty minutes. He spent part of his second season with Allen (2021-22) on loan to the AHL Charlotte Checkers for 18 games, where he recorded six points (1G, 5A).  

For the last three seasons, Kneen has played for the Wichita Thunder. Here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/09/welcome-back-to-texas 

 

Here is a get-to-know-you Q&A video with Nolan from last season: https://wichitathunder.com/videos/meat-the-team-with-nolan-kneen-presented-by-wichita-wagyu   

 

- I had a chance to talk to Coach Martinson about the Kneen signing, and in addition to his quote in the press release about experience, skill, and physical play, the stability Kneen brings to the roster is key. Allen is likely to get contracted defensemen from two different AHL teams. That means you're more likely to lose multiple players to recall than if you had several from one team. Plus, Andre Anania has the skill to play in the AHL and is a free agent, so he can be loaned to any AHL team. Sam Sedley has not been signed, but is at training camp with Manitoba. While Allen has his ECHL rights, he may get signed by Manitoba. The bottom line is Allen could open the season with an embarrassment of riches at defense, but that depth could be put to a test if several of those defensemen get recalled or loaned to the AHL. 

Martinson was trying to find a veteran defenseman who wanted to get into coaching and stay in Allen, and Kneen fits that role. He won't be a player-assistant, but will be asked to work with the younger defensemen after practice. On the road, Kneen will be the voice of the defense on the bench on strategic moves Martinson makes during the game. With Kneen, Martinson will have a player who is in training to become a coach.    

 

- The Allen roster now stands at 20, which includes three veterans and five rookies.    

Goalies

• Brett Mirwald: rookie

 

Forwards 

• Divyne Apollon - rookie
• Spencer Asuchak - veteran
• Cole Bishop - rookie
• Chase Coughlin - rookie
• Hank Crone
• Mathieu De St. Phalle 
• Michael Gildon 
• Riley Kidney 
• Chase Maxwell 
• Anthony Rinaldi
• Zackary Shantz - rookie 
• Lukas Sillinger 
• Brayden Watts - veteran

 

Defense

• Andre Anania 
• Jackson Decker
• Nolan Kneen - veteran
• Troy Murray 
• Quinn Warmuth
• Cal Uens - rookie

 

 - By my count, the Americans will have 10 players attending AHL training camps after several attended NHL prospect and main training camps. That gives them exposure, and they will be in better shape if/when they end up at Allen's training camp.  

• Andre Anania - Tucson
• Chase Coughlin - Belleville 
• Mark Duarte - Belleville (unsigned, Allen has his ECHL rights)
• Riley Kidney - Belleville 
• Brett Mirwald - Tucson
• Zackary Shantz - Belleville
• Sam Sedley - Manitoba (unsigned, Allen has his ECHL rights)
• Luke Sillinger - Tucson
• Cal Uens - Belleville
• Quinn Warmuth - Cleveland 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The European hockey season is underway, and here are three former Allen players off to a good start based on points per game (PPG) and points:

• 1.60 PPG - Zane Franklin (Denmark) - 8 points (2G, 6A) in five games.
• 1.75 PPG - Scott Conway (Northern Ireland) - 7 points (4G, 3A) in four games.
• 2.00 PPG - Olivier Archambault (England) - 6 points (2G, 4A) in three games. 

 

- The number of ECHL games played by NHL/AHL contracted players in 2025-26 varied widely by team. I don't have a complete list, but teams like South Carolina and Wheeling totaled well over 600 games; Cincinnati and Savannah over 500 games, and Florida and Fort Wayne over 400 games. At the other end of the spectrum were teams like Jacksonville (152) and Allen (141). 

Some ECHL franchises are finding ways to get their affiliates to sign key veteran players to AHL contracts with no intention of them playing in the AHL. These are top players that would be signed for $1200 - $1400 per week in the ECHL, but only cost $625 against the salary cap once they sign an AHL deal. Here is how Coach Martinson explains this:

 "You are trying to stick handle between having key players you are not going to lose to the American League and players looking to move up. That is what we had when we were winning championships. A core group of guys not looking to move up who were good enough to win championships."

"To beat those teams that have proven players that are signed in the AHL but never recalled is difficult. They have a bunch of players that only cost $625 against the salary cap, which saves money that allows them to sign more players to high-end ECHL contracts."  

"Because of the salary cap, players on AHL contracts, and the number of teams, it is much harder to sign all the guys you need that are looking to stay in Allen and be good enough to win a championship. When we were winning championships, we had eight or nine of those core guys, and they all had the talent to play in the AHL, but were committed to winning in Allen."

"We have to take the risk with guys like Anania, Sedley, Duarte, and Kidney, knowing we could lose them to any AHL team. If they end up signing with our affiliate, we know they will be back for the playoffs. If they end up with a bad team, we may get them back for the playoffs, but there are several examples of players deciding they didn't want to return for the playoffs. A third possibility is a player signing with a good AHL team and isn't available to return to Allen for the playoffs because of the AHL playoffs."

"The bottom line is, to beat the top teams like Florida, who come up with a way to have their top guys never recalled, we have to take these risks." 

 

 

ECHL STATS

- If you don't follow my ECHL Stats pages on social media, here are a few of the most recent posts:

 

-   Fighting rules at all levels of hockey continue to get more restrictive. Here are the new fight rules for 2026-27 for one of Canada’s major junior hockey leagues (Ontario Hockey League), which caps team fights with fines;

 

Teams are capped at 35 fights for the regular season, down from 50. Every fight after 35 costs the club $5,000, up from $2,000.

 

Team cap for each game is still 3 fighting majors. A 4th in the same game is another $500 fine.

Players get 3 fighting majors from opening night through Dec. 31. The count resets on Jan. 1, to allow 3 more for the rest of the regular season. Playoffs are a separate bucket: three more. Go over the personal limit, and it’s a minimum two-game suspension on top of everything else.

 

 

- The vast majority of players announced thus far by ECHL teams for 2026-27 are from the USA (250) and Canada (246). However, 13 other countries are represented on ECHL rosters. Here are those 13 countries with the number of players from each:

12: Russia

5: Sweden

3: Latvia

3: South Korea

2: Belarus

2: Czechia

2: Finland

1: France

1: Hungary

1: Jamaica

1: Norway

1: Switzerland

1: Turkey

 

 

 

- When is the ECHL All-Star Break?

 

The All-Star Break for the 2026-27 Season is Monday, Jan. 25-Thursday, Jan. 28. There are to be no games, practices, or team events during the All-Star Break.

This is a positive change from the past when regular season games were scheduled during the All-Star Break. Last season, when the All-Star game was held in Allen,  there were four regular season games scheduled the same day as the All-Star game. The Idaho Steelheads will host the 2027 All-Star Classic.

 

 

 

 

- Talk about outstanding ECHL veterans: seven players on 2026-27 rosters have over 500 ECHL games played. Five of the seven (marked with an asterisk) have switched teams for 2026-27:

 

935 - Justin Taylor, Wheeling* (from Adirondack)

663 - Anthony Collins, Wichita* (from Tahoe)

627 - Logan Nelson, Rapid City* (from Greensboro & Fort Wayne)

559 - Mike McKee, Tulsa

557 - Spencer Asuchak, Allen

509 - Tyson Fawcett, Worcester* (from Adirondack)

501 - Anthony Petruzzelli, Indy* (from Fort Wayne)

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: In the long history of the Allen Americans franchise dating back to the 2009-10 season, only four goalies had more than two career shutouts:

 

10 - Riley Gill (including 7 in 2016-17, which is tied for 2nd all-time).

4 - Aaron Dell

3 - C.J. Motte

3 - Jake Paterson 

 

  

 

  

Allen Americans Add to Roster, Ottawa Senators Prospect Challenge Roster Has Allen Connections, European Leagues Begin Play and the Importance of ECHL Road Wins

 

The Allen Americans have added three more returning players to the roster. The players are forward Chase Maxwell and defensemen Troy Murray and Trevor LaDonne. 

 

- Chase Maxwell - here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/09/maxwell-returns 

Maxwell played in 44 games for the Americans last season and tallied five points (2G, 3A).  

 

- Troy Murray - here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/09/americans-add-size-and-toughness  

Murray played 21 games for the Americans last season, had one goal and 32 penalty minutes.

 

Trevor LeDonne - Trevor played 30 games in Allen last season and totaled seven points (2G, 5A). Coach Martinson told me there is some question about whether Trevor will be at training camp. As he does with all players, he made it clear it will be a competitive training camp, especially on defense, and nothing is assured. In addition to the six defensemen that have been announced, Coach Martinson could get up to four NHL/AHL contracted defensemen assigned, plus Sam Sedley could be in Allen to start the season. The bottom line is LeDonne is looking at other options. 

 

- The Allen roster now stands at 20, which includes two veterans and five rookies.    

Goalies

• Brett Mirwald: rookie

 

Forwards 

• Divyne Apollon - rookie
• Spencer Asuchak - veteran
• Cole Bishop - rookie
• Chase Coughlin - rookie
• Hank Crone
• Mathieu De St. Phalle 
• Michael Gildon 
• Riley Kidney 
• Chase Maxwell 
• Anthony Rinaldi
• Zackary Shantz - rookie 
• Lukas Sillinger 
• Brayden Watts - veteran

 

Defense

• Andre Anania 
• Jackson Decker 
• Trevor LeDonne
• Troy Murray 
• Quinn Warmuth
• Cal Uens - rookie

 

- The NHL rookie/prospects tournament gets underway tomorrow. Here is the Ottawa Senators roster with some familiar names to Allen fans. The question remains: how many of the players on this roster will see time in Allen this season? Two Allen-signed players, Riley Kidney and Zackary Shantz, are on the roster: 

  

- Here is the schedule for the tournament. All times are EDT:

• Saturday, September 12, 1:00 pm: Winnipeg vs Montreal
• Saturday, September 12, 6:00 pm: Ottawa vs Winnipeg
• Sunday, September 13, 1:00 pm: Toronto vs Winnipeg
• Sunday, September 13, 6:00 pm: Ottawa vs Montreal
• The Ottawa games will be live-streamed on the Senators' website. Check with the other teams' websites, as they may be live-streaming as well.

 

 -  Defenseman Sam Sedley is participating in the same prospect tournament as Kidney and Shantz, but is on the Winnipeg Jets team. 

 

- The European leagues are just getting underway, with games being played in Russia, Finland, Czech Republic, and Denmark. Many of these leagues have more than one league going on at once, with a smaller set of teams. A big one is the EIHL, as 12 former Allen players are playing in that league of 10 teams. Games start tomorrow night in something called the Challenge Cup. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about the importance of playing well on the road. In 2025-26, Allen was decent on the road with a record of 19-14-3-0 (.569), but outstanding at home. The Americans' home record in 2024-25 was the worst in the league at 7-24-4-1 (.264). Last season, in one of the biggest turnarounds in league history, the Americans' home record was one of the best in the league at 24-9-3-0 (.708).

 

How important is it to play well on the road? Playing well on the road is a big key to success. Five ECHL teams had more than 20 road wins in 2025-26, including all of the Kelly Cup final four. The team’s road points percentage is in parentheses:

 

28-4-2-2: Kansas City (.833)* 

25-4-7-0: Fort Wayne (.792)*

24-8-4-2: Florida (.722)*

23-8-2-3: Toledo (.708)

22-12-1-1: Wheeling (.639)*

 

*Kelly Cup final four