Allen's 2-1 OT Win Earns 2nd Place, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, Playoff Schedule, Allen Players in ECHL Top Ten, 1st Round Playoff Matchups and More

 

The Allen Americans beat Kansas City 2-1 in overtime last night to leapfrog Idaho for second place in the Mountain Division. It wasn't the prettiest win of Allen's 12-game points streak (11-0-1-0) to secure second place, but it was definitely the most exciting.  

 

- The good news is that the Americans met all three keys to the game from yesterday's preview. 

• Both of these teams win about 90% of the points when they score first. Harrison Blaisdell accomplished that for Allen with his 31st goal of the season at the 16:12 mark of the first period. It was the only goal in the period. Taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission leads to the second key.
• Both of these teams are lethal with the lead. Their combined record when leading after the first period is 38-2-2-0. Allen avoided playing from behind the entire game. 
• The third key was winning the special reams battle. The Mavericks entered the game with the #1 penalty kill and #3 power play in the league. Allen's penalty kill was perfect (0-3), including killing a 4-on-3 in overtime. Allen's power play was 1-4. The Americans scored the game-winning goal at 5:16 of overtime on the power play. It was Harrison Blaisdell to the rescue again, scoring his second goal of the game and 32nd of the season. 

 

- It wasn't all good news when analyzing the game. Allen never trailed in the game, but they got outplayed in the second and third periods. 

• Kansas City tied the game with 90 seconds remaining in the second period. It wasn't a power-play goal; it was scored three seconds after a penalty expired. The Mavericks had the puck in the Allen zone the entire power play. They took five shots, all of which Mirwald stopped, but the Americans lost all five of the faceoffs. The attack was relentless until what looked like a harmless wrist shot from the blueline, by a former Allen defenseman (Hudson Wilson), found its way into the net just as the penalty expired. 
• The shot totals favored Kansas City, 13-5 in the second period and 17-4 in the third period. To say there was some doubt whether Allen could get the game to overtime would be an understatement. The defense held up in a large part by the play of rookie goalie Brett Mirwald, who came up with great saves time and time again in the third period. His totals for the game were 39 of 40 shots saved, GAA  0.92, and a save percentage .975, plus #1 star of the game.

 

- Here are some of the stats from the game analytics software the Americans use:

•  Shots
• Allen: 53 shots - 19 on goal - 2 goals
• Kansas City: 59 shots - 37 on goal - 1 goal

 

• Puck Possession
• Allen: 47%  (21.32 minutes)
• Kansas City: 53% (23:55 minutes)

 

• Faceoffs
• Allen: 46% (29)
• Kansas City  54% (34)

 

• Most telling are the analytic stats related to special teams. Allen lost 8 of 10 faceoffs when they were on the power play. The Americans took nine shots on four power plays, and just two were on goal, but one was the game-winner.   

 

- Here are the video highlights and game recap:

• Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/kansas-city-mavericks-vs-allen-americans-apr-18-2026 
• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/04/americans-beat-kc-in-ot

 

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

- Get ready for a condensed schedule for the playoff series against Idaho. Arena availability always drives dates, and the switch of positions complicated things. The first five games of the series take place in six days, including travel by both teams to Boise on the one day off:

• Game 1 in Allen: Thursday, April 23, 7:10 pm CDT
• Game 2 in Allen: Friday, April 24, 7:10 pm CDT
• Travel to Idaho: Saturday, April 25
• Game 3 in Idaho: Sunday, April 26, 4:10 pm MDT
• Game 4 in Idaho, Monday, April 27, 7:10 pm MDT
• Game 5 in Idaho, Tuesday, April 28, 7:10 pm MDT*
• Game 6 in Allen, Saturday, May 2, 7:10 pm CDT*
• Game 7 in Allen, Sunday, May 3, 4:10 pm CDT*
• *if necessary 

 

MARTINSON'S POST-GAME COMMENTS

 - Coach Martinson held court with the season ticket holders after the game and talked about the win that clinched second place and the upcoming playoffs:

"Hats off to the guys who earned 23 of 24 points over the last month. I am really proud of their effort."

"Tomorrow will be a big day. Belleville will be meeting with all of their players. I will be on the phone with them to determine which of the eight players on their roster will be assigned to Allen. We won't take all eight players."   

"We need to take more shots on our power play. Too many times tonight, we went to the side of the net instead of screening the goalie. I will show the guys a video of how many times we went to the side of the net." 

"We had too many shots against tonight, and to beat the top teams in the playoffs, we will have to be a little better than we are right now. The players we get from Belleville will help."

"Today was a big day in the Martinson household as our daughter Lily got engaged. Michelle has been busy planning a surprise engagement party for her, which was earlier today."  

   

OTHER COMMENTS

- Now that Allen's regular season is in the books, here are the players who finished top 10 in the league:

• Goals
• #1 - Danny Katic (38)
• #3 - Harrison Blaisdell (35)

 

• Points
• #3 - Brayden Watts (75)
• #6 - Danny Katic (70)

 

• Power Play Goals
• #3 - Danny Katic (11)
• #4 - Colton Hargrove (10)

 

• Power Play Points
• #4 - Sam Sedley (30)

 

• Power Play Assists
• #3 - Sam Sedley (27)
• #5 - Brayden Watts (20)
• #10 - Hank Crone (18) 

 

• Assists
• #2 - Brayden Watts (51)
• #4 - Sam Sedley (47) 

 

• Points (Defensemen)
• #4 - Sam Sedley (55)

 

• Assists (Defensemen)
• #2 - Sam Sedley (47)

Other mentions include Danny Katic #1 in shooting percentage (26.0%), Colton Hargrove #4 in shots (242), and two players that played in all 72 games (Michael Gildon & Harrison Blaisdell). 

  

 

- Brett Mirwald's stat line since joining the Americans after completing his college season is:

• Record - 5-0-1-0
• GAA - 1.58
• Save percentage - .950   

 

- There have been seasons when teams below .500 make the playoffs, but not the case this season. The lowest-ranked team in the playoffs will be Savannah, ranked #20 with 74 points and a .514 points percentage. Kansas City is #1 with 115 points and .799 point percentage. Those totals are the third-highest (tied) in ECHL history. 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: All ECHL first-round playoff matchups have been decided except in the Central Division:

 

North

#1 Wheeling vs #4 Reading

#2 Maine vs #3 Adirondack 

 

South

#1 Florida vs #4 Savannah

#2 South Carolina vs #3 Atlanta 

 

Mountain

#1 Kansas City vs #4 Tahoe

#2 Allen vs #3 Idaho

 

Central

Kalamazoo plays at Fort Wayne today, and the results of that game will decide all four seeds in the division. None is determined yet.

 

 

Watts Wins Sportsmanship Award, Allen Wins 3-2, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, KC Preview, ECHL Average Attendance Hits 5000 and More

 

The Allen Americans extended their point streak to 11 games (10-0-1-0) last night with a 3-2 win in Wichita. It sets up the final game of the season tonight. The point streak built the chance; tonight decides the reward. 

- The 72-game regular season ends tonight, and while Kansas City has already locked up the league's top spot, the Americans have something a lot more personal on the line: home ice against Idaho. Riding a scorching 11-game point streak, Allen needs one point against the Mavericks to leapfrog Idaho for second place and open the playoffs at the CUTX Event Center next week instead of boarding another plane to Boise. 

Both teams staggered into Allen overnight, the Mavericks from Tulsa and the Americans from Wichita. Expect some tired players, strong coffee, and a game that means nothing to Kansas City, but everything for Allen.   

 

- Kansas City played most of its top players in Tulsa last night in a 3-1 loss to the Oilers, so they will not be any more rested than the Americans. Allen won 3-2 and played all 20 players on the roster, as the Americans await the assignment of players from Belleville.

 

- Allen got off to a great start last night, scoring twice early in the first period. Jax Dubois scored his fifth goal in his 10th game with the Americans at the 1:56 mark. Just 95 seconds later (3:31), Danny Katic scored his league-leading 38th goal on the power play. With a 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the game, it looked like it would be an easy night for Allen. Wichita had other plans. The Thunder scored midway through the first period to cut the deficit to 2-1, and that's how the period ended. 

 

- Allen has been the best team in the league in the second period (+42 goal differential) and managed to extend its lead to 3-1 with the only goal in the second period, despite being outshot 14-9 by Wichita.  Hank Crone scored his 13th goal of the season to give Allen a cushion at the second intermission.

 

- Wichita's persistence paid off in the third period when they cut the score to 3-2 at the 7:50 mark. Unlike previous games against the Thunder, when Allen extended its lead in the third period, Wichita kept the pressure on the entire period. The Thunder took the last six shots of the game, and Allen had no shots in the final eight minutes of the game.  

 

- There was a lot to like about the game, even though Allen's high-powered offense, which has averaged close to six goals a game for the last 10 games, was held to three goals:

• Allen scored the 1st goal of the game and improved its record when scoring 1st to 29-2-4-0 (.886)
• Allen led 2-1 after the 1st period and improved its record with a 1st period lead to 17-1-2-0 (.900)
• Allen led 3-1 after the 2nd period and improved it record with a 2nd period lead to 30-0-2-0 (.969)
• Allen won the special teams battle, going 1-3 on the power play and 0-4 on the penalty kill, including a long 5-on-3 penalty kill. 
• Allen's defense held Wichita to two goals, below the Americans' average of  2.93. Marco Costantini was great in goal, stopping 35 of 37 shots for a .946 save percentage.
• Allen finished the season with a record of 9-1-0-0 against Wichita. 

 

Here are the video highlights with all of the goals and great saves, plus game recaps from both teams:

• Video highlights:  Here are the game recaps from both teams: Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/04/game-recap-americans-beat-wichita-3-2 Wichita Thunder: https://wichitathunder.com/news/2026/04/late-push-falls-short-in-loss-to-allen  

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/04/game-recap-americans-beat-wichita-3-2 
• Wichita Thunder: https://wichitathunder.com/news/2026/04/late-push-falls-short-in-loss-to-allen 

 

ALLEN VS KANSAS CITY PREVIEW

- One point stands between Allen and sleeping in their own beds for the first round of the playoffs. The challenge tonight is taking one point from the best team in the ECHL this season.  The game tonight will be the seventh time Allen has played Kansas City this season. The bad news is the Americans are 2-4-0-0 against the Mavericks. The good news is Allen won the last two games, which were road games.  

 

- Here are the stats:

• Allen's record is 42-23-6-0 (.634), Kansas City's is 55-12-2-2 (.808)
• Allen is 9-0-1-0 over the last 10 games, Kansas City is 7-2-0-1.
• Allen is 23-9-3-0 at home, Kansas City is 28-4-1-2 on the road.
• Allen's goal differential is +58 (266-208), Kansas City's is +97 (254-157).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +169, Kansas City's is +304.
• Allen's team save percentage is .914, Kansas City's is .918.

If you look at the season-long stats above, it is clear that Kansas City has been the better team. The Mavericks .808 points percentage is the second-best in the history of the ECHL. If Kansas City wins tonight, it will give them 29 road wins, which would tie the all-time ECHL record. The Mavericks own that record, set in 2023-24 when Kansas City's road record was 29-4-2-1.  

What the stats do show is that Allen is playing the best hockey in the league right now. Since March 22, the Americans have earned 21 of a possible 22 points, averaging 5.80 goals per game and allowing an average of 2.36 goals per game. Interesting, the one point lost was on a controversial overtime penalty. That singular lost point is why Allen needs one point tonight.        

 

- Here are three keys to the game if Allen wants to get a win tonight.

• The Americans have to score the first goal. Allen is almost unbeatable when they score first (29-2-4-0) .886. The only team in the league with a better record is Kansas City, 40-2-2-0 (.932). 
• Allen has to win the special teams battle, and that will be a challenge. Kansas City is ranked #3 on the power play (23.3%) and #1 on the penalty kill (88.6%). Allen has the #7-ranked power play (21.6%) and #10-ranked penalty kill (83.9%). In the six head-to-head games, Allen is 5-31 (16.1%) on the power play, and Kansas City is 7-35 (20.0%). Just like scoring first, if the Americans win the special teams battle, it will go a long way in securing a victory.
• Allen has to avoid playing from behind if they expect to win. The Americans are almost unbeatable with a first-period lead (17-1-2-0). Kansas City is even better (20-1-0-0).
• The same is true with a second-period lead. Allen is 30-0-2-0 with a second-period lead. Kansas City is even better, 34-0-1-0.  

 

- Allen's lineup tonight will be the same as last night, with the exception that Brett Mirwald will get the start in goal. Landon Hookey will play briefly (opening puck drop) and then leave the ice, and that will give him the five games needed to qualify for the playoffs.  

 

Forwards

11 Barbashev - 7 Hargrove - 92 McAuley

29 Watts - 91 Gildon - 9 Katic

77 Sillinger - 44 Dubois - 18 Blaisdell

26 Asuchak - 55 Hookey - 67 Crone

 

Defense

8 Prefontaine - 23 Sedley

86 Anania - 22 Costantini

21 Decker - 2 Warmuth

 

Goalies

32 Mirwald

33 Costantini (backup)

 

  

- Coach Martinson has been pointing to this game for well over a month. What I thought was a long shot, he was confident in. I know this game is important to him on many levels. This is what he shared with me this morning:

"The team has been getting the job done, and now it comes down to one game for home ice in the first round of the playoffs. It is business, but some wins feel better than others. I feel we will come out tonight playing full tilt hockey."  

"Tonight will be like a playoff game. We can see early who has the mindset and discipline to play a best of one! Can't wait for the puck to drop. 

 

   

OTHER COMMENTS

- Stick taps to Brayden Watts, who is the recipient of the 2025-26 ECHL Sportsmanship Award. The award is given annually to a player with a high standard of playing ability who is judged to have exhibited the best sportsmanship. The only other Allen player to win this award was Chad Costello in 2014-15. 

Watts had a hooking penalty last night. It was only his sixth penalty of the season. He went half the season, 36 games and three months, from December 3 to March 6, without taking a penalty.  

   

- Danny Katic scored a goal last night and maintains a three-goal lead in the most goals race (38-35) and still has a chance to reach 40 goals. Brayden Watts had an assist last night and leads all forwards with 50 assists. 

 

 - The Central Division is still up in the air, coming down to the last two days of the season. The division championship won't be decided until Sunday. Fort Wayne and Toledo are tied with 98 points. Toledo is done. Fort Wayne plays at home tomorrow. Toledo has the tiebreaker if they end up tied.

    Three teams (Bloomington, Indy, Kalamazoo) have a chance to claim one of the final two playoff spots tonight. Here are the details, plus the previews on the 11 games on the schedule tonight. https://echl.com/news/2026/04/echl-today-april-18    

 

- Tulsa is at Wichita tonight in a battle for the cellar in the Mountain Division. Tulsa has been in last place since before Thanksgiving and tied with Wichita last night by beating Kansas City. The Oilers and Thunder are tied with 71 points. The team that loses tonight ends up in last place. Tulsa has gained 11 points on Wichita in the last 10 games and, with one more win tonight, will escape the cellar. 

 

- There are some hard-to-explain records between Mountain Division teams this season. Here are a few examples:

• 13-2-0-0 Kansas City vs Wichita
• 4-3-0-1 Wichita vs Tahoe
• 6-0-0-0 Tulsa vs Rapid City
• 10-1-2-0 Rapid City vs Tahoe
• 9-1-0-0 Allen vs Wichita
• 6-0-0-1 Idaho vs Allen 

  

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL hit an attendance milestone last night. 11 games drew 64,127 fans for an average of 5830 per game. That was enough to push the season average to 5001. It is the first time the ECHL has averaged 5000 per game since the 1990’s. With 16 games and two days remaining in the season, the average will continue to climb. The 2025-26 season will be the fourth-highest average attendance in the 38-year history of the ECHL. Here are the top seven attendance seasons all-time:

 

5361: 1997-97

5196: 1995-96

5110: 1997-98

5001: 2025-26 (16 games remaining)

4984: 2024-25

4981: 2023-24

4979: 1999-2000

Katic Selected to All ECHL First Team, Allen vs Wichita Preview, Belleville Players Coming to Allen, ECHL Attendance Average, Waiver Deadline Today and More

 

I want to start the blog this morning with stick taps to Danny Katic, who was named to the All ECHL First Team yesterday. That is quite an accomplishment to be selected as one of the top six players in the ECHL this season, when you consider over 1000 players played during the season. Here is the press release with the details: https://echl.com/news/2026/04/all-echl-first-and-second-teams-announced. Danny joins a distinguished list of Allen players who have received this honor:  

• Danny Katic - 2025-26
• Hank Crone -  2022-23
• Tyler Sheehy - 2019-20
• Alex Breton - 2019-20
• David Makowski - 2017-18, 2016-17
• Riley Gill - 2016-17
• Chad Costello - 2016-17, 2015-16, 2014-15 

 

 

Step one: The Allen Americans need to handle business tonight in Wichita. Step two: Travel back to Allen overnight and earn home ice for the playoffs tomorrow night. On paper, the task in Wichita might seem easy. Allen is 8-1-0-0 against Wichita this season and is playing its best hockey of the season. Over the last 10 games, the Americans' record is 9-0-1-0. Meanwhile, Wichita is 1-8-1-0 over its last 10 games. This is the kind of game that looks easy, right up until it isn't. Wichita may be struggling, but overlooking them would be the fastest way to complicate the weekend. History favors the Americans, but history won't win tonight's game.

 

Here are the stats:

• Allen's record is 41-23-6-0 (.629), Wichita's is 25-34-7-4 (436. 
• Allen is 9-0-1-0 over the last 10 games, Wichita is 1-8-1-0.
• Allen is 18-14-3-0 on the road, Wichita is 15-13-2-4 on the road.
• Allen's goal differential is +57 (263-206), Wichita's is -40 (191-231).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +169, Wichita's is -255.
• Allen's team save percentage is .914, Wichita's is .906.

 

- Here is how the teams rank in some key stats: 

• Goals scored average: Allen #1 (3.76) - Wichita #22 (2.73)
• Goals allowed average: Allen #13 (2.94) - Wichita #21 (3.30)
• Shots for average: Allen #2 (33.90) - Wichita #12 (31.39)
• Shots against average: Allen #27 (34.21) - Wichita #28 (34.57)
• Power play percentage: Allen #7 (21.5%) - Wichita #19 (17.4%)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen #12 (83.7%) - Wichita #11 (84.0%)

 

- Here are some other relevant stats:

• Allen is ranked #16 in penalty minutes (879), Wichita is ranked #28 with 682 minutes.
• Allen has scored first in 49% of its games with a record of 28-2-4-0 (.882)
• Wichita has scored first in 47% of its games with a record of 16-13-2-2 (.545).
• Allen has been involved in 12 overtime games with a record of 3-6 in OT and 3-0 in shootouts. 
• Wichita has been involved in 15 overtime games with a record of 3-7 in OT and 1-4 in shootouts. 
• Allen is 29-0-2-0 when leading after the 2nd period, Wichita is 16-2-2-1. 
• Allen is 7-17-2-0 when trailing after the 1st period, Wichita is 6-15-1-2.
• Conclusions from these stats tell you that the team that stays out of the penalty box, scores first, and plays with the lead has a big advantage. Neither team plays well from behind.

 

- If you look at all the stats above, it is clear that Allen is the better team and should win the game tonight. Special teams are an exception, as the stats are close when you look at home versus road comparisons. Allen has the #2-ranked road power play percentage (24.5%), but Wichita isn't far behind with a home power play percentage of 21.5%. If you look at penalty kill percentages, Wichita is better at home (81.6%) than Allen is on the road (79.8%). If you look at the head-to-head stats, the Americans do have an advantage. Allen has scored at least one power play goal in seven of the nine games for a total of 10-39  (25.6%). Wichita has scored power-play goals in four of the nine games for a total of 5-33 (15.2%). How important is winning the special teams battle? 

 

- The team practiced yesterday morning (9:30) before heading to Wichita around noon. In talking to Coach Martinson and some players, it was a great practice with a lot of energy, crisp passes, and plenty of goals scored. It is clear this team is fired up for the playoffs and the opportunity to get home ice for the first round. 

 

- Here is Allen’s lineup tonight against Wichita. 

 

Forwards

11 Barbashev - 7 Hargrove - 92 McAuley

29 Watts - 91 Gildon - 9 Katic

77 Sillinger - 44 Dubois - 18 Blaisdell

26 Asuchak - 55 Hookey - 67 Crone

  

Defense

8 Prefontaine - 23 Sedley

86 Anania - 22 Costantini

21 Decker - 2 Warmuth

 

Goalies

33 Costantini

32 Mirwald (backup)

 

 

- Coach Martinson has released three players in the last two days: Chase Maxwell, Kevin Gursoy, and Trevor LeDonne. These moves are in anticipation of Belleville assigning players to Allen for the playoffs. Martinson could have waited to release these players (the waiver deadline is this afternoon), but releasing them a few days early gives them a better chance of being picked up by another team. 

 

- I get more questions about who and when players from Belleville will be assigned to Allen than any other question. Here is what I know and don't know:

• Belleville has two games remaining, both against Syracuse. At home tonight and in Syracuse tomorrow night. Don't expect any players to be assigned to Allen in time for the game against Kansas City.
• Once the season is complete, there will be conversations about which players will be sent to Allen.
• By my unofficial count, there are eight players on the Belleville roster eligible to be assigned to Allen. Will they all be assigned to Allen? The answer to that is no. Could you see the majority of these players assigned? In my opinion, the answer is yes. There can be 25 players on the playoff roster, and the current Allen roster, after the recent releases, is at 20. 

 

- Here are the eight players in Belleville eligible to be sent to Allen

• Mark Duarte - Right-shot forward who played nine games in Allen the first month of the season and 36 games in Belleville. Led the Americans in goals last season.
• Riley Kidney - Left-shot forward who played 46 games in Trois-Rivières this season, six games in Laval (AHL), and five games in Belleville. The 2nd round draft choice of Montreal (2021) is under an NHL contract. He was traded to Ottawa and loaned to Belleville in mid-March. 
• Ryan O'Rourke - Left-shot defenseman played 11 games with Trois-Riviéres this season, eight with Laval (AHL), and nine with Belleville. He was traded from Laval to Belleville in mid-March. He was the second-round draft choice of the Minnesota Wild in 2020.
• Djibril Touré - Right-shot defenseman who played five games in Allen and has played 34 games in Belleville,
• Luke Mistlebacher - Right-shot forward who was just signed by Belleville for the 2026-27 season and joined Belleville on an ATO (amateur tryout) for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Because he is on an ATO he is qualified to be sent to Allen, even though he has not played in the ECHL. 
• Hoyt Stanley - Right-shot defenseman recently (March 30) signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract with Ottawa, set to start in 2026-27. He was Ottawa's fourth-round draft pick in 2023. He just joined Belleville on an ATO (amateur tryout). Because he is on an ATO, he is qualified to be sent to Allen, even though he has not played in the ECHL  
• Jackson Parsons - He has played 22 games in Allen this season and 13 games in Belleville. 
• Blake Montgomery - a right-shot forward, who just finished his collegiate career with the University of Wisconsin, signed a 3-year entry-level NHL contract with Ottawa set to start in 2026-27. He has joined Belleville on an amateur tryout agreement (ATO). Because he is on an ATO, he is qualified to be sent to Allen, even though he has not played in the ECHL  

 

- All 20 players on the Allen roster are in Wichita, but the team will be playing short-handed. That is because Landon Hookey will play only briefly (opening faceoff) to get his five games to qualify for the playoffs. Tonight will be his fourth game with Allen, so he will have to do the same thing tomorrow night. 

 

- The game tonight will be a two-referee game. Eric Arrigo (#45) and Ibrahim Arifi (#46) will work the game. You may remember Arifi, as he was one of the referees who worked the recent overtime game against Tahoe that the Americans lost on a power play. What appeared to be an obvious slashing penalty against Tahoe was not called, just before Allen was called for a tripping penalty. It drew this remark from Coach Martinson when I talked to him after the game, "If you don't call the slashing, you can't call the tripping." 

 

OTHER COMMENTS 

- Allen has the best offense in the ECHL. The Americans have six 20+ goal scorers, more than any other team in the league (tied with Tahoe). The Americans are the only team in the league with two 30-goal scorers (Katic & Blaisdell). Here are some other individual stats to keep an eye on in the last two regular-season games.

 

- Danny Katic has a three-goal lead in the most goals race (37-34) and has a chance to reach 40 goals. Danny is also fifth in the league in points (69) with a chance to move up. He is a lock to have the best shooting percentage in the ECHL (26.2%), which he also won last season. Katic has seven goals in eight games against Wichita this season. 

 

- Brayden Watts is #1 among all ECHL forwards in assists (49) and #2 in points (73). Watts always plays well against Wichita, where he played four seasons and was captain of the team, before joining Allen. Brayden has 11 points (4G, 7A) against the Thunder this season.  

 

- Sam Sedley is all over the ECHL leader board. He is tied for #4 in the league in assists (46), #3 in power play assists (27), and #4 in power play points (30). Sam has feasted in games against Wichita this season with 14 points (1G, 13A) and +11 in nine games.  

  

- The ECHL is on the verge of reaching the 5000 average attendance mark for the first time since the 1990's. I posted this a week ago:  

5361: 1997-97

5196: 1995-96

5110: 1997-98

4984: 2024-25

4981: 2023-24

4979: 1999-2000

4955: 2025-26

 

In the last week, the average ECHL attendance has increased to 4992 and should exceed the 5000 mark tonight.

 

- There are 11 games on the ECHL schedule tonight, with most of the drama in the Central Division. Fort Wayne and Toledo are battling for the top spot. If Toledo loses at home tonight against Wheeling, Fort Wayne clinches the Central Division title. Bloomington can become the 15th team to qualify for the playoffs if they beat Iowa at home tonight. If Bloomington wins tonight, the final playoff spot will go to Indy, Cincinnati, or Kalamazoo. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/04/echl-today-april-17

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL waiver deadline is today, April 17, at 5:00 pm EDT. Any player placed on waivers or otherwise released after this deadline is deemed an unrestricted free agent and is ineligible to be added to another team’s roster for the rest of the regular season or playoffs.

 

Look for lots of activity when the transactions list comes out today. Players bring waived ahead of the deadline and NHL/AHL players being assigned to ECHL playoff teams. FYI, ECHL playoff rosters are due in the league office on Monday at 3:00 pm EDT. It will be a busy weekend firming up playoff rosters.

 

Allen Wins 6-3, Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, Blaisdell Hatty Team's 10th, ECHL Attendance, Defensemen Leading Team in Points

 

The Allen Americans beat the Wichita Thunder 6-3 on Sunday afternoon to keep their hopes alive of passing the Idaho Steelheads for second place in the Mountain Division and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Idaho beat Tulsa 7-3 yesterday in its final game of the regular season and finished with 91 points. Allen has 88 points with two games remaining. The Americans play in Wichita on Friday and close out the season against Kansas City at home on Saturday. Because Allen owns the tiebreaker (regulation wins) 35-29, the Americans need three points in the two games this weekend to claim second place.

 

- Allen's win yesterday was similar to a lot of its wins during the Americans 10-game point streak (9 wins, 1 OT loss). The Americans trailed 1-0 after the first period, the game was tied 2-2 after the second period, and Allen pulled away in the third period with four goals.

 

- Trailing 1-0 after the first period, Allen scored two goals in the first half of the second period to take a 2-1 lead, and it looked like the Americans were on their way to victory.  Maxim Barbashev scored at 3:34, and Harrison Blaisdell scored at 9:19. The momentum quickly shifted back to Wichita when the Thunder tied the score 2-2 just 40 seconds after Allen had taken the lead. The second period ended with the score tied 2-2.

 

- Despite being tired from playing four games in five days and traveling all night to get to Wichita, Allen owned the third period. They outshot the Thunder 14-8 and outscored them 4-1 to cruise to the 6-3 win. The four goals in the third period were scored by Jax Dubois, Danny Katic, and Harrison Blaisdell (2). 

 

- Here is the goal recap: Blaisdell (28,29,30), Barbashev (9), Dubois 4), Katic (37). Prefontaine, Sedley, and Sillinger had two assists. FYI, Allen is the only ECHL team with two 30-goal scorers this season. It was Blaisdell's third hat trick of the season. Here are the video highlights with all of the goals, a couple of highlight reel saves, and a scrum. https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-wichita-thunder-apr-12-2026 

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder with all of the details: https://wichitathunder.com/news/2026/04/wichita-closes-weekend-with-loss-vs-allen

 

- I asked Coach Martinson to share what he liked about the Allen win in Wichita. This is what he shared:

"We had a big third period with a lot of slick passing. The cream is rising to the top."

 "The Katic, Watts, Gildon line could have had five or six goals."

"Blaisdell's goals were just plain will over fatigue. He just blew through Wichita's attempts to stop him and got rewarded with a hat trick."

"I was frustrated with the goals against. Something to work on this week at practice."

"Andre is on his way back from Milwaukee. We will come back to Wichita for the game on Friday rested and laser-focused to set us up for home ice." 

"What I like is that we are approaching every game knowing there is a lot on the line and stepping up to the challenge."

"Next Saturday's home game will be like a game seven playoff game for us."  

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Andre Anania is back in Allen after his loan to Milwaukee over the weekend. He played on Saturday (1 shot, +1) but did not play on Sunday, because the team received a defenseman back from the NHL. 

 

-  Here is an update on the Allen players vying for top spots in various scoring stats. 

• Danny Katic leads the league in goals by three (37-34) over Brandon Hawkins of Toledo. Both players have two games remaining. Danny will also finish as the league's most accurate shooter. His 26.2% shooting percentage (37 goals on 141 shots) is 2.5% better than second place.
• Brayden Watts is tied for #2 in assists (#)1 among forwards in assists with 49. Brayden is tied with Danny Dzhaniyev of Utah, but the Grizzlies have no game remaining.
• Sam Sedley is #2 among ECHL defensemen in assists (46).    

 

-  Harrison Blaisdell's hat trick yesterday, his third of the season, broke Allen's all-time record for hat tricks in a single season, which this team already owns. Here is every hat trick since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014-15. The order is by the number of hat tricks. This is an impressive team statistic when you consider all of the great teams from the past. 

• 2025-26 (10)
• 3 - Danny Katic 
• 3 - Harrison Blaisdell 
• 1 - Hank Crone 
• 1 - Mark Duarte 
• 1 - Colton Hargrove 
• 1 - Brayden Watts

 

• 2022-23 (8)
• 3 - Hank Crone
• 2 - Liam Finlay
• 2 - Colton Hargrove
• 1 - Jakov Novak 

 

• 2021-22 (6)
• 2 - Branden Troock
• 1 - Chad Costello  
• 1 - Gavin Gould
• 1 - Luke Henman
• 1 - Josh Winquist

 

• 2016-17 (6)
• 3 - Bryan Moore 
• 2 - Greger Hanson
• 1 - Chad Costello

 

• **2014-15 (6)
• 2 - Jack Combs
• 1 - Chad Costello
• 1 - Conrad Abeltshauser*
• 1 - Kyle Follmer
• 1 - Greger Hanson

 

• 2018-19 (5)
• 1- Alex Breton*
• 1 - Jacob Doty
• 1 - Zach Pochiro
• 1 - Braylon Schmyr
• 1 - Gary Steffes

 

• 2024-25 (3)
• 1 - Spencer Asuchak
• 1 - Easton Brodzinski
• 1 - Brayden Watts

 

• 2019-20 (3)
• 1 - Gabe Gagne
• 1 - Alex Guptill
• 1 -Jordan Topping 

 

• 2017-18 (3)
• 1 - Vincent Arseneau
• 1 - Alex Guptill
• 1 - Gary Steffes

 

• **2015-16 (3)
• 1 - Dyson Stevenson
• 1 - Chad Costello
• 1 - Chris Crane

 

• 2020-21 (2)
• 1 - Les Lancaster*
• 1 - Jesse Mychan  

 *Defensemen 

**Kelly Cup Championship seasons

 

- The Central Division battle for the final two Kelly Cup playoffs spots is tighter than a goalie's five-hole in overtime. Three games remaining for some, two for others. It's playoff hockey before the playoffs. Here are the points and games remaining for the four teams vying for the final two playoff spots: 

76 points - Indy (2 games remaining) 

75 points - Bloomington (3 games remaining)

75 points - Cincinnati (2 games remaining)    

74 points - Kalamazoo (3 games remaining) 

FYI, the first tiebreaker is regulation wins, and it looks like it will be needed. Here is how they stand:

• 26 wins - Bloomington
• 25 wins - Kalamazoo
• 24 wins - Indy
• 21 wins - Cincinnati 

 

- The ECHL average attendance for 2025-26 increased from 4955 to 4982 over the weekend and has a chance to become the best average attendance since the 1990's when the ECHL averaged over 5000 for three straight seasons. 32 games are remaining, and the average attendance could reach 5000 for the first time since 1997-98. Here are the top six all-time: 

5361: 1996-97

5196: 1995-96

5110: 1997-98

4984: 2024-25 

4982: 2025-26 (32 games remaining)

4981: 2023-24

 

DID YOU KNOW: Four ECHL defensemen lead their team in points. 14 lead their team in assists:

 

Points

86 - Marcus Crawford, Kansas City

57 - Nikita Sedov, Bloomington

46 - Ben Meehan, Reading

45 - Matt Petgrave, Indy

 

Assists

72 - Marcus Crawford, Kansas City

45 - Chad Nychuk, Atlanta

45 - Riley McCourt, Toledo

44 - Jalen Smereck, Fort Wayne

44 - Nikita Sedov, Bloomington

43 - Brent Johnson, Wheeling

38 - Jeremy Hanzel, Adirondack

29 - Josh Atkinson, Greenville

37 - Jordan Sambrook, Florida

37 - Davis Pennington, Kalamazoo

35 - Jake Johnson, Cincinnati

34 - Ben Meehan, Reading

33 - Dennis Cesana, Savannah

33 - Matt Petgrave, Indy

 

Marcus Crawford leads the entire ECHL in points and assists and is a lock to win the MVP. That has happened only one other time in ECHL history. Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Valicevic was the ECHL MVP in 1998-99.

   

Allen Win Streak Ends with OT Loss, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Wichita Preview, Bellville Update, ECHL Players with 20+ Goals and More

 

The Allen Americans came back from a 3-1 third-period deficit only to lose 4-3 to Tahoe in overtime last night. The game-winning goal, at 2:34 of overtime, was scored on the power play. What appeared to be an obvious slashing penalty against Tahoe was not called, just before Allen was called for a tripping penalty. It drew this remark from Coach Martinson when I talked to him after the game, "If you don't call the slashing, you can't call the tripping."

 

 - Allen's eight-game winning streak was snapped, but the point they earned last night extends their point streak to nine games and may be critical to passing Idaho for second place in the division. The Steelheads beat Tulsa 4-1 last night and have a three-point lead (89 vs 86) over Allen. Idaho plays Tulsa this afternoon in their final game of the season. What does Allen have to do to finish in second place? If Idaho wins today, Allen needs five points in its last three games. If Idaho loses today, the Americans need three points in their last three games.

 

- In retrospect, there were a couple of key turning points early in the game last night that were key. Allen scored the first goal (8th time in 9 games) at 3:56 of the first period when Spencer Asuchak batted the puck out of the air into the net after it bounced off the end boards. Three minutes later, Danny Katic appeared to score a second goal. It was ruled a goal on the ice, but after a long review, the goal was disallowed for a kicking motion. Shortly after the disallowed goal that would have given Allen a 2-0 lead, Tahoe tied the score. The period ended with the score tied 1-1, but Tahoe took two penalties in the last nine seconds of the period (19:51 & 19:59).

 

- The second turning point was when Allen started the second period with a long 5-on-3 power play (1:51) and failed to convert. The Americans managed just one shot. When I asked Coach Martinson about this power play, he told me, "We had a chance between periods to set up three different plays to try on that 5-on-3, and they didn't try any of them."

 

- The second period, which has been Allen's best all season, did not go well for the Americans. After the failed 5-on-3 power play, Tahoe scored two unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. The Americans had some chances, outshooting Tahoe 13-11, but could not get the puck past the Knight Monsters' goalie.

 

- Allen's record when trailing after the second period is 3-18-3-0, so it was clear the third period would be a challenge, trailing 3-1. It didn't take long for Allen to cut into that lead. Michael Gildon, scored his second goal in as many games at the 4:24 mark. At the midpoint of the period, Brayden Watts tied the score 3-3, and Allen was back in business. Both teams had opportunities to win the game in the second half of the third period, but the goalies made great saves. The bottom line is that it was a big comeback by the Americans to force the game into overtime.

 

- The overtime period was a disappointment for the Americans. No shots in the first 1:56 of overtime, and then a tripping penalty gave Tahoe a 4-on-3 power play. It took 38 seconds for Tahoe to score. It was the only shot of the overtime period. 

 

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

• Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/tahoe-knight-monsters-vs-allen-americans-apr-11-2026 
• Allen game recap: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/04/americans-earn-ot-point 
• Tahoe game recap: https://knightmonstershockey.com/news/2026/04/knight-monsters-win-season-series-against-americans-with-4-3-overtime-road-victory  

 

- Right after the game, the team was scrambling to get packed up to head to Wichita, which is a 365-mile drive. Puck drop this afternoon is 2:05 CDT. Wichita also had to travel back home last night after losing 4-3 to Kansas City. Their commute was 207 miles.  

 

- No doubt, both teams will be tired today, playing their fourth game in five days. You often hear these games are more will over skill. In that case, the Americans should be very motivated with second place on the line. There is no excuse for not winning this game. Wichita has nothing to play for and has had its team depleted. They have lost 11 of their last 12 games. By any measure, Allen is the better team today. They need to prove it today.

 

- Allen will have some lineup changes for the game today. Landon Hookey (injured) and Colton Hargrove (healthy scratch) did not make the trip. Andre Anania is still in Milwaukee on loan. Moving into the lineup with fresh legs will be Kevin Gursoy and Chase Maxwell.  Marco Costantini will be in goal. His last start was April 2, against Greensboro.

 

- Here is the lineup for today. 

Forwards

11 Barbashyov - 44 Dubois - 92 McAuley 

29 Watts - 91 Gildon - 9 Katic

77 Sillinger - 18 Blaisdell - 19 Maxwell

26 Asuchak - 14 Gursoy - 67 Crone

 

Defense 

8 Prefontaine - 23 Sedley 

25 LeDonne - 22 Costantini

21 Decker - 2 Warmuth

 

Goalies

33 Costantini 

32 Mirwald  (backup)

 

 

- Allen's game starts an hour before Idaho's, so the Idaho outcome will not be known before the Allen game is over. What is known is that an Allen regulation loss today, along with an Idaho win, eliminates all chances of the Americans reaching second place. The definition of a must-win game.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Danny Katic's ECHL goal lead is two goals over Brandon Hawkins of Toledo (36-34). Both players have three games remaining. Hawkins will also have a say in which forward finishes with the most points. Hawkins leads with 73 points, followed by Brayden Watts with 72. Utah's Danny Dzhaniyev also has 72 points, but only one game left.

 

- Savannah lost last night, but still clinched a spot in the playoffs. There are only two playoff spots yet to be determined, both in the Central Division. Here are the points and games remaining for the four teams vying for the final two playoff spots: 

75 points - Cincinnati (3 games remaining)  

74 points - Indy (3 games remaining) 

73 points - Bloomington (4 games remaining)  

72 points - Kalamazoo (4 games remaining)

 

 

- Andre Anania had one shot and was +1 in helping Milwaukee to a 4-3 shootout win yesterday. He will be in the lineup again today (3:00 pm CDT) when Milwaukee hosts the Iowa Wild at home. 

 

- Belleville has been officially eliminated from the AHL playoffs, and now the only thing keeping the Senators from sending players to Allen is availability. Belleville has three games remaining, on Wednesday (15th), Friday (17th), and Saturday (18th), so don't expect many players to be sent to Allen before Saturday. FYI, playoff rosters are due on Monday (20th) at 3:00 pm EDT.

 

- A former Allen American has been suspended, and a coach has been fined. Here are the details: https://echl.com/news/2026/04/echl-announces-fines-suspensions2

   

 DID YOU KNOW: The Americans are the best offensive team in the ECHL, averaging 3.72 goals per game. Allen has six players with 20 or more goals. How does that compare to the rest of the league?

Number of players on each ECHL team with 20 or more goals. Some strong offenses at the top of this list:

 

6: ALN, TAH

5: KC

4: FW, IDH

3: ATL, FLA, NOR, RC, TOL, UTA, WIC

2: CIN, MNE, SC, WHL, WOR

1: ADK, GVL, KAL, ORL, SAV

0: BLM, GSO, IND, IA, JAX, REA, TR, TUL

 

 

Seven teams have a player with 30 or more goals. ADK, ALN, IDH, KC, TAH, TOL, UTA.

Allen Wins 6-2, Game Recaps, Video Highlights, Hookey Injured, Anania Loaned, Martinson Comments, ECHL Attendance and More

 

The Allen Americans extended their winning streak to eight games last night with a 6-2 win over Tahoe. Allen's all-time record winning streak is nine games, set in 2014-15. This is just the third winning streak of eight games in franchise history. The other two were in 2016-17 and 2014-15.

 

- Allen's win, along with Tulsa beating Idaho last night, has Allen two points behind Idaho for second place in the division with two games in hand. If Idaho wins its two remaining games (tonight & Sunday), the Americans will need six points in their remaining four games to claim second place. 

 

- It was a slow start last night for two high-powered offenses, ranked #1 and #3 in the league in goals per game. There was no scoring in the first period. Things picked up in the second period when the teams combined for five goals. Allen scored the first goal 97 seconds after the second period puck drop. It was a power play goal by Brayden Watts. Tahoe responded with back-to-back goals in 93 seconds to take a 2-1 lead. Then it was Allen's turn to respond, and the veterans came to the rescue. Spencer Asuchak tied the score 2-2 just over two minutes after Tahoe took the lead, and Colton Hargrove scored Allen's second power play goal of the game to give the Americans a 3-2 lead, which they took into the second intermission. As you know, when Allen has the lead after the second period, it is pretty much lights out. The Americans' record when leading after the second period improved to 29-0-2-0.

 

- Allen added three goals in the third period, and it could have been more. The Americans had 13 minutes of power-play time, including a four-minute high-sticking penalty and a five-minute major for slew-footing. Allen did manage to get two power-play goals (Hargrove & Dubois), but missed on several other opportunities. The third-period even-strength goal was scored by Michael Gildon, as he became the 6th Allen player with 20+ goals. 

 

- Recapping the goal scorers: Watts (23), Asuchak (12), Hargrove (25,26), Gildon (20) and Dubois (3). Three players had multiple assists: Katic (3), Sedley (2), and Gildon (2). Here are the video highlights, plus the game recaps from both teams:

• Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/tahoe-knight-monsters-vs-allen-americans-apr-10-2026 
• Allen game recap: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/04/game-recap-americans-win-eighth-straight   
• Tahoe game recap: https://knightmonstershockey.com/news/2026/04/allen-scores-five-unanswered-to-defeat-knight-monsters-on-home-ice-6-2   

 

- Two keys to the game in Allen's 6-2 win were scoring the first goal and winning the special teams battle. 

•  Allen has scored the first goal in seven of the eight games of its winning streak. The Americans' points percentage when scoring first is up to .894 (28-2-3-0),
• Allen was 4-8 (50%) on the power play, the second-best power play night of the season, only surpassed by Valentine's Day. The Americans beat Tulsa 5-3 with all five goals from the power play. Allen was 5-6 (83.3%).  

 

-  Roster news:

• Tahoe's leader in points per game, Sloan Stanick, has been suspended for one game for the uncalled elbow to the head that injured Landon Hookey, and will miss the game tonight.
• Defenseman Andre Anania has been loaned to the AHL Milwaukee Admirals, who play at home tonight (Chicago) and tomorrow afternoon (Iowa). It is a tough time to lose a top defenseman, but Coach Martinson wants players to get AHL opportunities as long as the AHL teams say they will play. 
• Trevor LeDonne will take Anania's place in the lineup.
• Brett Mirwald will start in goal tonight, Marco Costantini will start in Wichita tomorrow afternoon. 
• Landon Hookey will dress for the game tonight, but will play very very sparingly.

I will post the full lineup later today. 

 

 

- Here is the game preview issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/04/game-day-preview-another-battle-with-tahoe 

 

COACH MARTINSON'S POST-GAME COMMENTS 

"Hookey was elbowed in the jaw, and there was no penalty called. I will submit that to the league for review. Hookey will be in the lineup tomorrow, but will only play briefly to get the game credit. He won't travel to Wichita with us after the game. We will do the same thing next week (Hookey playing briefly to get game credit) when we go to Wichita again, and then play Kansas City on the 18th, and he will have his five games played. We will have 20 players dressed for those three games, but we will be playing short a player, because Hookey will only play a few seconds."   

"It was nice to get all of the power play goals and for Gildon to get his 20th." 

"It would have been nice to get a goal on that 5-on-3. I really wanted seven goals."

"I thought we played pretty well tonight. Tahoe has some good players with a lot of offense. My whole thing after the second period was that they can't change their position in the standings; they just want to score. If we just play hard, we will be successful." 

"We are loaning Anania to Milwaukee tomorrow. He will be playing two games, and the timing isn't great, but that kid deserves every opportunity he gets."

"Mirwald will play again tomorrow, and Marco will play on Sunday. Mirwald has been in a zone, and remember, he sat around for a month and had to wait for his turn. He has been outstanding. You don't get Goalie of the Year in the WHL and Canada West (college) Goalie of the Year unless you are really good."

Ottawa/Belleville is very motivated to help us in the playoffs, but who and when players will be sent remains to be seen. I would like to have some of those players here for the final game of the season against Kansas City."  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen's points percentage is up to .625 with four games remaining. Here is Allen's regular-season points percentage each season since joining the ECHL. Steve Martinson coached teams are marked with an asterisk 

• .736: 2014-15* (won Kelly Cup)
• .722: 2016-17*
• .710: 2019-20*
• .653: 2020-21*
• .625: 2025-26* 
• ,618: 2015-16* (won Kelly Cup)
• .549: 2021-22* 
• .542: 2017-18*
• .535: 2022-23
• .486: 2023-24 
• .389: 2018-19* 
• .299: 2024-25 

 

- The points keep coming as Allen has won eight straight. Here is an update:

 The totals for the eight-game win streak are 48 goals scored (6.00 average) and 17 goals allowed (2.13  average). Here are some of the individual accomplishments:

• Brayden Watts has points in nine of the last 10 games. He is #3 in the league in assists (47) and #3 in points (70).
• Danny Katic leads the league in goals (36) and shooting percentage (26.7%). He has an 11-game point streak.
• Colby McAuley has12 points (6G, 6A) and is +10 during this winning streak.
• Michael Gildon has points in eight of the last nine games. His totals are 15 points (5G, 13A). 
• Harrison Blaisdell has points in seven of the last nine games. A total of  12 points (7G, 5A). 
• Sam Sedley has points in six straight games, 10 points (2G, 8A). He is #3 in the ECHL in power play assists (24) and #4 in power play points (24).
• Colton Hargrove has 12 points (8G, 4A) in the eight-game win streak.
• Anthony Costantini +16 and Andre Anania +14 lead the team in plus/minus during this eight-game winning streak. 

 

- There are only three playoff spots yet to be determined. One in the South Division and two in the Central Division. Savannah can clinch a spot today. The Central Division will likely go until the last game of the season. Here are the points and games remaining for the four teams competing for two playoff spots:

74 points - Indy (4 games remaining) 

74 points - Cincinnati (4 games remaining) 

72 points - Kalamazoo (5 games remaining)

71 points - Bloomington (5 games remaining) 

 

 

- It is a rare night when all 30 ECHL teams are in action. Even more rare is that all of the games are within the division, except one (Bloomington at Greenville), because they come from divisions with an odd number of teams. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/04/echl-today-april-11

 

- Who are the hottest teams in the ECHL heading for the playoffs? If you look at the current longest undefeated streaks, they are all from the Mountain Division, and two of the teams won't make the playoffs.

• 8-0-0-0: Allen
• 6-0-0-0: Tulsa - 22% of Tulsa's wins this season have come in the last six games.  
• 5-0-0-0: Utah  - 42% of Utah's home wins this season have come since April 1. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about average attendance. Allen will set an all-time attendance record this season. Here are the top five:

• 4846: 2025-26 
• 4573: 2024-25 
• 4571: 2015-16  
• 4349: 2023-24 
• 4340: 2016-17 

 

ECHL average attendance this season is 4955 with 60 games remaining, which currently ranks #7 all-time, but could climb to #4 by season's end. Here are the top seven seasons:

 

5361: 1997-97

5196: 1995-96

5110: 1997-98

4984: 2024-25

4981: 2023-24

4979: 1999-2000

4955: 2025-26

 

Last night, 13 games averaged 5601

 

.

Here is a breakdown of the 2025-26 ECHL average attendance:

9000+: 1 team

8000-8999: 1 team

7000-7999: 3 teams

6000-6999: 3 teams

5000-5999: 6 teams

4000-4999: 7 teams

3000-3999: 5 teams

2000-2999: 2 teams

1000-1999: 1 team

 

Allen vs Tahoe Series Preview, Belleville Players Qualified for ECHL Playoffs, .700 Regular Season Teams and the Kelly Cup and More

 

The Allen Americans' quest for second place in the Mountain Division continues tonight at the CUTX Event Center in the first of two games against the Tahoe Knight Monsters. If the Americans want to control their own destiny and not rely on Idaho to lose one of its three remaining games, tonight's game is a must-win.

 

-  Allen has played Tahoe three times this season, all at the beginning of January on the road. Allen lost the first two games of the series and won the third. They were memorable games. Here is a reminder:

January 2 - The Allen Americans were shut out 5-0 by the Tahoe Knight Monsters in the opening game of a three-game series. You know it is going to be a long night when the Americans outshot Tahoe 20-8 in the first period and trailed 3-0. The game was over quickly when the Knight Monsters scored twice in the first four minutes of the game (2:14 & 4:07). Allen had plenty of chances, but could not get the puck by rookie goalie Cameron Whitehead, who stopped all 39 Allen shots on the way to his first professional shutout. 

January 3 - The Allen Americans lost a heartbreaker, 4-3. The game was back-and-forth from beginning to end. Tahoe scored first just 85 seconds after the opening puck drop. Allen scored the next two goals to take a 2-1 lead. Then it was Tahoe's turn to score two goals to take a 3-2 lead. Allen tied the score 3-3 with less than five minutes remaining in the game, and as time wound down, it looked like it was headed to overtime. That is when the heartbreak happened. Allen iced the puck with 22 seconds remaining, lost the faceoff, and Tahoe scored the game-winner with 13 seconds remaining to make the final score 4-3. 

January 4 - The Allen Americans salvaged the series in Tahoe with a 5-1 win over the Knight Monsters on Sunday afternoon. After losing the first two games of the series (5-0 & 4-3), the Americans made a statement in game three, dominating Tahoe in record fashion. On the way to their 5-1 victory, Allen set a franchise record with 63 shots on goal. The Americans also eclipsed the highest shot total in the ECHL this season (55). Coach Martinson has talked about the importance of winning the final game of three games in three days and four games in five days, something that wasn't happening earlier in the season. Team fitness, playing physically, and playing with speed through the neutral zone are key components to recent success in these situations. As Martinson said after the game, "Our team is built for series and the playoffs, we are just getting started." 

 

-  FYI, the 63 shots Allen recorded in that game on January 4 is still the ECHL high for the season, and it is five more shots than second place. 

 

- Here are some comparison stats between Allen and Tahoe:

• Allen's record is 39-23-5-0 (.619), Tahoe's is 33-29-3-3 (.529). 
• Allen is 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games, Tahoe is 4-5-1-0.
• Allen is 22-9-2-0 (.697) at home, Tahoe is 14-15-2-1 (.484) on the road.
• Allen's goal differential is +51 (248-197), Tahoe's is -1 (242-243).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +154, Tahoe's is -14.
• Allen's team save percentage is .914, Tahoe's is .905.

 

- Here are more statistical comparisons between the two teams.

• Goals scored average: Allen #1 (3.70) - Tahoe #3 (3.56)
• Goals allowed average: Allen #14 (2.94) - Tahoe #28 (3.57)
• Shots for average: Allen #2 (33.76) - Tahoe #8 (31.97)
• Shots allowed average: Allen #27 (34.28) - Tahoe #29 (37.01)
• Power play percentage: Allen #9 (20.7%) - Tahoe #5 (22.1%)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen #11 (83.8%) - Tahoe #20 (79.3%)

 

- When you look at the stats above, a few things stand out:

• Allen is an excellent home team, and Tahoe has a losing record on the road.
• Goal differential is a good proxy for how good a team is. The four playoff teams are +95 (Kansas City), +51 (Allen), +27 (Idaho), and -1 (Tahoe).
• Both teams have high-powered offenses, ranked #1 and #3 in the league. The team that plays better team defense will win. Allen has allowed 15 goals in the last seven games (2.14 average). Tahoe has allowed 24 (3.43 average).

 

- Special teams will likely be the difference in the series, and these teams are close statistically:

• Overall PP percentage: Allen 20.7% vs Tahoe 22.1%
• Overall PK percentage: Allen 83.8% vs Tahoe 79.3%
• Home vs Road PP %: Allen 16.2% vs Tahoe 18.8%
• Home vs Road PK%: Allen 88.6% vs Tahoe 79.8%
• Shorthanded goals for: Allen 5 vs Tahoe 9
• Shorthanded goals against: Allen 6 vs Tahoe 5 

Allen has the edge on the penalty kill, while Tahoe has the edge on the power play. The question is, who will prevail? If the series in January is any indication, there will be plenty of power play opportunities in this series. The teams combined for 48 penalties and 31 power plays in the three games. Allen was 2-16 (12.5%), and Tahoe was 3-15 (33.3%). 

 

- Odds are heavily in favor of the team that scores the first goal winning the game. League-wide, it is about 75%. Allen is way above the league average at 89%, and Tahoe is below the league average at 62%. A reminder, the Americans' record when giving up the first goal is not good, 12-21-2-0 (.371).

 

- If you are looking for players to watch in this series, it is a very long list. Two of the best offenses in the league both have six players with 19 or more goals.  One player to watch if he is in the lineup is #18 Alex Weiermair, who just signed with Tahoe on Wednesday. He is a 2025 draft choice of the Las Vegas Golden Knights and just wrapped up his junior career in the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks. He will be on an NHL contract next season, but will begin his pro career with Tahoe, starting tonight. He had 93 points (37G, 56A) in 66 games for Portland this season. 

 

- The Allen players in the lineup tonight will be the same as Wednesday against Wichita. Brett Mirwald will start in goal; the defensive pairings should be the same, but Coach Martinson told me the lines will be juggled.  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Spencer Asuchak will play in his 700th professional game tonight. 615 of them are with the Allen Americans. I have always thought it was strange that when teams and the league acknowledge these milestones, they only include regular-season games. The real total, if you include playoff games, is that Spencer has played in 714 games for Allen and 811 in his professional career. 

 

- I have had a lot of questions asking about players from Belleville, who might be sent to Allen for the playoffs. I have no idea who and when players might be sent. Here is a list of players who could be sent to Allen based on the ECHL playoff qualification rules:  

• Mark Duarte - Right-shot forward who played nine games in Allen the first month of the season and 36 games in Belleville. Led the Americans in goals last season.
• Riley Kidney - Left-shot forward who played 46 games in Trois-Rivières this season, six games in Laval (AHL), and five games in Belleville. The 2nd round draft choice of Montreal (2021) is under an NHL contract. He was traded to Ottawa and loaned to Belleville in mid-March. 
• Ryan O'Rourke - Left-shot defenseman played 11 games with Trois-Riviéres this season, eight with Laval (AHL), and nine with Belleville. He was traded from Laval to Belleville in mid-March. He was the second-round draft choice of the Minnesota Wild in 2020.
• Djibril Touré - Right-shot defenseman who played five games in Allen and has played 34 games in Belleville,
• Luke Mistlebacher - Right-shot forward who was just signed by Belleville for the 2026-27 season and joined Belleville on an ATO (amateur tryout) for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Because he is on an ATO he is qualified to be sent to Allen, even though he has not played in the ECHL. 
• Hoyt Stanley - Right-shot defenseman recently (March 30) signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract with Ottawa, set to start in 2026-27. He was Ottawa's fourth-round draft pick in 2023. He just joined Belleville on an ATO (amateur tryout). Because he is on an ATO, he is qualified to be sent to Allen, even though he has not played in the ECHL  
• Jackson Parsons - He has played 22 games in Allen this season and 13 games in Belleville. 

 Just to emphasize again, this is a list I put together of players on the Belleville roster who meet the ECHL playoff qualification rules. I have no idea how many of these players might end up in Allen, and when they might be loaned/assigned. FYI, Belleville's last game of the season is the same as Allen's, April 18.  

 

- It is a busy night in the ECHL with 13 games on the schedule, with many having playoff implications. Some teams can move up in the seedings, and two teams (Reading & Adirondack) can punch their ticket to the playoffs. Here is the ECHL Today with the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/04/echl-today-april-10   

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about teams finishing above .700 in the regular season and not winning the Kelly Cup. In 2014-15, Allen had a .736 regular-season points percentage, which was #2 in the league and went on to win the Kelly Cup. The following season (2015-16), Allen finished #5 in the regular season (.618) and won the Kelly Cup. The only team above .700 was Kansas City at .757. Allen beat Kansas City 4-2 in the second round of the playoffs.

Few ECHL teams finish the regular season with a points percentage of .700 or more. With the current season winding down, three teams are above .700. Will the 2025-26 list be able to accomplish what the other .700+ teams since 2022-23 did not? Win the Kelly Cup.

 

2025-26

Kansas City (.809)

Florida (.735)

Wheeling (.701)

 

2024-25

South Carolina (.757)

Florida (.736)

Kansas City (.715)

 

2023-24

Kansas City (.792)

Toledo (.739)

 

2022-23

Idaho .826

Cincinnati .715