Stats, Stats and More Stats - Team and Individual

 

 The ECHL is on a break so decided to take some time this morning to take a look at where Allen stands across a variety of team and individual stats. If you don't like stats this might not not the blog for you. Here goes:

TEAM STATS

- The ECHL Stats post today (see DID YOU KNOW below) was about the ECHL teams with the biggest point percentage change between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here is a look at the Mountain Division teams. Stats include the Christmas point percentages with the Thanksgiving point percentages and difference in parenthesis. Biggest mover up in point percentage was Wichita and down was Utah. In general the top teams went down and the bottom teams went up but the gap is still quite large.

• .796 - Idaho (.875, down .079)
  
• .732 - Kansas City (.765, down .033)
  
• .558 - Tulsa (.563, down .005)
  
• .444 - Wichita (.368, up .076)
  
• .444 - Rapid City (.382, up .062)
  
• .389 - Allen (.344, up .045)
  
• .320 - Utah (.462, down .142) 

 

- Here is how Allen ranks among the 28 ECHL teams in some key stats: 

• #9: Ave. goals scored (3.37)
• #28: Ave. goals allowed (4.48)
• #24: Ave. shots for (28.85)
• #28: Ave. shots against: (41.96)
• #3: Power play percentage (26.7%)
• #16: Penalty kill percentage (78.8%)  
• #3: Ave. penalty minutes (16.96)
• #19: Team save percentage (.893)

For comparison here are the same stats from one year ago:

• #21: Ave. goals scored (2.88)
• #24: Ave. goals allowed (3.67)
• #23: Ave. shots for (29.42)
• #25: Ave, shots against: (35.04)
• #11: Power play percentage (21.0%)
• #11: Penalty kill percentage (82.6%)  
• #3: Ave. penalty minutes (16.58)
• #17: Team save percentage (.895)

The most telling conclusion from the stats above is this season Allen is better offensively and worse defensively than one year ago at this time. Allen is scoring 0.49 more goals per game but allowing 0.81 more goals per game than last season. Another was to look at this is in 2022-23 at the end of December Allen's average goal differential (goals for minus goals against) was -79. In 2023-24 the goal differential is -1.11.

- Special teams also reflect better offensively and worse defensively this season than last season. The power play is better, 26.7% vs 21.0% and the penalty kill is worse. 78.8% vs 82.6%.

- Scoring first is a key stat that gives a team a clear advantage. So far this season across the ECHL the team that scores first gets 72.5% of the points. The point percentage when scoring first ranges from .906 (Idaho) to .500 (Maine). Maine is the only team in the league with a lower point percentage than Allen (.545). Definitely an area for improvement going forward.

 

- How has Allen held leads and how often have the Americans come back when trailing. Here are the records:

• 7-0-1-0: Leading after 1st period
• 7-1-0-0: Leading after 2nd period
• 0-7-0-0: Tied after 1st period
• 1-4-0-0: Tied after 2nd period
• 3-9-0-0: Trailing after 1st period
• 2-11-1-0: Trailing after 2nd period

With the exception of the tied numbers above, Allen's records are typical. If a team has a lead they win the vast majority of the games and if they trail they lose the vast majority of games. The Americans record when tied after the first period of 0-7-0-0 is perplexing and the worst in the league. Allen does better trailing after the first period (3-9-0-0) than when tied. 

- Stats definitely show some strange things at times like the tied record above. Here is another one based on shots. Allen's record when outshooting opponents versus being outshot by opponents:

• 0-3-0-0: when outshooting opponents
• 10-13-1-0: when outshot by opponents

It doesn't happen often but outshooting opponents has not been a good sign this season.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

-   With 38% (27 of 72) of the season in the books here are the Allen stats leaders of players currently on the roster (active, reserve and IR). The ECHL rank is in parenthesis:

• Points
• 27: Colby McAuley (18th)
  
• 26: Hank Crone (22nd)
  
• 25: Kris Myllari (29th)
  

 

• Goals
• 15: Colby McAuley (5th)
  
• 8: Blake Murray (73rd)
• 7: Easton Brodzinski (97th)
  

• Assists
• 20: Hank Crone (11th)
  
• 19: Kris Myllari (12th)
• 12: Colby McAuley (71st) 

• Average Points Per Game (min. 12 games)
  
• 1.53: Hank Crone (1st)
  
• 1.17: Colton Hargrove (20th)
  
• 1.00: Colby McAuley (44th)
  

• Plus/Minus (Allen games only)
  
• +2: Ryan Gagnon (190th)
• +1: Easton Brodzinski (241st)
  
• +1: Justin Allen (241st)
• +1: Blake Murray (241st)
  

 

• PIMS
• 56: Mikael Robidoux (15th)
  
• 46: Ty Fournier (35th)  
• 35: Colby McAuley (58th)
  

• Ave. Penalty Minutes Per Game
  
• 9.33: Mikael Robidoux (1st)
• 2.19: Andrew Jarvis (46th)
  
• 2.09: Ty Fournier (55th)
  

 

• Shots
• 69: Colby McAuley (50th)
  
• 58: Kris Myllari (97th)
  
• 57: Hank Crone (100th)
  

 

• Shooting Percentage (min. 30 shots)
• 21.7%: Colby McAuley
  
• 20.6%: Easton Brodzinski
  
• 20.0%: Blake Murray
  

 

• Save Percentage (games played in parenthesis)
  
• .918: Kevin Mandolese (2)
  
• .914: Leevi Meriläinen (8)
• .899: Mark Sinclair (13)
• .875: Chase Perry (6)
  

 

• GAA
• 3.34: Leevi Meriläinen
  
• 3.53: Kevin Mandolese
• 4.31: Mark Sinclair
• 5.45: Chase Perry 

- How are the three teams in the Ottawa, Belleville and Allen affiliation doing?  Here are the stats:

• Ottawa is in last place in the eight team Atlantic Division with a 12-17-0 record.
• Belleville is in fifth place in the seven team North Division with a 11-11-2-2 record. Five teams will make the playoffs.
• Allen is in sixth place in the seven team Mountain Division with a 10-16-1-0 record. Four teams will make the playoffs.

 

 

- Plus/minus is not a great individual stat because a player can be great on a play and end up with a minus and do poorly on a play and get a plus. Team plus/minus also doesn't always tell the story. I decided to compare Allen's current plus/minus with the Kelly Cup championship teams of 2015 and 2016. Here are the team plus/minus stats:

2023-24: -171 (thru 27 games)

2015-16: -11

2014-15: +291 

2014-15 was the season Allen's top three in points also had plus/minus numbers greater than +30. How is this for a top trio on a Kelly Cup championship team.

• Chad Costello, 125 points, 41 goals, +43
• Gary Steffes, 73 points, 44 goals, +31
• Greger Hanson. 61 points, 28 goals, +35
  

 

DID YOU KNOW: How quickly fortunes can change. Here are the ECHL teams with the biggest moves up and down by point percentage between Thanksgiving & Christmas. Point percentage change is in parenthesis. A point percentage change of .100 or more, up or down, in a months time is significant:

 

UP

*South Carolina - .500 to .680 (+.180)

Reading - .333 to .458 (+.125)

Indy - .357 to .479 (+.122)

*Kalamazoo - .400 to .500 (+.100)

 

DOWN

*Trois Rivières - .733 to .482 (-.251)

Atlanta - .600 to .400 (-.200)

*Greenville - .875 to .714 (-.161)

Utah - .462 to .320 (-.142)

Iowa - .594 to .482 (-.112)

 

*Teams currently in playoff position (by point percentage)