Allen Americans Sign Defensemen Matt Register and Kevin Spinozzi - Player Profiles

 

The Allen Americans helped shore up a defense that was last in the ECHL in 2024-25 (allowed 4.23 goals per game) with the addition of defensemen Matt Register and Kevin Spinozzi.

 

 MATT REGISTER

Matt Register

 Matt Register does not need an introduction to Allen fans, as he started his pro career with the Americans back in the CHL days (2011-12). He returned to the ECHL Americans in 2015-16 and again in 2019-20, and 2020-21. With the announcement today that Matt will return to Allen as a player/assistant coach and then become the assistant coach when he retires as a player, it is a full-circle moment. It has been quite a journey from 2010 to 2025. Matt is arguably the best defenseman in the history of the league.

 

- Here is what Steve Martinson had to say about Matt: "Reggie is the Brent Burns of the ECHL. He leads the league defensemen in scoring, but was also Idaho's top plus/minus player the last three years. In three years in Idaho, he amassed 173 points and was +97. Reggie will be a player-coach for us until he is ready to retire, and then he will seamlessly step behind the bench."  

 

 - It is hard to know where to start when describing Matt Register's career thus far. The best is just listing them out in no particular order. Here goes:

• Three-time Kelly Cup Champion 
• Three-time ECHL Defenseman of the Year 
• Only defenseman to ever be named Kelly Cup Playoff MVP
• Played one year in Europe and won a championship
• In his last seven ECHL seasons, starting with last season, he has finished 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 5th, 1st, and 2nd in assists among all ECHL defensemen
• In his last seven ECHL seasons, starting with last season, he has finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 4th, 1st, and 1st in points among all ECHL defensemen
• Ranked #2 all-time in the history of the ECHL in games played by a defenseman (683).
• Ranked #2 all-time in assists by a defenseman (431)
• Ranked #3 all-time in points by a defenseman (547)
• Selected as an ECHL All-Star eight times

Maybe the best thing about having Register back in Allen is that the Americans will not have to face him. He has been a thorn in Allen's side wherever he has played. 

 

KEVIN SPINOZZI

Kevin Spinozzi with his Dad, longtime coach, Frank Spinozzi 

 

 - Kevin Spinozzi joins the Americans after playing the last four seasons in France. His dad (Frank) is a long-time hockey coach who moved to France in 2010-11 to coach professional hockey. Kevin, who is from the Montreal area, was 14 at the time and played U-18 in France for one year before returning to Canada to play youth hockey.

 

- Spinozzi is a 29-year-old, 6'2", 214-pound, left-shot defenseman who will be starting his ninth professional season with the Allen Americans. He is a defense first style of player that also has skill and grit. Here are some of his stats:

• In 140 games in France he had 118 points (56G, 62A)
• In 150 ECHL games with Wheeling, Toledo, and Rapid City, he tallied 79 points (27G, 52A)
• He played his junior hockey in the OHL (Soo Greyhounds & Sarnia Sting) and was the captain in Sarnia in his last junior season (2016-17).
• In 275 OHL games, he totaled 113 points (28G, 85A) and 297 penalty minutes.     

 

- Spinozzi will fit right into a Steve Martinson system, as you can tell by his quote, "Kevin has a bomb from the point, but is also tough and can play a hard game against the league's top players."  

 

- Here is a video from 10 years ago, when Kevin was playing junior hockey in Sarnia and was about to go to the Arizona Coyotes development camp. He also mentions his dad is a hockey coach. According to Elite Prospects, Frank Spinozzi's coaching career goes back to 1991-92. He has coached professional hockey in France since 2010-11. Even though this video is from 10 years ago, it will give you a good idea of what Allen is getting with Kevin. 

  

OTHER COMMENTS

 - If you have an interest in catching the 3ICE highlights, the tournament last night is the one for Allen fans to look up. You can find the highlights at NHL.com. Here are the former Allen players on the rosters from the tournament last night:

• 3ICE Dallas - Jeremy Brodeur, Colton Hargrove 
• 3ICE Minnesota -  Hank Crone, Matt Register 
• 3ICE NY/NJ - Jack Combs, Brayden Watts 
• 3ICE Buffalo - Dalton Skelly

The results:

• Game 1 - Buffalo beat Dallas 6-3
• Game 2 - NY/NJ beat Minnesota 5-4
• Consolation -  Dallas beat Minnesota 5-2
• Championship -  NY/NJ beat Buffalo 4-0 (Brayden Watts scored two goals)

You will see goals from Crone, Watts, Register and Combs if you watch the highlights from all four games.

 

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL Stats post from today:

ECHL definitions:

 

VETERAN: 260+ pro games played at the start of the season.

 

ROOKIE: Fewer than 25 pro games played at start of season.

 

Only regular-season games count, and only from these 11 leagues:

 

NHL

AHL

ECHL

CHL (defunct)

 

Top league in these countries

Czech Republic (Czech Extraliga)

Finland (Liiga)

Germany (DEL)

Russia (KHL)

Slovakia (Slovak Extraliga)

Sweden (SHL)

Switzerland (NL)

  

 

 

Steve Martinson's Recruitment Update Q & A and Allen Signs Power Forward Thomas Caron - Player Profile

 

Thomas Caron

 

The Allen Americans just announced the fifth player for the 2025-26 season.  Power forward Thomas Caron is a 6'2'' and 216-pound left-shot forward who fits the mold of a Steve Martinson team. He can skate, he can hit, he has skill, and he won't hesitate to drop the gloves if necessary. Caron grew up in Candiac, Quebec (a suburb of Montreal) and played his junior hockey for the Quebec Ramparts of the QMJHL. Here are some facts about Caron:

• First professional contract was with the AHL Manitoba Moose in 2021. He was under contract with Manitoba through 2024, but spent the majority of the time in the ECHL.
• In 55 AHL games with Manitoba, he had 10 points (5G, 5A) and 50 PIMS.
• He attended the Montreal Canadiens training camp in 2021.
• He was the team captain of the Quebec Ramparts during his final junior season.
• He led the QMJHL in penalty minutes in 2019-20.
• In 93 ECHL games, he has tallied 52 points (17G, 35A). 
• He played in Idaho for 31 games last season before he left to play in the top league in Finland. In his 31 games in Idaho, he had 26 points (8G, 18A) and 42 PIMS. 
• He will be wearing #11 in Allen 

Here is how Coach Martinson described Caron when I was talking to him about overall recruitment last night. "Caron is the perfect power forward. I am not sure why he is not under contract with an AHL team, but it is good for us. He can skate, he can hit, he has skill, and he is tough to play against. I look at Caron as our top power forward going into the season, but we have several of them."

 

- Here is a great highlight video that shows all facets of Caron's game.

  

- Here is an interview from last season when Caron was in Idaho. It is long (28 minutes), but you will get to know him in his own words. You will hear his thoughts about growing up in hockey-crazed Montreal, his junior career, and playing for NHL Hall of Famer, Patrick Roy:

 

- Here is what Martinson had to say about the overall recruitment process thus far:

Q: Where are you at, and how are things going with recruitment?

A:  We are probably 80% - 85% done with recruiting. We have a full team, and I think we have some really good established/veteran players. There is going to be competition up and down the lineup as we have a good mix of skill and physicality. 

We have a combination of some top players coming back from last year, and some top players coming in. We have some puck carriers we haven't announced yet, some from last season, and some that are coming in. We are adding some offensive defensemen who are very good. 

We are going to have that Allen Americans attitude team that fans have known in the past. 

 

Q: Your championship teams always had great power plays. Are you factoring that into the recruitment process?

A: I think we already have the guys signed to have a top power play. My goal is to have a 25% power play. I know we are going to have a very physical team, and that will create more power play opportunities for both teams. We will be strong from the point, have great net presence, and be very skilled on one timers from the faceoff circle. Hargrove led the ECHL in power play goals in 2022-23, and Asuchak led the team in power play goals last season. Some of the defensemen we haven't announced are great from the point.

It is critical to have an excellent power play with the physical and skilled team we will have. With that type of team, we will get plenty of power play opportunities. The bottom line is we have some of the best power play guys in the league already signed.

 

Q: Allen was the worst team in the league last season, allowing 4.32 goals per game, when over half of the ECHL teams allowed fewer than 3.00 goals per game. Will the team you have recruited be better defensively?

A: That stat from last season is a non-factor, because our team will be nothing like the team from last season. I am anticipating some of the top offensive players from last season coming back, but anybody else will have to make the team in training camp. Even though I have a dozen players from last season signed, those guys will be competing for just a few spots.

 

Q: How are you going to approach announcing players? It was pretty much one player per week the last couple of years. Caron is your third player announced this week.

A: Over the next couple of weeks, we will be announcing some of the top players already signed. That way, fans won't be wondering what I have put together. I know in the past we have trickled out the announcements. This year, we are trying to go from a last-place team to a powerhouse, and we don't want the fans wondering how we are going to do that. 

 

Q: Any update on an affiliation?

A: I am working hard on an affiliation. Dialogue is ongoing with a couple NHL teams. I am well aware of the importance of getting an affiliate agreement as soon as possible. Top-end young players are all looking to go to AHL training camps, and without an affiliate agreement (at least verbal) and training camp slots in hand, it makes recruiting more difficult. It is frustrating as I try to overcome some of the obstacles and decisions made related to affiliations in the recent past. 

 

-  Here is the current Allen roster for 2025-26:

Goalies

• Marco Costantini

Defensemen

• Anthony Costantini

Forwards

• #26 Spencer Asuchak
• #11 Thomas Caron 
• #17 Colton Hargrove 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: When I was talking to Coach Martinson last night, Michelle, who runs the Americans Team Store, shared that the store just received some new merchandise, Golf Polos, which you can order online. Here is the link: https://shop.allenamericans.com/ 

 

 

Two Player Announcements Today, ECHL Player Announcement Stats, Affiliation Update, 3ICE, Skeoch Retires, Snowden Selected Head Coach, Rule Changes

 

There's not much to report this week, so this will be a brief blog post. The most important news is that the Allen Americans will make another player announcement today. As a matter of fact, they will be announcing two players sometime this afternoon. 

 

- It may seem like Allen is slow in announcing players, but the fact is, 17 ECHL teams have announced two or fewer players as of this morning. Five teams have made no player announcements, six teams have announced one player, and six teams have announced two players (including Allen's Asuchak and Hargrove). Here are the teams that have announced the most players:

• 10 - Trois Riviéres
• 8 - Fort Wayne
• 8 - Utah
• 7 - Florida

 

- Nothing new to report on an affiliation for the upcoming season. Dialogue is ongoing, and Coach Martinson is well aware of the importance of getting an affiliate agreement as soon as possible. Top-end young players are all looking to go to AHL training camps, and without an affiliate agreement (at least verbal) and training camp slots in hand, it makes recruiting more difficult.

 

-  After a year's hiatus, 3ICE is back with a distinct Allen Americans flavor. Half of the eight teams have current or former Americans. 

• 3ICE Dallas - Jeremy Brodeur, Colton Hargrove 
• 3ICE Minnesota -  Hank Crone, Matt Register 
• 3ICE NY/NJ - Jack Combs, Brayden Watts 
• 3ICE Buffalo - Dalton Skelly

The 3ICE  regular season is only four weeks long and starts tomorrow. There is one tournament per week on July 17, July 23, July 31, and August 6 (7:00 pm EDT). The top four teams play for the championship (Patrick Cup) on August 14.

All of the 3ICE tournaments (games) will be played in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

There are two ways to watch the games. They will be carried live on FanDuel Sports Network and will be replayed on NHL Network the following day. 

If you want to take in a 3ICE tournament in person, the one on July 23 is perfect. Only four of the eight teams play each week, and on July 23, the four teams with Allen connection will play. 

• Game 1: Dallas vs Buffalo
• Game 2: Minnesota vs NY/NJ
• Game 3: Consolation Game (losers of games 1 & 2)
• Game 4: Championship Game (winners of games 1 & 2)

3ICE has been good to Allen Americans players. In year one (2022), Chad Costello won the championship and was voted the league MVP. In year two (2023), Hank Crone did the same. Between winning weekly tournaments, the championship, the MVP, and other awards, both Chad and Hank won a considerable amount of money by ECHL standards. I would assume the monetary rewards are scaled back in this new version of 3ICE.

 

- Darian Skeoch, who played in Allen in 2020-21 and 2021-22, has announced his retirement. He was Adirondack's captain last season. Darian led the Americans in penalty minutes in 2021-22. He is only 28 years old. Here is the statement Skeoch put out if you haven't seen it:

 

 

-  Congrats are in order for John and Janelle Snowden. John played in Allen briefly in 2013-14, and was just selected as the head coach for the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms. John is the first former Allen player to become a head coach at the AHL level. I had a chance to interview John and Janelle the day they were moving to Allen back in 2013, and it was definitely a hectic day for them, but they were very gracious with their time. After John retired in 2014, he moved to Orlando with the intent of becoming a PGA teaching pro. However, while in Orlando, he was recruited to be an assistant coach for the Orlando Solar Bears, and that started his coaching career. He went on to become the head coach for the Newfoundland Growlers where he won the Kelly Cup in 2019, an assistant coach for the AHL Toronto Marlies (AHL), and Lehigh Valley Phantoms before being named the Phantoms' head coach two days ago.

For those who remember John or have followed his career, here is the story I wrote back in 2013. One of the things he told me was his opinion that he was a better golfer than hockey player. http://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/player-introduction-20-questions-with.html     

Here is the press release on John's promotion to head coach: https://www.phantomshockey.com/john-snowden-named-phantoms-head-coach/   

 

- I have heard rumors that the ECHL Board of Governors made several rule changes for the 2025-26 season at their recent BOG meeting in Orlando, and one of them relates to fighting. Not sure when the ECHL will issue a press release on all the rule changes for 2025-26, but it should be soon.

 

- I have seen several questions in the blog comments section about Matt Register. Even though Matt is playing 3ICE, I have heard from a couple of sources that he is interested in becoming an assistant coach, so he might be pursuing coaching opportunities before he decides to play another season. FYI, Register will be 36 in September.

 

- DID YOU KNOW: Here is my ECHL Stats post for today on teams with the most 20+ goal scorers in 2024-25. How has Allen fared with 20+ goal scorers? Here are Allen's 20+ goal scorers over the last four seasons:

• 2024-25: Mark Duarte 
• 2023-24: Colby McAuley, Easton Brodzinski, Blake Murray 
• 2022-23: Hank Crone, Colton Hargrove, Jack Combs, Liam Finlay (all had 30+ goals)
• 2021-22: Spencer Asuchak, Chad Costello, Branden Troock, Jack Combs, Jackson Leppard 

 

ECHL teams with the most 20+ goal scorers in 2024-25: 

 

6: South Carolina

5: *Toledo*, Wichita

4: *Kansas City*, Tahoe, *Trois Rivières*

3: *Florida*, Idaho, Jacksonville, Norfolk, Orlando, Rapid City, Wheeling

 

*The Kelly Cup final four teams are all on this list.

 

 

FYI, here is the same post from one year ago. Notice how many teams are on both lists. It is very clear that the top playoff teams have more depth in high-end goal scorers.

 

ECHL teams with the most 20+ goal scorers in 2023-24: 

 

6: *Kansas City, *Toledo

5: Idaho

4: *Florida, Fort Wayne, Jacksonville, Orlando

 

*Made the Kelly Cup final four

    

   

          

Allen Announces Two Players Today, Qualified List, Affiliation News, CBA Thoughts, Players to Europe and More

 

The day has finally arrived for the official start of naming Allen Americans players for the 2025-26 season. If you remember back to Steve Martinson's first stint in Allen, he always made the first player announcement of the season a big one, and he won't disappoint today. Somewhere around 11:00 am, look for the team to make the announcement of not one, but two players.

 

- Yesterday, the ECHL released the list of players who have been given qualifying offers. A maximum of eight players can be given qualifying offers. It is a way to retain the rights to players who have not signed a contract. The Americans qualified two players, the fewest in the league. See the breakdown of qualified offers for each ECHL team in the "Did You Know" section at the bottom of the blog. Here are some things to remember about qualifying offers:

• Players who have already signed a contract do not have to be qualified.
• Veterans are typically not qualified because they can become free agents even if they are qualified.
• Nick Isaacson is signed to play in Europe (Scotland), so he was qualified to retain his ECHL rights if he returns during the season.
• Mark Duarte was qualified because he is pursuing an AHL contract and is not ready to sign an ECHL contract. 

 

-  If you look at Allen's season-ending roster, there are three possibilities for each player. They have already been signed, are now free agents, or were qualified. Here is the season-ending roster:

• Goalie (1)
• Luke Richardson

• Defensemen (8)
• JC Brassard
• Cole Fraser
• Kenny Johnson
• Artem Kulakov
• Trevor LeDonne 
• Mike Van Unen
• Quinn Warmuth
• Hudson Wilson

• Forwards (11)
• Spencer Asuchak
• Harrison Blaisdell 
• Mark Duarte 
• Michael Gildon
• Nick Isaacson 
• Noah Kane
• Ayden MacDonald 
• Brad Morrison
• Reid Perepeluk 
• Brayden Watts 
• Jared Westcott

My assumption is that the majority of the players on this list have signed with Allen and just a handful are now free agents. I say that because Martinson has only coached a couple of the players on the list. He will want to see for himself if they fit into his system, if they show up to training camp in shape, are good teammates, and can play at both ends of the ice. My guess is the Allen training camp will be as big and as competitive as it has ever been. There are not many players on the list above guaranteed to make the opening day roster.  

 

- There is some news to report on the affiliation front. The President of the NHL Utah Mammoth hockey club (Chris Armstrong) held a press conference the other day after the conclusion of the team's development camp. The last question of the 17-minute press conference was:

Q: Last year you guys signed a one-year contract with the Allen Americans to be your ECHL affiliate. Is that a team you want to be affiliated with again?

A: I don't anticipate that changing for us; it has been a good working relationship with Allen, and we are in talks with them to continue. I think with the recent news about the Grizzlies (being sold) and speculation around us, we haven't had time to consider anything else. What is working in Allen, and I think that is probably what we will continue to do.

Here is the Armstrong press conference, which is a good listen about Utah's roster and player development. Great background information if Allen affiliates with them. FYI, the Allen question is the last 40 seconds of the 17 minute press conference:

  

 

- It is interesting that two of the NHL teams without an ECHL affiliate are Utah and Ottawa, Allen's recent affiliates. I can almost guarantee Steve Martinson has been in contact with both teams about a possible affiliation with Allen for 2025-26. With Martinson at the helm and Zawyer no longer involved, it will be fascinating to see how this works out. One thing is for sure, Allen does not want to be the only ECHL team without an NHL affiliate and have to operate as an independent team. Getting slots in NHL/AHL training camps is a critical part of the recruitment process in attracting young players, so finding an affiliate soon is critical.  

 

- I have heard nothing recently about progress in agreeing to a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement). The last I heard was that the two sides are not close on some key issues, especially the salary cap. At this point, the teams are operating under the provisions of the expired CBA. Neither the PHPA nor the ECHL has said anything publicly about the negotiations, but it appears they are at a stalemate.  

 

- Allen has only lost one player to Europe (Isaacson), but the ECHL total players signing in Europe has now surpassed 60. It is getting close to reporting time for many of the leagues in Europe, so the pace may quicken. 

 

- DID YOU KNOW: Here is a breakdown of the ECHL players that received qualifying offers. To start, here is the ECHL press release if you haven't seen it: https://echl.com/news/2025/07/echl-announces-players-with-qualifying-offers

Here is the ECHL Stats post from today:

The ECHL qualified offers list was issued yesterday, and a lot fewer players were given qualifying offers than one year ago. 

 

Last season (2024-25), 18 of 27 ECHL teams qualified the maximum of eight players, and the total number of players qualified was 194.

 

This season (2025-26), there were two additional teams (BLM & TAH) issuing qualifying offers. Just 10 of 29 teams issued the maximum of eight qualifying offers, and the total was only 179. Seems like the lack of a CBA did not affect player signings, so teams didn’t have to qualify as many players.

 

Here is the breakdown of qualifying offers by team.

8 - CIN, GVL, IND, KAL, KC, REA, TR, TUL, WHL, WIC

7 - BLM, IA, NOR, ORL, SAV, UTA, WOR

6 - ADK, FLA, MNE

5 - FW, IDH, JAX, SC

4 - TAH

3 - ATL, RC

2 - ALN