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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

OTHER COMMENTS

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

 

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

 

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

  

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

Power Play

38.1% - South Carolina (8-21)

29.2% - Greenville

24.1% - Trois Rivières

24.1% - Idaho

24.1% - Wichita 

 

Penalty Kill

100% - Trenton (0-15)

95.8% - Adirondack

95.0% - Maine

93.8% - South Carolina

92.9% - Rapid City

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

 

ALLEN vs NEW MEXICO PREVIEW:

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

 

- Here is a comparison of the teams thus far:

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

 

Forwards

29 Watts - 28 Lipkin - 14 De St. Phalle

21 Sillinger - 21 Kidney - 22 Mistelbacher

43 Nordh- 91 Gildon - 94 Matikka 

9  Coughlan - 42 Shantz - 26 Asuchak

 

Defense

2 Warmuth - 8 Uens

86 Anania - 23 Sedley

24 Decker - 27 Kneen 

 

Goalies

32 Vikman

33 McKiernan (backup)

 

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

OTHER COMMENTS

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

Riley Kidney, Allen

Anthony Beauregard, Trois Rivières

Mathieu Bizier, Trois Rivières 

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

 

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

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

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS 
 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

 CBA Article VII, Section 11A: Bereavement Leave

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

   

Here is the lineup:

Forwards

29 Watts - 21 Kidney - Coughlan

67 Crone - 91 Gildon - 22 Mistelbacher

26 Asuchak - 28 Lipkin - 14 De St. Phalle

94 Matikka - 42 Shantz - 43 Nordh

 

Defense

10 Goldsmith - 8 Uens

24 Decker - 23 Sedley

27 Kneen - Anania 

 

Goalies

32 Vikman

35 Bernard

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

OTHER COMMENTS

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

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

 

BEST

20.4% - Trois Rivières (29)

16.8% - South Carolina (19)

13.5% - Trenton (10)

13.0% - Toledo (13)

12.6% - Wichita (12)

 

WORST

3.4% - Savannah (6)

5.3% - Atlanta (7)

5.9% - Greensboro (6)

6.0% - Jacksonville (6)

6.8% - New Mexico (14)

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

  

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

 

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

 

     

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

Luke Mistelbacher

 

ALLEN VS IDAHO SERIES

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

OTHER COMMENTS

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

Another successful pheasant opener in North Dakota

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FORWARDS 

Watts-Kidney-Mitikka

Crone-Gildon-Coughlan

Asuchak-Lipkin-De St. Phalle 

Sillinger-Shantz-Nordh

DEFENSE

Goldsmith-Uens

Decker-Sedley

Kneen-Greco

GOALIES

Vikman

Reidler

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

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

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

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

OTHER COMMENTS 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

    

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

Goalies

• Brett Mirwald: rookie

 

Forwards 

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

 

Defense

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

 

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

160 years of hunters and one young superstar

 

  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 

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

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

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

 

 

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

 

Chris Cameron - Indy

Bobo Carpenter - Kansas City

Oliver Chau - Florida

Logan Drevitich - Savannah

T.J. Friedmann - Jacksonville

Logan Lambdin - Florida

Peter Laviolette - Savannah

Morgan Adams-Moisan - Trois Rivières

Matt Register - Allen

Jalen Smereck - Fort Wayne

Justin Vaive - Cincinnati

Sebastian Vidmar - Maine

Mitch Wahl - Idaho

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

Jamie Benn - Dallas

Zach Bogosian - Minnesota

Ryan O’Reilly - Nashville

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

      

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

Goalies

• Brett Mirwald: rookie

 

Forwards 

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

 

Defense

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

 

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

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

 

OTHER COMMENTS

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

ECHL STATS

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

 

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

12: Russia

5: Sweden

3: Latvia

3: South Korea

2: Belarus

2: Czechia

2: Finland

1: France

1: Hungary

1: Jamaica

1: Norway

1: Switzerland

1: Turkey

 

 

 

- When is the ECHL All-Star Break?

 

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

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

935 - Justin Taylor, Wheeling* (from Adirondack)

663 - Anthony Collins, Wichita* (from Tahoe)

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

559 - Mike McKee, Tulsa

557 - Spencer Asuchak, Allen

509 - Tyson Fawcett, Worcester* (from Adirondack)

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

4 - Aaron Dell

3 - C.J. Motte

3 - Jake Paterson 

 

  

 

  

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

Goalies

• Brett Mirwald: rookie

 

Forwards 

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

 

Defense

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

 

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

  

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

28-4-2-2: Kansas City (.833)* 

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

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

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

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

 

*Kelly Cup final four

Allen Adds Centers Riley Kidney and Zackary Shantz, Player Profiles with Videos, Roster Update, Martinson Comments and More

 

The Allen Americans added two centers to the roster yesterday: Riley Kidney and Zackary Shantz. Kidney was assigned to Allen by Belleville during last season's playoffs, tallying 3 points (2G, 1A) in 4 games against Kansas City. Shantz is a 20-year-old rookie who played on the WHL championship team (Everett Silvertips) last season and scored 65 points (27G, 38A) in 66 games. Player profiles are below.

 

- Here is the Allen Americans press release announcing Kidney and Shantz: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/09/americans-add-two-key-players-up-front 

 

- The Allen Americans have now announced 17 players for the 2026-27 season. Here is the list with ages. The Americans will be one of the youngest teams in the league. 

Goalies

• Brett Mirwald: 22 (rookie) 

 

Forwards 

• Divyne Apollon: 21 (rookie)
• Spencer Asuchak: 34 (veteran)
• Cole Bishop: 21 (rookie)
• Chase Coughlin: 21 (rookie)
• Hank Crone: 28 
• Mathieu De St. Phalle: 26 
• Michael Gildon: 25 
• Riley Kidney: 23 
• Anthony Rinaldi: 31
• Zackary Shantz: 20 (rookie)  
• Lukas Sillinger: 25 
• Brayden Watts: 27 (veteran)

 

Defense

• Andre Anania: 23 
• Jackson Decker: 27 
• Quinn Warmuth: 26 
• Cal Uens: 21 (rookie) 

 

- AHL experience of the 17 players who have been announced thus far:

• 132 games - Kidney
• 64 games - Asuchak
• 25 games - De St. Phalle
• 6 games - Rinaldi
• 5 games - Crone
• 5 games - Sillinger
• 4 games - Watts
• 1 game - Anania 

 

PLAYER PROFILE - RILEY KIDNEY

Riley Kidney

Riley Kidney is a 23-year-old, 5'11", 190-pound, left-shot center from Halifax, Nova Scotia. He played his junior hockey in the QMJHL. In his final season in the QMJHL (2022-23), he averaged 1.83 points per game and ranked #2 in the league in assists (82) and #4 in points (110). He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round (#63 overall) of the 2021 NHL draft. He turned pro in 2023-24 at 19 and played the entire season with the Laval Rocket, totaling 20 points (7G, 13A) in 66 games.

Riley is only 23 years old and will be starting his fourth professional season. Thus far in his pro career, Kidney has played in 132 AHL games (39 points, 11G, 28A) and 46 ECHL games (33 points, 11G, 22A). He has more AHL games played than the rest of the current roster combined. 

What do the scouting reports say about Kidney:

• Talented playmaker with good hands, high-pace scanning habits, and strong vision.
• A pass-first player who can pick apart opposing defenses.
• His transition game keeps the puck in the opponent's zone.
• He relies on his work ethic to outperform others.
• While his playmaking is his calling card, he has an accurate, deceptive shot.
• Great hockey IQ with the ability to use his creativity to find open teammates.

Steve Martinson's thoughts on Kidney:

• "I expect him to be a dominant player in our lineup 
• "His last two years in the QMJHL, he was #1 and #2 in the league in assists and had 100+ points. My philosophy is if you scored like that in the past, you can do it again."
• "I really liked his game in the playoffs last season. He couldn't skate for a month, came off an injury, and the second he got cleared, he played. That says a lot to me."
• "One thing I noticed when I first looked at his stats is he always played well in the playoffs when games tighten up."
• "Kidney is an AHL-level player and is an AHL free agent, so he could get called up by any AHL team." 

 

Here is a video interview from a few years ago, after Riley had been drafted by Montreal and traded midway through his last season in the QMJHL. You can hear him talk about his game in his own voice.

   

PLAYER PROFILE - ZACKARY SHANTZ

Zackary Shantz

 

Zackary Shantz is a 20-year-old, 5'11", 170-pound, right-shot center from Sucker Creek, Alberta. He played his junior hockey in the WHL and had a breakout season in 2025-26, helping his team (Everett Silvertips) win its first-ever WHL championship. Zakary had 65 points (28G, 38A) in 66 games. 

 

What do the scouting reports say about Shantz:

• He is the kind of player whose motor never turns off.
• Great work ethic; rarely gives up on plays.
• Brings noticeable intensity to the faceoff dot, which shows up in draws. 
• He has a shoot-first mentality and is good at getting pucks through traffic.
• A strong two-way game in the offensive zone. Patrolling empty space while also defending backwards as the third forward high in the zone. 

 

Steve Martinson's thoughts on Shantz:

• "I expect him to be one of the top rookies in the league."
• "The only guys on his championship team last season in Everett who had more points than Zack were all high NHL draft picks." 
• "One of the things I wanted to get better at this season is pursuing the puck when we don't have it, and Shantz's game will help with that. He is one of those types of forwards where puck pursuit is a strength."
• "He converted to center a long time ago and is good on faceoffs. I saw one report that his faceoff percentage last season was 57.1%.

 

Here are two get-to-know-you videos with Shantz. 

• The first is an on-ice interview after his team won its first WHL championship (May 16, 2026) since joining the WHL in 2003. What a great smile. 
• The second video honors his membership in Sucker Creek, Cree First Nation in northern Alberta, but it is also a Zackary hockey highlight reel. What struck me as I watched these highlights was how good he is around the net. Allen has had some very skilled indigenous hockey players over the years, Colton Yellow Horn, Judd Blackwater, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, and Eric Roy, to name a few. They may have another one in Shantz. 

 

 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- I have had several questions about the defensemen who will end up on the roster and why more haven't been announced. In addition to the four that have been announced, Coach Martinson could get up to four NHL/AHL contracted defensemen assigned, and Sam Sedley could be in Allen to start the season. Martinson also has a vet spot to hire an experienced defenseman if needed. 

 

- I have also had questions about a Q & A session with Coach Martinson. Steve and Michelle will be in Allen the week of September 14 and plan to have one of these sessions that week. 

 

-  I have said this in the past as it relates to signing players. When recruiting, it is not as simple as finding the best 20 players you can find. The reality is finding the best players at the best value given the salary cap. The salary cap increased by $500 per week from last season. Spread over a 20-player roster, that is $25 per player, and you know the high-end players expect a raise of a lot more than $25. 

 

- What Coach Martinson does is allocate his money to the areas where he thinks he will get the least amount of help from the AHL. It is also important to Martinson to have top players who are not looking to move up to the AHL. There is a premium for guys who just want to play in Allen. You don't want to have your whole team looking to be called up, even if they are good enough to be called up.  

 

- Play has just started in Europe. There is a league called the Champions League that is made up of 24 top teams from 11 different leagues. This league goes on during each team's regular season. A team could play a regular season game one night and then travel to a different country to play a Champions League game. The Champions League ends in February with a 16-team playoff. That is a long, drawn-out way to say the Champions League just had its first games. HC Pilzen, which is the team Danny Katic plays for in the Czech Republic, beat a team from Sweden 4-0. And yes, Katic scored a goal. 

 

- Zackary Shantz committed to St. Cloud State University last February, but decided to turn professional and sign with the Allen Americans. Ironically, Coach Martinson played his collegiate hockey at St. Cloud State.

 

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL teams with the youngest and oldest average ages of players. Based on players announced thus far for the 2026-27 season:

 

Oldest

Wheeling - 27.67

Adirondack - 27.58

Florida - 27.36

 

Youngest

Bloomington - 24.08

Greensboro - 24.73

Allen - 24.76

 

Source: Elite Prospects