Steve Martinson and the Allen Americans begin the "Drive for Five" anew tonight, kicking off the Kelly Cup playoffs against the Idaho Steelheads. It is the beginning of a grueling five games in six days, with the lone off day spent traveling from Allen to Idaho.
- Four years ago, Steve Martinson was shown the door after winning four championships in 10 years with the Allen Americans. He returned to the bench this season and rewrote the script, turning the league's worst team into the hottest (11-0-1-0) going into the playoffs. In the process, Martinson authored the fourth-largest turnaround in ECHL history. Now comes the hardest part: proving that redemption stories end with a championship, not just applause.
- The turnaround: Allen finished the regular season with 92 points (.639), 49 points better than the 43 points (.299) the team had last season. The +49 point turnaround has only been exceeded three times in the 38-year history of the ECHL:
- +58 points - Toledo from 49 points in 2013-14 to 107 points in 2014-15
- +50 points - Greenville from 33 points in 2003-04 to 83 points in 2004-05
- +50 points - Knoxville from 44 points in 1992-93 to 94 points in 1993-94
- +49 points - Allen from 43 points in 2024-25 to 92 points in 2025-26
When I mentioned this 49-point turnaround to Coach Martinson, comparing this season to last season was not a big deal. His exact words were, "It's a nice stat, but the best part of this season was how we dialed it in the last month (11-0-1-0), and then added some skilled and gritty players for the playoff push."
- I have heard from several fans that Idaho has to be the favorite in this series, based on the Steelheads beating the Americans six of seven times (6-0-0-1) in the regular season. I understand the sentiment. Here are the facts that mitigate the regular-season record and give Allen the edge:
- Three of the losses came before Thanksgiving when Allen wasn't playing well.
- Five of the seven games were on the road.
- Three of the seven games went to overtime.
- Allen's lone win was the last time the teams played.
- The last time Allen played Idaho, eight players on the playoff roster did not play (Asuchak, Barbashev, Crone, Duarte, Dubois, Hookey, Kidney, Sedley, Touré)
- Allen averaged 2.29 goals a game and allowed 3.29 in the seven games against Idaho.
- In the last month, Allen has averaged 5.25 goals per game and allowed 2.25, going 11-0-1-0.
- Here is a statistical comparison between Allen and Idaho, looking at the stats from the 72-game regular season:
Goals Scored (average per game)
- 3.72 - Allen
- 3.49 - Idaho
Goals Allowed (average per game)
- 2.90 - Allen
- 3.04 - Idaho
Goal Differential (goals scored minus goals allowed)
- +59 - Allen
- +32 - Idaho
Shots For (average per game)
- 34.24 - Idaho
- 33.72 - Allen
Shots Against (average per game)
- 32.35 - Idaho
- 34.33 - Allen
Shooting Percentage (goals as a percent of total shots)
- 10.9% - Allen
- 10.0% - Idaho
Power Play Percentage
- 21.7% - Allen
- 18.5% - Idaho
Penalty Kill Percentage
- 84.1% - Allen
- 79.4% - Idaho
Power Play Goals Scored
- 60 - Allen
- 50 - Idaho
Plus/Minus
- +169 - Allen
- +133 - Idaho
Goals Against Average (GAA)
- 2.87 - Allen
- 2.97 - Idaho
Save Percentage
- .915 - Allen
- .906 - Idaho
Record Last 10 Games
- 9-0-1-0 - Allen
- 5-4-1-0 - Idaho
THE ROSTER
- I am sure you have seen the 25-player playoff roster by now. Here is the list with height, weight, and left- or right-shot status. The height and weight data are from the Allen Americans website and may be inaccurate in some cases. NHL/AHL contracted players are marked with an asterisk.
Forwards
- #7 Colton Hargrove - 6'2" 205 lbs left shot
- #9 *Danny Katic - 6'4" 222 lbs left shot
- #11 *Maxim Barbashev - 6'1" 188 lbs left shot
- #18 Harrison Blaisdell - 5'11" 181 lbs left shot
- #26 Spencer Asuchak - 6'6" 230 lbs left shot
- #27 *Mark Duarte - 6'2" 187 lbs right shot
- #29 Brayden Watts - 6'0" 182 lbs left shot
- #44 Jax Dubois - 6'4" 205 lbs right shot
- #55 *Landon Hookey - 6'5" 225 lbs right shot
- #67 Hank Crone - 5'9" 170 lbs left shot
- #76 *Riley Kidney - 6'0" 190 lbs. left shot
- #77 Lukas Sillinger - 5'11" 170 lbs left shot
- #91 Michael Gildon - 6'2" 196 lbs left shot
- #92 Colby McAuley - 6'0" 185 lbs left shot
How do the forwards compare to Idaho? Allen has three players under 6'0, and Idaho has nine. Allen's average weight is 11 pounds heavier than Idaho's. Allen has recently added some right-shot forwards that helped even out what was a big imbalance. The split is now 11 left shots vs 3 right shots. Idaho is split 7 left shots vs 6 right shots.
Defense
- #2 Quinn Warmuth - 6'4" 219 lbs right shot
- #8 Ty Prefontaine - 6'3" 215 lbs left shot
- #21 Jackson Decker - 5'11" 175 lbs left shot
- #22 Anthony Costantini - 6'1" 185 lbs right shot
- #23 Sam Sedley - 6'0" 185 lbs right shot
- #25 Trevor LeDonne - 6'1" 205 lbs left shot
- #40 *Djibril Touré - 6'7" 210 lbs right shot
- #86 Andre Anania - 6'1" 190 pounds right shot
How do the defensemen compare to Idaho? Average height and weight are the same. The big difference is on offense. Allen's top two defensemen have 97 points; Idaho's have 49. If you look at the top four, Allen has the edge, 140 points to 91.
Goalies
- #31 *Jackson Parsons - 23 games. 2.41 GAA, .923 save percentage
- #32 Brett Mirwald - 7 games, 1.58 GAA, .950 save percentage
- #33 Marco Costantini - 33 games, 2.83 GAA, .917 save percentage
How do the goalie stats compare with Idaho? The Steelheads only have two goalies on the roster, and one of them has played only one ECHL game. Their third goalie, an NHL-contracted goalie, is on the playoff-eligible list and currently recalled.
- Here are the five players who will not play tonight: Crone, Decker, LeDonne (healthy scratches), Kidney (listed as day-to-day), and Parsons (cleared but not playing tonight).
- It has been a big week in the continuing relationship between Allen, Belleville, and Ottawa. The Americans have six players from the Senators' organization, and the teams have just signed a one-year extension to their affiliation agreement. I asked Coach Martinson what this means for Allen, and this is what he had to say:
"My last three years in Allen (2019-22) were with affiliations that weren't coming back, or in the case of Seattle, a team that didn't have any players. Minnesota wouldn't even send back our own guy.
What we have now with Ottawa/Belleville is just the opposite. An affiliation that cares and wants players to play in Allen as part of their development. To win a Stanley Cup, you have to play about 100 games. I really don't have time for affiliations that don't see the importance of playoff games. You might as well say you are soft, and that is one thing I prefer never to be called. The renewed affiliation isn't just paperwork; it's a statement of trust and belief among Ottawa, Belleville, and Allen, reaffirming that Allen is a vital proving ground for prospects throughout the season and into the playoffs, where playoff intensity and ice time create valuable growth opportunities."
