Happy 10th Anniversary, A Trip Down Memory Lane, Players Share Their Memories, Allen Scores Six Award Nominations, Protected Lists Released and More

 

I don't have a lot new to report, but today is the 10th anniversary of Allen's last championship, so I have to take a trip down memory lane. On June 9, 2016 (9:36 pm to be exact), Allen defeated Wheeling 4-2 to capture its second straight Kelly Cup and fourth consecutive league championship. What felt like another celebration at the time was actually the culmination of one of the greatest runs in professional minor-league hockey. A feat no other minor-league pro franchise has accomplished. 

 

YOU WILL WALK TOGETHER FOREVER - photo by Lauren Lyssy

 

 

- I went back and took a good look at the 2015-16 season, and this is what I found.:

• Allen was good in the regular season (89 points), but not great. In the previous year (2014-15), on the way to its first Kelly Cup, the Americans finished with 106 points, one point away from capturing the Brabham Cup. In 2015-16, Allen didn't even win their division, finishing 20 points behind Kansas City (Missouri at the time), who won the Brabham Cup.
• Allen almost didn't get out of the first round of the playoffs, beating Idaho in overtime in game seven. Allen returned home for games six and seven after trailing 3-2. To make matters worse, the Americans lost game five in Idaho 7-1, so all the momentum was with the Steelheads. In game seven, Allen was trailing 2-1 going into the third period. David Makowski tied the game on a power play to send the game into overtime, and Tristan King was the OT hero, scoring the game-winner at the 3:38 mark. 
• Allen took on their bitter rivals in the second round. Kansas City was the best team in the league. The Americans dispatched the Mavericks in six games, led by Hall of Fame goalie Riley Gill. Allen's four wins in the series were 2-0, 5-1, 4-1, 5-1. Gill's save percentage in the four wins was 1.000, .962, .946, .970.
• Allen beat Fort Wayne 4-1 in the Conference Finals, but it wasn't as easy as the 4-1 would indicate. In game two, Vincent Areseneau scored with 30 seconds remaining in the game to send it into overtime, and Gary Steffes scored 56 seconds into the overtime for the game winner. In game four, Allen trailed 5-2 going into the third period and scored three unanswered goals (Tristan King, Greger Hanson, David Makowski) to send the game to overtime. J.P. LaFomtaine scored one goal in 22 games in the playoffs, but it was a big one. He scored the game-winner at 3:46 of OT.
• It was off to the finals against Wheeling, and once again, it was tougher than the 4-2 series might indicate. Allen split the first two games at home and lost game three in Wheeling to fall behind 2-1 in the series. The Americans won games four and five in Wheeling to take a 3-2 series lead and beat the Nailers 4-2 at home in game six to win the Kelly Cup.

 

- Here are some individual and team standout performances from the 2016 Kelly Cup playoffs:

• Chad Costello set the all-time record (which still stands) for assists in a playoff with 29. His 36 points are #2 all-time. He became the first player in history to win the regular-season and playoff MVP award.
• Riley ended the playoffs with the most wins (12), minutes (997), saves (469), and a save percentage of .923. 
• Greger Hanson led the team with 15 goals, followed by Gary Steffes with 13. Hanson, who was the playoff MVP in 2015, is Allen's all-time leader in playoff goals with 39. 
• Rookie defenseman Eric Roy was third on the team in points (21) and led the team in plus-minus (+12).
• Vincent Arseneau, the hardest hitter to ever play in Allen, was third on the team in goals (8) and led the team in penalty minutes (55).
•  The Americans led the ECHL during the regular season with a power play percentage of  21.1%. In the playoffs, they improved the overall power play percentage to 27.2%, and at home, it was an astounding 32.7%. What is even more impressive is how disciplined the team was in not taking penalties. They made their opponents pay time and time again.

 

- I asked Coach Martinson and some of the players from the 2016 championship team about their memories on this 10th anniversary. Here is what they had to say:

 

• Steve Martinson  - What impressed me most about talking to Coach Martinson was his recall of specific plays, key goals, and yes, several of them were penalties that weren't called, such as goalie interference. "We had several key players that did not play a lot of games during the regular season because of injury, callups, or they were playing in college. That helped us play better in the playoffs. We had a lot of veteran guys play well in the playoffs. Our go-to guys played well, and we had some good additions. We were still traveling by bus that season, and Wheeling put us up in these cabins, and we were together all the time. I think that helped us. The 2016 team was a good bunch of guys to coach."   

• Chad Costello - I reminded Chad that he set the all-time assist record (29) and was the playoff MVP in 2016. This was his response. "I don't remember the 29 assists or the MVP. I remember playing for teammates I really cared about. I thought our group deserved to win, and I would do anything in my power to help make that happen. As a team, we wanted to make our city and fans proud. Marty did an incredible job keeping us motivated and made us championship-ready and deserving. As a coach now, I learned a lot from that team. Incredible players, coaches, and people. I am thankful for the memories, and I am thankful for the teammates."   

• Riley Gill - "After our overtime win in game five in Wheeling, you could feel the momentum swing. We came together when it mattered most, got big goals from our leaders and returned home determined to finish what we started. Winning back-to-back Kelly Cups wasn't just about talent. It was about trust, sacrifice, and a group that refused to be  denied."

• Spencer Asuchak - "Hanson's 15 goals in the playoffs were insane. When he scored the overtime game-winner in game five in Wheeling, it gave us so much confidence. I remember as we were on the bus (Big Red) getting ready to head back to Allen after that game, their fans surrounded the bus, started throwing crap, shaking the bus, and not letting us leave. It was pretty cool, haha. Gill was incredible in that series. That team was loaded.

• Aaron Gens - "Such an amazing run. We weren't coming into the playoffs as the top seed, so we had a ton of work to do. Beating Idaho in overtime in game seven in the first round was special, and then taking out the top team (Kansas City), and then rolling over Fort Wayne. Wheeling wasn't as easy as some people thought. It was small ice, and it was a war zone. They were hunting us down. I'll never forget Costy setting up Hanson for huge goals in Wheeling. They messed up when they gave us a hotel (cabins) in the wilderness. We had a bunch of outdoorsmen from all over North America, so we loved every second of being there. Between the games, we played a softball game with a bat made from wood. Our chemistry was so strong that we would do everything together."

THANKS FOR A GREAT SEASON BOYS! - photo by Dianne Webster

 

 - June 9, 2016, marked the fourth consecutive championship for the Allen Americans, capping one of the most dominant eras in minor league hockey. Just as remarkable, all four championship-winning games were celebrated on home ice, giving Allen fans the rare privilege of seeing an entire dynasty crowned in person.  

 

- The only constant in the four straight Allen championships was coach Steve Martinson, who had to build a new team every season with no multi-year contracts in AA hockey. There were no players from the 2013 championship still on the team in 2016. The list of players who won three of the four championships is impressive. Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson, Tyler Ludwig, Trevor Ludwig, Brian McMillin, and Jamie Schaafsma.  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - The ECHL released the protected lists this morning. The protected list is unlimited in size and typically includes every player the team holds the rights to. You can get all of the details here. https://echl.com/news/2026/06/echl-announces-protected-lists. Allen protected two goalies, 14 forwards, and 10 defensemen: 

- The ECHL announced the nominees for its annual team awards yesterday. A total of 106 nominees in 21 categories. Allen has a nomination in six categories, more than all but two teams. A far cry from all those years when Allen seemed to always be at the bottom of the list. Congrats to team president, Jonny Mydra, and his staff on the following nominations:

 

• Marketing Team of the Year
• Most Creative Ticket Package of the Year - (Goalie Content Creator/All Goalie Game)
• Game Operations Team of the Year
• Ticket Department of the Year - Growth
• Group Department of the Year - Growth 
• Team Award of Excellence - Growth 

 

- Here is a breakdown of the nominations by team and the ECHL press release with all of the details;

 

7 ORL, SC

6 ALN, ATL, GVL, IDH

5 BLM, CIN, FLA, JAX, KAL, SAV, TOL

4 MNE, RC, WOR

3 IND, KC, TR

2 FW, GSO, NOR, TAH, WIC

1 REA, WHL

0 ADK, IA, TUL, UTA

 

Press Release -https://echl.com/news/2026/06/echl-announces-finalists-for-2025-26-team-awards-presented-by-sponsorcx 

 

 

 

- It seems like a long time since Allen won the Kelly Cup, but this puts everything in perspective. Only four current ECHL teams have won a Kelly Cup since Allen's win in 2016. 20 of the 30 teams that competed this season have never won a Kelly Cup. Here are the 10 teams that have won the Kelly Cup and the most recent season they won.  

 

2025: Trois Rivières

2024: Florida

2021: Fort Wayne

2016: Allen

2013: Reading

2010: Cincinnati

2009: South Carolina

2007: Idaho

2002: Greenville (Grrrowl)

1994: Toledo (Storm)

  

 

 

- The Kelly Cup finals resume tomorrow night in Florida. Kansas City has a 2-0 lead, having won the first two games at home. The Mavericks were dominant, winning 6-0 and 5-2. The most impressive stat to me, other than outscoring Florida 11-2, is that Kansas City had 11 different players score goals. To say the game tomorrow night is a must-win for Florida is an understatement. If the Everblades fall behind 3-0 in the series, this will likely be yet another lopsided final series.

 

A reminder, the last four seasons the Kelly Cup finals were: 

 

4-1: Trois Rivières over Toledo

4-1: Florida over Kansas City

4-0: Florida over Idaho

4-1: Florida over Toledo

 

  

 

DID YOU KNOW: This week is the anniversary of another milestone in the Allen Americans franchise history. On Sunday, June 14, it will be 11 years since Allen won its first Kelly Cup with a 6-1 home win over the South Carolina Stingrays in game seven. Goal scorers in that game were Chad Costello (2), Vincent Arseneau (2), Gary Steffes, and Chris Crane.