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.