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| Countries |  United States (28 teams)  Canada (1 team) |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Ryan Crelin |
| Commissioner Emeritus | Patrick J. Kelly |
| First season | 1988–89 |
| No. of teams | 29 |
| Feeder to | AHL, NHL |
| Championship | Kelly Cup |
| Recent Champions | Florida Everblades (2024) |
| Most successful club | Florida Everblades (4) |
| Headquarters | Shrewsbury, New Jersey |
| Website | www |
The ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) is a professional minor ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League. The league serves as a farm system to the American Hockey League (AHL) and National Hockey League (NHL).
The ECHL and the AHL are the only minor leagues recognized by the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), meaning any player signed to an entry-level NHL contract and designated for assignment must report to a club in either the ECHL or the AHL.[1] Additionally, the league's players are represented by the Professional Hockey Players' Association in negotiations with the ECHL itself. At least 739 players have played at least one game in the NHL after appearing in the ECHL.[2]
As of the 2024–25 season, 26 of the 32 NHL teams held affiliations with an ECHL team[3] with only the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Utah Hockey Club, and the Vegas Golden Knights having no such franchise affiliations. NHL teams sometimes lend contracted players to ECHL teams with whom they have no affiliation agreements for development and increased playing time.
The league's regular season typically begins in October and ends in April, followed by the Kelly Cup playoffs. The most recent playoff champions are the Florida Everblades in 2024.
- ^ "Collective Bargaining Agreement between National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association" (PDF). NHL and NHLPA. July 22, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
- ^ "The ECHL - Premier 'AA' Hockey League | ECHL Alumni". Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ "NHL/AHL Affiliations". ECHL. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
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