A frequent topic of conversation in the ECHL remains expansion, as the league would like to get to 32 teams – enough for every NHL team to have a minor-league affiliate at this level.

But expansion can be complicated, especially when multiple teams have the same owners, something increasingly prevalent in the ECHL.

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I spoke in December with ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin, who’s pleased with the league’s product and subsequent attendance gains, and who assured me safeguards are in place to make sure owners don’t take advantage of possessing more than one team.

As it stood Saturday, there were great success stories in attendance; the Jacksonville Icemen were averaging a league-high 8,653 per game, followed by the Toledo Walleye’s 7,932 average, the Fort Wayne Komets’ 7,636 and the Savannah Ghost Pirates’ 7,485. 

But the bottom of the attendance averages belonged to the Iowa Heartlanders at 1,206, with the Trois-Rivières Lions at 2,560.

Energy level = 1000% ⚡
-@LippesMathias pic.twitter.com/CMGnBVyQiA

— Jacksonville Icemen (@JaxIcemen) January 6, 2025

ECHL teams, and there are 29 of them, were averaging 4,796 fans per game between them.

“We can always do better, and when you have almost 30 of anything, you’re going to have a top and a bottom,” Crelin said. “Once again, our attendance is up on average. And after the last couple years, when our numbers have been so staggering, I was a little worried (we couldn’t) continue that growth.”

When I spoke with Crelin, he said attendance was up about 6% for returning teams, compared to that point in December 2023, the math complicated by the league removing the Newfoundland Growlers from the league late last season and adding the Tahoe Knight Monsters and Bloomington Bison for this season. 

Newfoundland was averaging 3,724 before its dismissal for failure to fulfill financial obligations to the league. Tahoe and Bloomington were averaging 3,365 and 2,581, respectively, going into Saturday’s games.

While ECHL attendance numbers represent the number of tickets out, not the actual number of butts in seats, the league seems to be experiencing solid growth, though it took time for the league to get back to pre-pandemic numbers.

The ECHL averaged 4,327 fans per game before the 2019-2020 season was halted. In 2020-2021, the average was down to 2,275, but only 14 teams skated amid health restrictions that limited attendance around the league.

In 2021-2022, the ECHL had 27 teams and averaged 3,935 fans with Toledo drawing a league-high 7,358 and the Wheeling Nailers a league-low 1,681. 

In 2022-2023, when the 28-team average was 4,629, Jacksonville led with 7,749 fans per game, and Iowa was last with 1,851. 

Last season, the league-wide average of 4,981 (not including Newfoundland) was led by Jacksonville’s 8,768, while Iowa had the lowest reported attendance of 2,015 per game.

“I’m happy overall, but there are still some teams at the bottom that we need to grow and get headed in the right direction,” Crelin said. “That’s our challenge.”

Crelin said he was encouraged that the Heartlanders had their first sellout, 4,878 fans, in the last game of last season, but he wants to see it replicated multiple times. With Iowa having its best season on the ice – an 18-11-4 start – perhaps the fans will start showing up more.

Name a minor league from history, and you’re bound to find bad expansion decisions. Sometimes the issue is picking the wrong markets. Other times, it’s the owners. The ECHL needs to be mindful as it continues to grow, but Crelin said the ECHL is being careful.

Safeguards In Place

The ECHL already has announced a 30th team will join the league next season in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Crelin said a 31st team is “in the works.”

Greensboro will be owned by Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, which already owns Jacksonville and Savannah and manages Tahoe, the Allen Americans and the Atlanta Gladiators. 

Another ownership group, Spire Sports, owns Trois-Rivières, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and the Rapid City Rush. Meanwhile, Bloomington and the Indy Fuel are owned by Jim Hallett.

In a league that has much player movement, including trades and players being waived and picked up, I wondered what safeguards are in place to keep everyone on a level field. 

Crelin said the league’s rules prohibit trades between teams under the same ownership – and that includes Zawyer Sports trading between teams it only manages – and that franchises also cannot put in waiver claims to pick up a player dropped by a sibling team.

“(A player would) have to go through all the waivers to become a free agent and then picked up (by a sibling franchise),” Crelin said. “So that helps prevent any ‘gains’ from a hockey perspective, and our board spent the past 12 to 15 months putting business rules in on the backend in terms of limitations of that nature for multiple ownership.

“It’s kind of interesting because this is happening across all of sports because of private equity, and that’s really going to change the landscape of ownership in professional sports. So, we’re doing it, but so are a lot of other leagues.”

The view is great at the top of the mountain 🏔️
-@ECHL pic.twitter.com/AuUlj69ECy

— Tahoe Knight Monsters (@Knight_monsters) January 11, 2025

Talking Everblades Dominance

The Florida Everblades have won the last three Kelly Cups – something that had never happened before – and they are one of the favorites again this season, as they lead the South Division.

Crelin doesn’t think the Everblades’ success has been a bad thing. It’s not as if the playing field isn’t level. Florida finished third in the South Division last season and fourth in the 2022-2023 campaign, it’s just turned it on at the right times.

“To do back-to-back-to-back championships, I don’t care what league you’re in, I think it’s very impressive,” Crelin said. “And if you look at it, last season that team could have just as easily missed the playoffs. And they got in. And then went on a run.

“I understand where people get concerned about a team dominating like that, but I give them kudos (for the) ability to find a way to win. I often don’t find them the most talented team on the ice, but they find a way to win.”

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