The Ultimate Guide
This is our most comprehensive guide on the ECHL. In this minor league hockey guide, you'll learn all about:
•ECHL Teams (interactive league map)
•Skill level across the league
•ECHL Salaries + Compensation
•Expectations
•Environment (fans, arenas, etc)
•What It's Like To Play in "The Coast" (player perspective)
Let's get pucks deep and get into it...
Chapter 1
ECHL Interactive Map + Teams
Chapter 2
ECHL Skill Level
Chapter 3
ECHL Salary
Chapter 4
Expectations
Chapter 5
Environment (fans, arenas)
Chapter 6
Playing in the Coast
We'll start out Chapter 1 of this guide by covering where all the leagues teams are based.
By looking at our interactive map below, you can quickly get a sense on the various teams throughout the league.
CLICK ON A TEAM BELOW TO LEARN MORE
Now that you're familiar with the league layout a bit more (or refreshed your memory), let's get into the meat + potatoes of this blog and cover all things in The Coast.
So what’s the caliber and skill level of play like in the ECHL?
Great question Gretzky. Though the ECHL sits two levels below the NHL, there's nothing to scoff at.
The level of play in the league is high quality. As you'll see in this chapter, the league is full of talented hockey players with solid hockey resumes.
As you move from the top of rosters (top line and d pairings) to the bottom, the skill level and depth will vary.
Many top ECHL could very well fit in and cut it in the A (American Hockey League), but the bottom half of their roster likely wouldn’t. When you get up to the higher pro ranks in the hockey world, the differences from one level to the next are subtle.
A little bit quicker pace, faster decision making, hockey IQ can make all the difference in the world…
With the majority of ECHL teams having affiliations with AHL/NHL clubs above them today, both the talent and skill level across ECHL rosters keeps getting stronger each year.
Due to these direct affiliations, the parent clubs in the NHL/AHL often place a portion of upcoming talent in the ECHL to help them develop. Whether it’s a first year pro drafted in the 7th-round or a goaltender in the NHL organizations depth chart who they want to mature while getting minutes, you’re bound to find a number of players on each team who are associated with the top NHL club.
This often will squeeze players down to the SPHL as there’s not always enough room on each roster.
Additionally, the ECHL also has a strict veteran rule which states that each team is limited to 4 veteran players (not counting goalies) on their roster during the entire season. To count as a veteran as a player, you need to have played in over 260+ professional games prior to the present season.
That’s quite a number of pro games played in the minors to count as a veteran, but the veteran rule definitely impacts how clubs structure their rosters so it’s worth noting on.
In recent years, the league has naturally become a bit younger with an average age of players on teams hovering right around 25 years old.
One common myth (one that maybe someone you know has) is that a few people out there seem to think that if they played youth hockey growing up and dominate their local beer league, they could’ve played in the ECHL too if they wanted (insert cringe emoji).
Anyone who believes this myth forgets to take into account the various levels/tiers of hockey the lie between where they played and the ECHL.
Sure….there’s always a few exceptions and a number of players (ex: fighter, a 4th line grinder) are brought in for specialized roles.
Take a look at a fair amount of player resumes though and you’ll find the following: ECHL players unanimously have prior experience either playing pro in the minors, NCAA, USports, major junior, or even European hockey.
Yes- as much younger players, these same players now in the Coast likely played travel/high school/prep too.
But after this....they then spent several years honing their craft in juniors and then potentially another 4 more in university before making the step up to the pro level.
It’s important to keep this in mind when thinking about the quality of play in the league.
As you move down to the lower minor leagues below “The Coast” or lower tiers in Europe, then it becomes more common to find players with varying hockey backgrounds. It all depends on the league though…
Whether you're a player or a curious fan, you probably want to know what kind of dough ECHL players make, right?
In this chapter, we'll cover just that for you...
Currently, ECHL teams are required to pay rookie players (less than 25 pro games played) $520 per week.
For players who’ve played more than this (or returning players), the leagues minimum salary amount is $565 per week.
Across a roster, the ECHL salary cap for a week is $14,870 during the first 30 days of the season due to more movement happening at seasons start. After this, it moves slightly down to $14,350 for the entirety of the season. The sum of all player salaries on a team cannot go below $10,900 per week.
Teams need to be somewhat strategic in how they divvy up salaries...
On one hand, they'd like to incentive a select number of high-end/veteran players to play for them for a bit more $.
On the other hand, they still have to work within the constraints of the cap, therefore, the upper bound of salaries (on paper) can only go so high.
There are other forms of compensation for players to considerranging from the quality of housing the team provides to other perks in season (car/gas, transportation, food, and so on
What should players expectations be like at the East Coast Hockey League level if they want to play here?
In this chapter, we're going to answer this...let's get into it.
As we mentioned earlier in Chapter 2 of this guide, there’s quite a bit of competition for roster spots.
Not only do most ECHL teams have affiliations with parent clubs, but it’s also becoming more commonplace for players to want to continue playing pro upon graduating school (NCAA, USports, etc) or when they age out of juniors.
Due to these two factors alone, there is no shortage of quality players all vying to cement a spot for themselves in the league.
Teams expect players to bring value night in and night out….if a player isn’t cutting it at this level, there’s a number of players right behind them itching to take their place (their job).
If you're a veteran player in the ECHL or you've spent some time in the AHL, you might have a bit more job security, but it's still a grind especially if you're trying to get your foot in the door.
Another attractive route that many players consider taking is to play hockey across the pond in Europe. European hockey leagues not only provide high level hockey for players, but the lifestyle away from the rink is unmatched as well.
We bring this route up because over the years, we've helped numerous players in their transition from the ECHL -> pro in Europe as well as countless players who couldn't get into the coast (for whatever reason- resume, injuries, life got in the way), but still feel like they have the drive and talent to play a bit more before hanging up the skates.
As a player, it all boils down to your preferences when deciding where is best to play for you.
What is the environment like to play hockey in the ECHL?
Here in Chapter 5, we'll cover that and delve a little bit into team arenas and fanbases to give you a small taste of what it's like.
Having scouted our share of East Coast Hockey League games throughout the past decade, the environments in most barns in the league is great.
Across the whole league, the average fan attendance a few seasons ago during the 2022-2023 season was 4,639 fans per game. That number has gone up slightly since.
A few teams such as the Jacksonville Icemen, Fort Wayne Comets, and Toledo Walleye draw some of the largest crowds in the entire league.
Even the few teams with the lowest average fan attendance still draw a bit over 2,000+ fans per home game.
Many of the teams in “The Coast” are the main show in town in terms of hockey.
Due to this, they often get treated quite well whether it’s support from local businesses, a teams booster club, or even when they interact with super fans around town.
Although they play less games per season, we're also seeing similar average home game attendance numbers across the PWHL as well which is great to see for the games growth.
We've made it to the last chapter (golf clap). Up to this point in our ECHL guide, we have covered quite a bit ranging from the caliber of players to how much cheddar players take home.
It's only fitting that we close out this guide by diving briefly into what it's really like to play in the league. We spoke with our partners, coaches, and a handful of current + former ECHL players to get a well informed sense of what it's like to "play in the coast."
If you were to talk to a dozen players who’ve played in the league and asked them what their experience playing in the ECHL was like, you’d probably get a dozen different answers.
Why would that be?
Reason why is that each players personal playing experience in the league is heavily influenced by their unique circumstance + perception.
Their unique circumstance being where they played previously and their perception being a mix of their standards and attitude.
Let me explain…
Let’s say you have a player, Player A, who is a highly touted NHL draft pick. After NCAA, they make the big club and spend some short lived time in the AHL/NHL. After struggling to adapt to the pro game though over the coming months, they find themselves getting sent down to the American League and then down again to the coast.
In this instance, the player is not pumped about being in the coast.
All they’re hoping for is a call up back to the A and it’s not in sight. The only thing in sight is a cheese toast sandwich on a sleeper bus with an 11-hour bus trip ahead.
That’s their perception…
Now let’s paint a different picture...
You have another player, Player B, who played exceptionally well in the SPHL or FPHL and after a couple years of grinding and perseverance, they've finally earned a first call up to the ECHL.
This player is ecstatic.
Weekly pay is a bit higher, the apartment is a little roomier, and life is good. They reached a goal that many players they’ve played with previously never have.
Based on the two examples above with Player A and Player B…you see that they both played in the same league. Yet their lived experience was very different.
In all, the majority of current players we spoke with for this piece were quite happy with their setups in the league today.
They're also all great hockey players who are dedicated to continuing to play the game they love at a high level....whether it's for another season (or 4).
Though the travel schedule on the road (bus, air) can be a bit rigorous at times during the ECHL season, many players had nothing but positive things to say about their clubs training facilities, team staff, and the organizations fanbase as a whole.
Having interacted with various personnel in the league over the years, we can attest to this.
The ECHL is a quality North American league that continues to become more skilled every year. This trend will likely continue as more players aim to continue playing hockey at the pro level.
In closing, we hope you were able to learn a few new things about the league from this piece. If you're a player who's reading this and you're intrigued by the prospect of playing hockey in Europe, send us a message.
