There were three players who played in both the ECHL and NHL in 2020-21: Tanner Jeannot and Cole Smith with Florida and Nashville and Jack Ahcan with Jacksonville and Boston. There have been 442 ECHL players have played their first game in the last 16 seasons for an average of more than 27 per year. The ECHL had 97 players reach the NHL in its first 10 seasons and 215 in the first 15 years. The ECHL has had 506 players reach the NHL since 2002-03 when it changed its focus to become the primary developmental league for the NHL and the AHL.

There have been 698 players who have played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL including 20 who made their debuts in 2020-21. Murray, Kory Nagy, Ben O’Quinn and Bryan Pancich. Pierre and Ian Walsh and linesmen Steve Barton, Ryan Daisy, Julien Fournier, Brandon Gawryletz, Mitchell Hunt, Trent Knorr, Matt MacPherson, Jesse Marquis, Kilian McNamara, Bevin Mills, C.J. Luxmore, Peter MacDougall, Michael Markovic, Wes McCauley, Jon McIsaac, Dean Morton, Dan O’Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Carter Sandlak, Graham Skilliter, Furman South, Justin St. There are 41 former ECHL officials who are scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2021-22 with referees Reid Anderson, Jake Brenk, Francis Charron, Tom Chmielewski, Mitch Dunning, Trevor Hanson, Beau Halkidis, Ghislain Hebert, Jean Hebert, Marc Joannette, Pierre Lambert, T.J. Laviolette, who coached the Wheeling Nailers during the 1997-98 season, became the first former ECHL coach to serve as head coach of a Stanley Cup champion with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. In 2019-20, Cassidy became the second former ECHL head coach to win the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year, joining Bruce Boudreau, who received the honor in 2007-08.

It is the 11th consecutive season that there have been 30 or more coaches with an ECHL background working in the NHL. In addition, Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme and San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner are former ECHL players. There are 48 coaches with an ECHL background working behind the benches of teams in the NHL including Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy, Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar and Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette, who all previously were ECHL head coaches. All 27 ECHL teams have an affiliate for the 2021-22 season, marking the first time since 2016-17 that all ECHL teams are affiliated. The Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League, the ECHL has a player or coach on each of the 32 teams and has affiliations with 27 of the 32 teams in the NHL, marking the 25th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. The ECHL has 70 players on National Hockey League opening-day rosters, marking the 21st season in a row with more than 50 former ECHL players on opening-day rosters.

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